Turnarounds are a peculiar thing. Fifteen years ago, Audi was all but dead in the USA. Following the unintended acceleration claims of the late 80's the Audi name was a severely tarnished commodity with little street credibility.
With the introduction of the A4 in 1995, Audi was able to capture the hearts, minds and most importantly dollars of buyers fielding a competitive car that was stylish and handled great. The original A4 did what few have been able to do, beat the BMW 3-Series in numerous comparison tests conducted by the print magazines of the day.
Fast forward to 2009, and the foundation laid by the A4 is paying BIG dividends for Audi as it launches one hit after another after another.
While the Mercedes brand name suffered during the early part of this century, Audi consistently made strides in fielding a great car that has earned the respect of the consumer, while forcing competitors to burn the midnight oil in an attempt to stay ahead or at least on par.
Their efforts deserve to be applauded as the shift of the luxury/sport buyer seeking a German car really has gone from a BMW/Mercedes focus, to more of a BMW/Audi focus.
Audi has a credible player at all levels of the market, and hasn't really lobbed any half hearted attempts at a particular segment within the US with the possible exception of the A3. The A4/S4, A6/S6 and A8/S8 are all competitive to others within their respective segments, and the beautiful lines of the A5/S5 really have no parallel in terms of sheer beauty. All of the offerings tend to lean more to the sporting side of the spectrum than they do the sheer luxury side, a fact that hasn't hurt Audi.
But we all know looks alone don't make a winner, it is the content. And while automotive writers the world auto have fawned over the "Audi Interior," the fact is that component is an item done extremely well at ALL price points across the Audi lineup.
Combine the interiors with some pretty compelling engine and drive train choices wrapped in some good looking sheet metal and it becomes apparent why Audi is enjoying their success.
So if Audi is the rising star on the block, should the others be worried?
And more importantly, what things has Audi done to impress you in their monumental shift from an also ran to a front runner?
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