Importing from UK

[Lion16]

Hi,

I am looking to see whether it is possible to import a brand new Audi S4 from the UK into Australia.

Given current exchange rates, the cost of an Audi S4 in Australia is ~A$120k, whereas in the UK the price is 34kGBP (or ~A$61k in equivalent currency).

I have heard that a car must be owned for at least 12 months before it can be imported, however I have also heard that exceptions may be made to this rule and am unclear on current requirements e.g. I understand car enthusiasts imported brand new Nissan GTR’s from Japan prior to their release.

I have found a summary of import rules at the below address, and on face it seems that you won't be able to import the car.

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/for...aq-t97853.html (http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/Importing-Faq-t97853.html)

Any thoughts / experiences would be appreciated

[steve1234]

Hi, my business here in the UK is exporting cars - mostly to the Far East. We have a company in Australia (a race team) so I have looked at exporting to Australia briefly before, but not in great detail as it looked tricky!!

My understanding is that the only way you can do it is to get an approval letter from Audi in Australia which they are not obliged to give you. I'd maybe find out who owns Audi Australia, if it is Audi Germany then you may be able to put some pressure on them from that end.

The other issue will be that a UK dealer will not want to sell you the car for export, so you may have a problem reclaiming the UK VAT. You'll need to deal through a third party company in the UK that is UK VAT registered so they can handle the VAT claim and also the shipping to you (about £1,300 last time I checked by the way!).