Audi is offering consumers a discount on factory-ordered vehicles amid a worsening new car inventory shortage. According to a bulletin sent yesterday to dealers, nearly every model in the brand’s lineup of new luxury cars and SUVs is eligible for a $500 Retail Order Credit when buying or leasing through May 2, 2022.
Just about every 2022 Audi is eligible for the $500 rebate, which can be combined with other manufacturer incentives like promotional financing and lease deals. The only real exceptions are the Audi e-tron GT and the automaker’s high-performance RS models. But is the brand’s new factory-order discount really a good deal?
A closer look finds that this is merely a renamed version of a previous factory order incentive called the Audi Pipeline Selling Incentive Program. It essentially works in the same way, giving customers an incentive to wait. The average wait for a factory-ordered car used to range from 2-3 months before a global chip shortage.
While a $500 cash incentive on a $60,000 car may seem like a drop in the bucket, Audi is compensating buyers with other deals, too. For example, an MSRP Lock Program can offset the difference in MSRP if the price goes up. Last fall, a Customer Credit Lock Program offered to lock interest rates for up to 2 months.
Given an ongoing inventory shortage, more automakers have been paying customers to wait. Last year, mainstream automaker Ford introduced a $1,000 custom order credit on its lineup of cars, trucks, and SUVs. Even GM added an incentive protection program offering to pay the difference if rebates went down.
