I suspected that as well but at the end of the day the training industry needs some new metal thats cheaper to operate. These upgraded airframes may be the answer or they may force companies like Cessna to come up with something. Either way would be a step in the right direction.
That will have to be considerably more. The Thielert conversion costs that much already.
What might the OEM price be?
I see no indication any of the diesel companies give a damn for private owners. The retrofit prices are just silly.
As I wrote before, they all seem to aim at the training business, where you can make a good financial case to the customer. I would bet on list minus 30%.
Private owners are too emotional about what they buy, and very picky. And a lot of them are never happy, and quite a few end up suing the supplier. When I was buying my TB20, there was a number of other customers preparing to sue Air Touring and/or Socata, over various issues. It’s a hard business to be in, unless you have a fashionable product.
I think Redbird have some ulterior motives here. A little bit like Apple, if you may. They make Sims of various descriptions which they sell to FTOs for instrument and in some cases part of the ab-initio training (there’s one where I fly from in KSMO). Now, they come with the ‘real article’ and slowly, but surely, build an integrated package. Redbird Sim to Redbird C172 to, perhaps Redbird MCC Sim, etc. Clever.
In US management speak it is called “leveraging” 
I am not sure what exactly one would be leveraging… maybe the “relationship” “going forward” with your “partners”
No Peter. Today it’s called building an ecosystem….. works a treat for Apple.
Peter, don’t forget you have to reach out first to generate a go-forward position with your partners and stakeholders, otherwise organizations holding competence may go in a different strategic direction 
(Its really bad when your most junior engineer tells you he just “reached out to a vendor for information.” Mine let that one slip yesterday, but when I gave him a dirty look he back peddled quickly, knowing that I don’t tolerate business-BS very well)
Going to FTO´s and clubs is a good strategy. First of all, they can sell more units to one customer that way. Secondly, still a lot of new owners will buy the first plane they flew at school if they liked it. So going to FTO´s first is one way to build up the private market too.
