Judging by the recent proliferation of spy shots, the ongoing success of sites like AutoMK and other developments in our little slice of the mediaverse, it's no secret that we live in a society obsessed with "the new." This
idée fixe among automotive connoisseurs has given rise to hundreds of "speculators" that purchase the newest hotness, then sell said vehicle for an inflated premium. It's capitalism at work, but Audi doesn't like it.
With only 300 R8s bound for the States (100 more than originally allocated), Audi is taking a page from Ferrari's playbook and instituting a policy that asks R8 buyers to sign an affidavit saying that if they decided to sell their new four-ringed supercar, Audi gets first dibs. The only sticking point: it's not mandatory.
Audi doesn't expect this to be an issue, hoping that dealers can "manage the situation," according Joel Weinberger, the owner of Naperville, Ill. based Continental Audi.
The
Automotive News article in which Mr. Weinberger was quoted also provided some hard facts about Audi's dealer plans for the R8. Specifically that only 300 units will be available, 109 of 267 dealers in the U.S. will actually be able to sell the R8 and that 167 dealers will have staff on hand to service the new uber-coupe.
[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]
