At this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, everyone and their mother noticed that the event was SUV/CUV-centric. It makes sense, though, because the numbers prove that SUV and CUV models from Acura to Volkswagen (even Toyota) are outselling passenger cars.
What I noticed at Audi's display was something rather somber. While the sexy and very popular 2018 Audi S5 Sportback and 2018 Audi S5 were present, the S4,RS3 and TT RS were missing. When I questioned Audi about the missing models, I was dismissed with a lousy excuse. "We already announced those models," an Audi employee huffed. It's obvious what's going on over at Audi, and it hurts.
You see, while the new Mexican-made 2018 Audi Q5 in Manhattan Gray was on display alongside the S5 and S5 Sportback, we were shown the outdate A8 and S8, and even a tarted-up S6. Hell, these cars were so boring, they had to employ models to make the display attractive. Even the A3 e-tron was treated like a bastard-child, shoved into a quiet spot next to the boring Alltrack wagon. That's what happens when the future is questionable. Someone fucks it up for the rest of us and now everyone pays the price. Two years ago, Audi had the Prologue concept on display. It was a striking vision of the future to come, and it was set to be the pacemaker for the A8, A7, and A6. This year's auto show had Audi at their worst.
If you're reeling from a scandal and you're future is mandated, why dismiss it by casting the A3 e-tron aside? Why put three run-of-the-mill vehicles nobody can yet buy on the center stage? This is why this year's auto show was dead before it even started. There was no flare, no indiscretion, and no lust. Do you think anyone really wanted to sign the dotted line and order an S5? Judging by the attitude at Audi this year, the answer is no.
I guess I was right to question Audi's decision on omitting the RS3 and TT RS from the display.
Expect more from Audi in the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. Hopefully by then we can see what's on the horizon for North America, a complete blitzkrieg of new models ranging from the TT RS, RS3, S4, S5, S5 Sportback, and perhaps the SQ7.
