Audi A1 might come to USA

Audi has announced that the 2009 A1 might come to the North American market, even if the other compact A3 sport wagon does not sell that well in here. "There is absolutely a potential for that kind of vehicle in America,"

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I keep reading that petrol (Gas?) is getting expensive in the states. But how much has it gone up in the last couple of years or so?

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Reply to
sjmassey
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Well Petrol in the UK is now £1.02 a litre, that means it now costs to fill up my A4 £67

That is approx $140 per tank, when i last went to the states I think it cost around $20 to fill up.

Reply to
Ronny

I think it would probably be about double that now ($40). All depends on size of tank etc.

However, you might think you're hard done by on fuel, but the cost of other basics such as electricity are very much higher than the UK.

Swings and roundabouts really. Grass is not always greener etc etc

Reply to
G-man uk

Very much higher?

Explain....

Our price for a "small" house is £600 a year for electicity, remember we dont have stuff like swimming pools and air con, big fridges etc, so thats over $1200 a year, how much do you pay?

We also pay £1500 / $3000 a year in council tax, Car Tax £200 / $400 a year.

I was just looking at the price Audi are going to charge us for the R8, which looks like £77,000 for the base model, this compares to US price of $102,000

With the current exchange rate, that is $154,000 an increase of some $52,000 and we live closer so it should cost less to import, especially as we are part of the European Union.

So you pay $40 for gas, I fill up every week so 52 x £70 = £3640 / $7300 a YEAR just in fuel to get to work

It sucks to live here lol, but hey someone has too :)

Oh and just on a side note, a house in the UK for a small 2 bed shitty terraced is £130,000 which means alot of people here now pay nearly £1000 a month just in mortgage payments alone.

Reply to
Ronny

Actually, I'm in the UK not the US, but I can tell you though, that a friend of mine in Texas pays around $1000-1200 a *month* for electricity and I don't believe this is unique. He doesn't have a swimming pool but air-con is a must. The house is about the size of a 4 bed detached here.

Your council tax is really a payment for bin collections, sewage charges etc. Americans have a similar tax too.

The base model is more like £70k or at least it was on the price list I saw. There are other taxes to add to the $102k, much the same as we have here, although you are right, it is a bit more expensive here. Great car though.

Also, how much do you pay for medical costs? I for one am very grateful for the NHS. If I moved to the US, I wouldn't get insurance because of pre-existing conditions. If I did, then for a family of 4 you're looking at around $400-500+ a MONTH. I don't think I would be able to survive without insurance.

You should be able to get cheaper payments than that, even with the current UK interest rate. Probably about 20% cheaper.

Everything has to be taken in perspective, by looking at the big picture, things are not as one-sided as they may first appear.

Still, the A1 looks a fantastic car and is definitely needed in the "A" series line up.

Reply to
G-man uk

That must have been some time ago. Filling up my Passat costs about $55. Premium (e.g. 98 RON) fuel costs around $3.60-$3.65 in the metropolitan NYC area.

-- Mike Smith

Reply to
Mike Smith

Texas is rather an extreme case for electricity, since in many places air conditioning is required 24/7. Here in New York, with air conditioning and electric hot water, I pay about $200 a month on average.

Yes, but it's nowhere *near* $3000 a year. *Maybe* as much as $300. And there are no "car taxes", in NY there is a registration fee of about $50 a year.

So? As you said, things balance out. Yes, that's probably about what you'd pay for health insurance. And maybe electricity is more expensive. Meanwhile, you'd probably be paying a top income tax rate (i.e. only on the highest few thousand dollars of your income) of 28% (15% on the rest), 0-8% sales tax (depending on which state) instead of

- what, 18% VAT?, land and houses are cheaper, cars are cheaper (both in price and taxes), food is generally cheaper, just about everything is, really.

-- Mike Smith

Reply to
Mike Smith

Exactly.

Reply to
G-man uk

Don't forget we do pay for health insurance it's called NI

As a contractor I pay 2 lots of NI, so that's Employers and Employees

So say £250 a month, that's $500

And tax at 22%

Reply to
Ronny

There's lots of different variables when it comes to paying and saving tax, thats just one situation. Everyone is different. Income tax starts at 10% for example.

When you weigh up all the options, for some it works out cheaper in the US, for some the UK wins out. As much as I love the place, I personally couldn't move to the USA because I wouldn't get health insurance, so I feel very happy that everything here is free for me, something I'd end up paying $100's a month in prescription costs for.

Anyway, the original post was about the A1, a very stylish little motor that I can't wait to see 'in the flesh'. Of course, it remains to be seen what will remain of the original concept. Would be a shame to stick the UK licence plate across that front grill though!

Reply to
G-man uk

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