Audiwatch Update (Tm) 6-3-92

[powell@interlan.interlan.com (Glen D. Powell)]

Audiwatch Update (Tm) 6-3-92


DEMAND SHOULD EXCEED SUPPLY BY ONE CAR
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Audi of America vp Richard Mugg, regarding the near-immediate sellout of
his entire U.S. allotment of 250 Audi S4s: "It's been gratifying to me
to finally get a letter from a dealer again accusing us of unfairly
allocating cars... it's been a long time."

Even a 250 car sellout is good new nowadays

ORIENTAL IMPORTS
----------------

After 38 years of selling Volkswagens to the Japanese, Yanase, that
country's No. 1 IMPORTER, is SWITCHING TO GM OPEL products, effective
Jan. 1, 1993. VW isn't fretting, however, since it's WORKING WITH TOYOTA
and hopes TO BOOST its Japanese SALES from the current 44,000 units a year
to as many as 100,000.

NOT DEAD YET?
-------------

Poetntial CARRERA CUP COMPETITORS are TRYING TO convince Porsche to 
RESSURECT THE SERIES (AW, May 18). "The LAST THING THEY NEED IS ANOTHER
PORSCHE FAILURE," said Tom McCabe, who sold his Firehawk racer to pay for
a Carrera Cup car.

"I'm not sure it's as dead as Porsche thinks it is," said racer/Porsche
dealer Rick Mancuso, whose Lake Forset (Ill.) Sportscars serves as a
clearing house for would-be Carrera Cup competitors, some of whom
reportedly had rented garages, hired crews and purchased transporters.

But the SERIES MAY BE MORE DEAD THAN those RACERS WANT to believe.
Porsche Cars North America, which has 25 race-ready chassis -- with
20 more yet to be converted, may convert the Carrera Cup cars back into
streetable configuration or sell them to the collectors who are calling.

The racers say all Porsche needs to do is proceed with a proposal to cut
the price of the cars, and "believe me," Mancuso said, "there are 40
buyers for these cars at the lower price." (Porsche ought to lower ALL
their prices, actually, Ed) Porsche wanted $100,000, plus a $10,000
performance bond, for each chassis. When racers balked, PORSCHE reportedly
CONSIDERED OFFERING THE CARS FOR $75,000, with racers having to put only
$50,000 down. Racers thought approval of the new financing plan was the
reason for a board meeting May 8. Instead, the board emerged to say that
since it had found no series sponsor and had deposits for fewer than 20
cars, the series was being cancelled.

Vorsprung durch Technik,

-glen, 85 Quattro, 86 4000CS Quattro