Looking at a specific Audi on a dealer website, but the salesman says it’s sitting at port for a “quality” issue to do with Chinese chips or something (no idea).
I want to make a deal on the car - but the salesman says they’re unsure if they can make a deal at this time until the car is cleared out of the port. The salesman is taking days to respond each time and is checking if they can make a deal, but I’m frustrated and don’t want to miss out on a deal. Is it possible to make a deal on a car with this status?
Hard to say for sure, but my (educated) best guess is that the salesman knows it’s going to be awhile and is afraid you will move on if he’s honest with you. Probably hoping to stall on the off chance that the car becomes available. If you can’t get a clear answer when it will be available just move on to another car/dealer.
tl;dr one or more component (not necessarily just a microchip, that’s the least likely scenario) was allegedly made using slave labor
They’re currently on stop sale because Audi can’t sell them. Depending on the model, the issue/fix will be different. If you are set on that car and don’t have a timeline, tell them to call you when it’s released, fixed, or Audi allocates them a replacement.
If you follow the links and read the articles, the conclusion you might draw (because the OEMs are unusually silent) is that the issue this time is aluminum, not semiconductors.
Hypothetically, if we imagine this affects ICE, PHEVs, and BEVs, what parts might you imagine are made of aluminum, that could not easily be swapped-out of a finished/unsold auto? This post is asking about Audi, but consider the entire list of OEMs suspected?
I can think of two that are VIN stamped/matched that would be a nightmare to replace on a finished ICE vehicle that hasn’t been sold.
