LexFather

http://www.esquire.com/features/cars...-mercedes-0708

June 23, 2008, 5:06 AM
Why Audi Is Going to Beat Mercedes
Buzz up!

By the year 2015, Audi plans to overtake Mercedes as the most prestigious car brand in the U.S. Here are the three ways they’ll do it.

By Ezra Dyer



Buried in Audi of America's 2007 sales report is a lofty -- if vague -- goal: to become "the most successful premium brand by 2015." But what's interesting is the company's not talking sales (though it expects them to double in that time). It's talking image and prestige. It wants to outsnob Mercedes.

While the report doesn't offer any particulars, you can suss out a strategy from Audi's most recent press releases. First, there are the überpretentious accessories. For instance, if you want a high-end stereo in your car, BMW gives you Harman-Kardon, while Audi gives you a Bang & Olufsen system with motorized tweeters that rise up out of the dash.

Then there is supply and purity. The new BMW M3 convertible will soon be as common in south Florida as sixteen-dollar martinis, but Audi's building only three hundred RS4 Cabriolets for the U. S. You get your hands on one of those and you're Somebody. The R8, meanwhile, is a full-fledged mid-engine supercar with no BMW or Mercedes equivalent. And while BMW and Mercedes both build certain models in the U. S., all Audis are screwed together in the Fatherland by real live Germans.

Even Audi's new signature styling theme -- icy-white LED running lights below the headlights -- gives the front end of its cars a distinct get-the-hell-out-of-my-way attitude that clearly declares Audi's intentions. Is all of this enough to beat BMW and Mercedes -- not to mention Porsche -- at their own game? Ask again in seven years.

LexFather

Okay so the article was awful but I did want to start a thread on Audi, my fav luxo brand behind Lexus.

In CAR they discuss how Porsche is going to change Audi. The R8 maybe killed, they do not want a 911 competitor. They also don't understand how Audi sucks so much in America and they WILL change that right away.

I am really looking forward to Porsche control over Audi....

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I truly hope they don't kill the R8.

If Porsche can't compete with it and kill it, then they've got bigger problems.

whoster

I am also a big fan of Audi as well, but these days what irks me with all German brands is their relatively poor reliability rating. From what I recall, Audi lags behind the rest of the Germans as a company that didn't really have a great reliability record to begin with, like MB.

Audi's recent acclaim in building the RS4 and the R8 really shows that Audi is indeed picking up their game to play with the big boys--but will they be able to really revamp their entire product line to be competition smashing?

Lexmex

When I lived in Mexico, Audi was considered on par or even better than owning a Mercedes. I'd have to say BMW and Audi were the king cars down there to have.

mmarshall

This is nonsense. It doesn't mean you are big cheese. All it means is that you've got money to burn (or sold your soul in the process), are willing to let a dealership gouge the hell out of you on pricing, and you got your order in before the guy next to you. I laugh when I see people who think they ARE somebody just because they could bribe a dealership into getting them a limited-production car.

As far as Audi competing with or overtaking M-B, I agree the potential is there, but Audi, IMO, needs to work on their steering systems a little. The Quattro AWD system is superb, but the steering feel/feedback is nowhere near the telepathic feel of BMWs and Mercedes AMG products.

Koma

iTrader: (3)

Sadly in this day, having money to bribe people does make you somebody.

mmarshall

One other note on Audis, although I know that not everyone may share this view: IMO they need to dump the awful MMI system and go back to more conventional dash controls.

19psi

i look at them a little differently. they are the absolute worst, hardest cars to work on of any brand. i would never have one because of that. i would love an old 2.7t S4, buti won't buy one because of the fact that everything is a massive ordeal to maintain. the entire engine, transmission and subframe ahs to be dropped just to swap turbos. prestige means nothing to me if the car is a pita to maintain and modify. at least on bmw and mb, most maintenance items and wear items are easy to access and change. on an audi, no way. their stupid 4 link front suspension that wears out after 2 years of easy driving on the road has no advantages to 99% of all drivers out there. when it's time to replace the links, they're expensive and time consuming to change. is it a good idea on a track, yes, but on the street, no. everyone else gets away with a simple strut or double wishbone setup and they dont' even have the massive understeer audi's are prone to.
they need to simplify and make everything easier to work on. if it's easy to work on, most likely it's more reliable too. our lexus's are very easy and they are also very reliable.

Faymester

I like Audis, possibly even the best of the German cars over all, but I have to say I would never own one (lease yes, own no).

Reason being: my friends A4 and my IS300 are approx the same age and he has had far more issues than I (I think I've mentioned something to this effect before).

I understand that both cars and their associated issues are independant events with respect to how ALL cars of the same make behave; however, I know a decent number of people who have, or had an Audi and tell me that their Audi is the best made car they've ever had and that it 'never breaks' (and mean it).


All that said: I feel approximately the same about BMW

RON430

The A4 and A6 also have CR recommended ratings. But be a little careful, they discuss models within the range that are reliable and those that aren't like the V6 vs V8 Audi. Bimmer has some of the same problems. Toyota/Lexus used to get blanket range recommendations but, as we all know, CR has stopped a lot of that.

Lsportline43

If Porsche says they are going to improve Audi, I believe it. Porsche made a major move buying out VW and if they don't make the right moves they will be in deep trouble. Porsche did finance the purchase with debt, so they can't afford to make mistakes.

What does it really mean when Audi says they want to be the best in "prestige and image?" Is there some type of survey or statistic that's out there to measure such a thing?

Maybe it's off topic, but I wonder what's going to happen at the Le Mans 24 hour race. Porsche has the most overall wins and recently Audi has been dominating Le Mans. I wonder if they will have Audi continue the streak or are they going to get Porsche cars back in victory lane.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

[sarcasm]Prestige is measured by 90% of the population who knows nothing about cars nor own those brands[/sarcasm]

I love what audi has been doing with their design...and those LED DRLs

dunnojack

the GT-R prototype had even more wicked led fronts.

they pointed up like the devil's horns.


prestige????? not if they're all the same A4 with stretched wheelbase
behold the complete non-suv line up:

SLegacy99

I think Audi has alot better technology than MB. CVTs, a great 4 banger, direct injection, and their drastic weight saving frame are some that come to mind.