Why does msrp differ so much between countries?

the various taxes are most of the difference.
sometimes transport and carrying costs also affect things.
then there is the dealer markup. like in almost everything, the american way of thinking is to sell 100 widgets and make $1 on each, whereas a european way of thinking is to sell one widget with a margin of $100. of course this is hyperbole, but i see variations of this thinking across the retail board for clothes, wine, gadgets of all kinds, sports equipment, etcetc.

it is so pervasive that you have to wonder about the mindset sometimes.

 

Pricing based on the current exchange rate may not provide a clear picture.

For example, upon my arrival to The Netherlands the exchange rate was nearly 4 to 1 (Guilder - U.S. Dollar). Since my income was based on the dollar my purchasing power was very good. However, about three years later the exchange rate dropped to just under 2 to 1. So, locally, everything was now quite expensive for me although the Dutch didn't see any changes i.e. their costs did not increase.

BTW, even the Big Mac index doesn't always get it right.

Big Mac Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

meeting US DOT ( or any other country ) standards could include things such as crash testing in addition to environmental and meeting other safety standards... amortization of these expenses over a few cars / short term run can push cost up vs over a larger / longer term production run... these are up front costs... which prevents many small constructors from exporting to certain areas... inaddition to the usual tariffs ( protective political )... I have found that the "basic prices" ex mfg for the cars are consistent before the governments and others get involved... pricing ex mfg is not an issue

 

Our 100,000 emission warranty ain't cheap either. Lots of regulation, testing, equipment costs, warranty costs, administration costs etc in the US courtesy of legislation and regulation.


All that crap our government does and our voters tell our legislators to do comes at a great cost.

 

Within each market Ferrari sets the price relative to competitors in that country. Which means that the price of the 458 in USA is set vs. the Lamborghini Huracan or the McLaren MP4-12C in USA, and not the 458 in the UK. In the United States competitors are more agressive with pricing, which drives the price down for everybody.

Other elements to take into account are local value added tax/GST, which in the states are as low as 5%, vs. 20% in the UK.

Different dealer marigns can also have an impact on the price the customer pays.

 

This was recently addressed in Sportscar Market Legal files.

A BMW X5 SUV, for instance, is a little over $56,000 but in China its price is about $153,00.

It is absolutely the car manufactures as is evident by the fact that they go after individuals who buy, "use" (it is considered a "used car" as soon as it leaves the lot), and then sell for a profit overseas by significantly undercutting the manufacturer. Read the article. Also check this link:

How to export BMWs from the US to China for fun and profit (Note: this is possibly illegal) ? Quartz

Also listened to a piece a couple of days ago on CNBC about the fact that 10-20% of stolen vehicles, mainly BMW and luxury SUV's, now end up overseas.

 

Lets simplify:

1) Acceptable per unit margins based on regionally specific cost burdens
2) Demand
3) Tax pass through to consumer

just like any other luxury commodity -