Photo: Audi via Audi Club of North America
As Audi prepares to roll out the 2019 model year A4 in the United States, some people in Germany found out that there’s a handful of manual transmissions lying around. And as the A4 prepares to go automatic-only in North America, someone had a brilliant idea regarding this transition.
And thus, the A4 Ultra Sport Edition came to be. Made official by the Audi Club of North America, this configuration will mark the end of the manual-equipped A4. As explained in the previous paragraph, 40 examples of the breed will be offered in total. Following these babies, the seven-speed dual-clutch and eight-speed tiptronic will become the norm.
You know what’s funny about this set of circumstances? “Audi AG permitted the U.S.A. and UK to retain the manual configuration in these cars even though they didn’t choose to do so in their home market of Germany.” But that's not the complete picture.
At a recent event in Seattle, Audi of America president Scott Keogh told the public that he’d promised the higher-ups in Ingolstadt the manual would account for 10 to 12 percent of sales. Call him optimistic or even naive, but the reality couldn’t be more different. In truth, less than 3 percent of A4 and A5 models sold stateside were optioned with the six-speed manual.
Inspired by the A4 Ultra Sport from the B6 generation, the A4 Ultra Sport Edition we have today is similar in design to the S4. $6,800 more expensive than the Premium Plus trim level in bone-stock flavor, the newcomer features 19-inch five-spoke wheels finished in matte titanium and Quantum Gray paintwork.
Audi Sport RS carbon fiber trim is present on the mirror caps and trunk-mounted spoiler, as well as inside the car. Diamond-stitched Alcantara and leather bolsters, four-way power sports seats, flat-bottom steering wheel, and stainless steel pedals are also standard, to which Audi is much obliged to add a black headliner.
Now that the manual is out of the picture, Audi has lost a bragging right. More to the point, the A4 quattro with the six-speed stick shift made Audi the only automaker in the United States to offer an all-wheel-drive sedan with a row-your-own option.
You know what’s funny about this set of circumstances? “Audi AG permitted the U.S.A. and UK to retain the manual configuration in these cars even though they didn’t choose to do so in their home market of Germany.” But that's not the complete picture.
At a recent event in Seattle, Audi of America president Scott Keogh told the public that he’d promised the higher-ups in Ingolstadt the manual would account for 10 to 12 percent of sales. Call him optimistic or even naive, but the reality couldn’t be more different. In truth, less than 3 percent of A4 and A5 models sold stateside were optioned with the six-speed manual.
Inspired by the A4 Ultra Sport from the B6 generation, the A4 Ultra Sport Edition we have today is similar in design to the S4. $6,800 more expensive than the Premium Plus trim level in bone-stock flavor, the newcomer features 19-inch five-spoke wheels finished in matte titanium and Quantum Gray paintwork.
Audi Sport RS carbon fiber trim is present on the mirror caps and trunk-mounted spoiler, as well as inside the car. Diamond-stitched Alcantara and leather bolsters, four-way power sports seats, flat-bottom steering wheel, and stainless steel pedals are also standard, to which Audi is much obliged to add a black headliner.
Now that the manual is out of the picture, Audi has lost a bragging right. More to the point, the A4 quattro with the six-speed stick shift made Audi the only automaker in the United States to offer an all-wheel-drive sedan with a row-your-own option.
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