Audi takes a Tesla style approach to online car buying - configuration & price in an instant!

Gotta give Tesla credit, they really are pushing the traditional car industry forward in the smallest and largest ways.

Of course, their electric push has driven much of the conversation about the future, but one other aspect of their business model is the website. Jump in, choose a car, choose any extras, and bingo – there’s the price.

Ever tried getting a price from a traditional car company website? Not easy.

Often you get deep into configuring a car only to find it’s not going to give you a price – instead, it’s referring you to a dealer.

Now many many companies have solid online price guides, heck – even Kia make it easy to see the price of their cars.

But when it comes to the big European brands there’s always the complexities of all the many variables of configuring their cars.

Well, as of now, you can reserve an Audi online using an all-new platform allowing you to configure and price the very car you want – while watching sport on TV.

Available initially with the all-new RS Q3 and the RS Q3 Sportback, it’s hard to imagine this won’t expand radically from there.

Mercedes model for selling their EQC Electric car also bucks the traditional trend with an online system referring customers to a dealer for pickup only with the whole process being handled by Mercedes themselves, rather than dealers who might individually negotiate on price.

There’s likely many people who prefer the shop-around and haggle model of the past, but there’s much to be said for a simple and transparent system like Audi’s new online tool.