Why Audi's current MASSIVE product assault on the market will NOT be enough to catch BMW or MB

GermanNut submitted on 07/25/2006 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 4:48 PM
from: www.autospies.com

[41] user comments | category: Spy Shots

Tags: Audi, BMW, Mercedes

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Why Audi's current MASSIVE product assault on the market will NOT be enough to catch BMW or MB

We all know that Audi is in the process of a HUGE product assault on the market.

Audi has already launched the rapid RS4. The new TT will be out very soon. The S6 and S8 will also be out very soon. The R8 is being planned to compete in the supercar category and will be out next year. The Q7 is already out and the Q5 is on the way. The A5 is being produced as well.

Those are 8 new models that are either out or coming out in the near future.

Audi will need better reliability along with faster cars on average and a more striking design if it is to ever catch BMW & MB.

Until that happens Audi will forever be overshadowed by its more dominating German Counterparts.

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chewy - 7/25/2006 5:13:35 PMView My AgentSpace

-2 Boost

How do you know, only two of the cars have hit U.S. shores as of today. You don't know what Audi has in store. You already made an article like that. The cars you have mentioned are above/on par with BMW and MB offerings. The R8 is above anything that BMW or MB have. The A5 should be really good.

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AlexTx - 7/25/2006 5:34:41 PM

0 Boost

The latest JD power puts Audi way ahead of BMW and MB in terms of reliability.
Reliability has been key to Audi for the past 3 years and it has paid off.
It will take a little bit longer for Audi to catch BMW, but with their new Marketing firm and products coming out, you are about to see a whole lot more cars with the 4 rings..I guarantee you!!

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BMWRocks - 7/25/2006 5:46:21 PM

+1 Boost

Start with the basic: Can audi make a car best in its class? Answer is nop!!!

until next time. same time, same form, audi still far behind.

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chewy - 7/25/2006 5:55:34 PMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

BMWRocks

Well, the RS4 IS best in class. So there is your answer. The Q7 is better than the old X5 (probably even with the new one, but we have to wait to see)

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SixxFive - 7/25/2006 7:30:52 PM

+2 Boost

GermanNuts: you seem to be ignorant of the fact that Mercedes is at the bottom of worldwide owner satisfaction and quality ratings.

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Agent001 - 7/25/2006 7:58:07 PMView My AgentSpace

+5 Boost

AudiForever,

Can you believe we're actually giving people the ability to voice their opinions with our new format?

What is this? America? ;)

001

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BMWRocks - 7/25/2006 8:09:41 PM

+1 Boost

First of all, We are the BEST (USA is number 1). Secondly, look who is talking, I don't need to write a paragraph so say Audi sucks.

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kart1 - 7/25/2006 8:20:45 PM

+1 Boost

Well to think that America doesn't matter to the Car world is ridiculous. There are 17 million sold here and if Audi wants to make money maybe they need to sell to everyone who can buy the car, not just a select group. That is business. Audi may be good, but it needs to build its image here in the US to make a difference in their sales figures. Today MB, BMW, and Lexus rule the roost and Audi is definitely trying to get there. I personally think that Audi's are good cars and they do have what it takes to catch MB, BMW, and Lexus. Please Autospies censor what I have said otherwise Tanks will start rolling.

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Agent001 - 7/25/2006 8:24:08 PMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

That's why we separate our content and put it in the middle column of the homepage and the user submitted articles are in the top right column (User submissions: Most recent)

001

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PlanoA4 - 7/25/2006 9:35:33 PM

0 Boost

Germanbutt errr Germannut - Well Audi is on the rise for sure, and the playing feild will be level for once in the USA. Audi scored far than BMW on the CSI report. The only JD Power survey that measures overall satisfaction with the total purchase or a brand, and probably the only pristine survey they still do. It seems you decided to make your move to BMW right as the tide was turning, the irony.

Remember grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. You will find the BMW experience enjoyable, however you will fall behind as more and more Audis drop BMW after BMW in the dust.

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streetb - 7/25/2006 10:57:34 PM

0 Boost

more garbage from germannut. no surprise there.

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starfox - 7/25/2006 11:26:35 PM

+1 Boost

germannut,
but how will Audi catch lexus? Is this even possible? With the gorgeous new ls460 making our A8 look more like a puke-mobile, what can we (audi fans!) do to advise audi to become better and then take over the world? PLz come up with tips and insight in ur next post!

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IamEvilHomer - 7/26/2006 1:07:01 AM

+2 Boost

Starfox- there is no car called Lexus. In the rest of the world it is called Toyota.

As my grampa allways told me "you can't polish a Turd" I am sure the 460 will have lots of chrome, bug lazy boys seats, gagets from the 23rd century, be 20k less and poop icecream but "you can't polish a turd.

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IamEvilHomer - 7/26/2006 1:11:43 AM

0 Boost

Germannut- Audi is doing just fine. It is good for bmw to do well. Because Audi is selling more and more cars each year dosen't meen you have to have your paities in a knot.

Audi has high quality scores and is doing better in the US each year. There will be growing pains but Audi is doing just fine.

Did you know there are 2 billion Chineese? The #$ Chineese lux car company is Audi. Germany and most of Europe loves Audi and it is just a matter of time till Audi will be a mutch larger player in the USA but don't worry BMW will still be there.

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kart1 - 7/26/2006 3:00:36 AM

+1 Boost

Lexus does exist, you can ignore it all you want but it won't go away. Lexus is number one in the US and it has just started to expand into the world. What will happen when Lexus fully establishes itself in the world? It took Lexus only 10 years to take over the sales and that is how it built its brand image. Ignoring Lexus and calling it a Toyota won't help anyone competing against. However if you still want to call it a Toyota consider this, your "true" Luxury vehicle is getting beaten by a luxurious Toyota.

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sewingmachine - 7/26/2006 5:36:56 AM

+1 Boost

how come theres no forums in autospies. because they made it where u can start ur own topics, i been wondering how come theres no forums. if people hate it so much, just leave then, no big deal

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BMWMPower - 7/26/2006 5:53:02 AM

+1 Boost

COMMONSENSE or lack there of you obviously are so stupid you don't know what LEXUS means and why TOYOTA use it, LEXUS stands for Luxury EXports US for the cars Toyota exports to the USA, who cares if they export them to any other countries as well. But simply look at what the EXACT same cars are badged as in Japan, they are all badged as TOYOTA's. Independent design teams what drugs are you on Kart1? If toyota owns them then they are a toyota, just like jaguar is owned by ford. Any idiot knows that a lexus is a toyota.
AND YES IT IS AS THEY SAY SIMPLY A POLISHED TURD.

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TIER1 - 7/26/2006 6:34:19 AM

+1 Boost

Audi has been late in the diesel war with common rail technology. While the much heralded pumpe duese technology was OK to keep up the pace in the late 90's, today it is obsolete. They are changing over to common rail starting MY 2007 (in high volumes), and that is certainly going to add volumes to their existing sales. Remember, 60% of all Audi sales is diesel...

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Mark - 7/26/2006 7:13:21 AM

+2 Boost

GermanNut is just trying to solidify his 'jump' over to the BMW camp. He was pro Audi but now has gone to the dark side. I hope they welcome you in young padawan. (corny, I know)

Geesh, sooner or later we'll have a West Side Story here on AutoSpies. :)

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AUTO_UNION - 7/26/2006 7:45:31 AM

+2 Boost

Some people here are really stupid and childlish. Stop posting such idiotic comments.

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PlanoA4 - 7/26/2006 8:28:54 AM

+2 Boost

kart1- Lexus is number one in the US not doubt. But they have great difficulty outside the US. Europe is not taking the bait, and the Japanese home market is giving a cool response as well. Why? They both ring out the same thing. “It is a Toyota xxxxx (Camry, land cruiser ...whatever) under the skin, what would I pay $10k to $20k more for THAT? These consumers care about the underpinnings and as long as they know it is a Camry underneath they remain skeptical. Most of Lexus core buyers are more into looks than uniqueness.

I guess in this world you have the Diamonds (MB, Audi, BMW, Porsche), and then you have Cubic Zirconias (Lexus, Acura, Infinity). Some people want the real thing and others are simply mesmerized by the shiny imitation that costs a lot less..

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IamEvilHomer - 7/26/2006 11:09:47 AM

+2 Boost

GermanNut use to have the name BMW4ever right? Dosen't sound like an audi fan to me just a wolf in sheeps clothing

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courtstone - 7/26/2006 11:13:05 AM

+1 Boost

So PlanoA4 are you saying that basically it boils down to:

Japanese Brands- subpar
German Brands- superior

Don't you think that's a little bias?

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Neverfollow - 7/26/2006 12:07:56 PM

+2 Boost

I guess in this world you have the Diamonds (MB, Audi, BMW, Porsche), and then you have Cubic Zirconias (Lexus, Acura, Infinity). Some people want the real thing and others are simply mesmerized by the shiny imitation that costs a lot less..

Good analogy!

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PlanoA4 - 7/26/2006 12:29:28 PM

+2 Boost

courtstone-
Japanese Brands - Copy and Improve someone else idea
German Brands - Do the homework, push technology, and Innovate

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kart1 - 7/26/2006 5:42:53 PM

+2 Boost

First of all LostBMWMPower I suggest you get off the drugs yourself because you can't see straight or read. Where in my comment did I mention "Lexus Independent design teams"? Learn how to read first then start writing, yes follow the steps and sound it out. Also if you want to call a Lexus a Toyota just because Toyota owns Lexus, then don't forget that Audi is owned by VW.
Second PlanoA4 - I am well aware of Lexus' struggles outside of the US and that is why I said that Lexus is still on its way to establish itself as a global player in the Luxury department. How they do it still remains to be seen.

Now I do believe that Lexus has a long way to go to adapt to the World and the demands outside the US. And also I restate my previous comment: Ignoring Lexus and Toyota isn't going to help any of its competitors.

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flychronic - 7/26/2006 8:28:33 PM

+1 Boost

Korean brands - Capitalize on Japanese and German engineering, technology by selling in the USA.

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ilhooq - 7/27/2006 3:25:15 AM

+2 Boost

Audi's reliability has gotten better.

This is coming from someone who has a replacement Audi in the driveway. The *replacement* has had two minor defects in a year, which for any $50k+ AWD German car in 2006 is pretty good.

But it is a replacement... and the car it replaced was a brand-new, total, $52,000 POS.

Beyond that, Audi's skinflint decision to eliminate the four years of free maintenance means that this Audi will very likely be my last Audi.

Warranty claims or not, I can swing the $300 a year in maintenance spending, but I haven't seen prices come down or even hold level, so what is the customer getting back from giving up maintenance? Certainly not the $1,200 or so the service is worth at retail: The 2007 version of my 2005 car will be *$7,500* more (at list for both) at the same equipment level when I come off lease a year from now. Pardon?

Captive finance can only bury so much of that, and the depreciation numbers are still well below BMW and MB levels. Not that BMW and MB always deserve the crazy residuals.

Passat 4Motions are starting to look like very good alternatives to Audis. And too bad Sube's interiors and equipment aren't quite up to playing with the big kids.

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IamEvilHomer - 7/27/2006 10:56:06 AM

+1 Boost

ilhoog - there is nothing free in this world. If you want free maintanance then buy a BMW for thousands more and get less then the Audi or just pay the $550 that Audi charges. I am trying to see how the 2007 is $7,500 more? Please let me know. I have gone over the price list and only see a small cost of living diffrence.

Passat? come on stop being a moooooch. If you don't see the advantage of the Audi then go get a VW.

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BMW4me4ever - 7/27/2006 8:25:05 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

Unfortunately, Audi doesnt have the brand image in the US that they have in Europe. This affects the resale, status and overall appeal for their cars. I am not sure how Audi will ever compete in the US with either BMW or Mercedes. A Audi A8 has no resale value. That is their flagship car cause most people who have the money want something with Image and ego behind it. That is why the Mercedes S-class and BMW 7-series outsell the A8 10 to 1. The kicker is that the A8 is a very nice car, just a little too expensive. The A6 is the same way. The A6 problem has been its reliability and pricing vs performance. It is lacking the performance of its competitors for a similar price. Yes, Audi has the Rs series of performance cars, but those are so few and far in between. Brand image and ego is a very tough market to break into. And if you think that Brand image and ego isnt important, then you are a fool. The two most recongizeable symbols are the " flying lady " of Rolls and the " 3 point star " of Mercedes ... People identify with those cars and having achieved the Best in Life. Or they associate with BMW as having the Best all around performance cars. Audi doesnt have that niche. No one really grows up and says I have always wanted an Audi. Where as with Mercedes and BMW and Porsche it happens all the time .... When I was younger, that is how I thought .... All the sports players have Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, ferrari ....

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crackityjones - 7/27/2006 10:49:52 PM

+1 Boost

Firstly, I think Audi4ever has guts to speak his mind in a BMW-dominated forum. (Have you noticed all the "boosts" on this page are BMW-biased?)

You can't argue that Audi makes a beautiful car. No question. Also, Audi makes a smaller car like the A3, the size of the old 3-series. For smaller car people, BMW is currently lacking. BMW is not doing everything for everyone, people.

The PROBLEM with Audi (and I love Audi) is $$$$. Their prices have crept up on certain models until now they're equal to BMW. (Check out A4 3.2 vs. 330i. You will be shocked.)

It's not a matter of whether Audi is "worth" this much. It's a matter of name recognition and perceived value. Heck, a loaded A4 2.0T is $43k.

Charging this much in US market is killing Audi's momentum. Audi has not earned the right to cost as much as brand-leader BMW, IMO. The numbers seem to bear this out.

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BMWMPower - 7/28/2006 8:59:07 PM

+1 Boost

There is a reason why every so-called LEXUS is badged a TOYOTA in Japan. Honestly are you trying to assert that there is a separation between Toyota & lexus?? What sort of fuckwit are you? There is a real separation between Audi & VW, you dont see audi badged as toyotas anywhere? Such ignorance.

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kart1 - 7/29/2006 12:39:37 AM

+1 Boost

Again MPOWER keep your lack of knowledge to yourself and your fuckwit attitude if you cannot understand what common English is. Your a total dumbass so I will reiterate what I said before again. This is what I said "Also if you want to call a Lexus a Toyota just because Toyota owns Lexus, then don't forget that Audi is owned by VW." Now here is the explanation: This sentence says that you are calling Lexus a Toyota just because it is owned by Toyota and nothing else. And going off of that statement an Audi is a VW. I will also say this, so you don't get confused again, there are other things that determine whether rebadging has occurred, and I don't want to go into these other factors because I did not say that Lexus' are not rebadged Toyotas you assumed that I did. This is what you said about rebadging "If toyota owns them then they are a toyota, just like jaguar is owned by ford." Think about what you said again. Using this sentence an Audi is an VW. Understand everything before you write again. Also don't tell me that a Dodge is an Mercedes now.

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kart1 - 7/29/2006 1:00:38 AM

+1 Boost

Also at this moment it may be nearly impossible to see an Audi badged as a Toyota. One more thing, I just want to know, How is the Phaeton related to the A8? One more thing What about the sharing of the 2.0T engine, the 3.6 engine, the 4.2 engine, and the W12 engine. So look at these little insignificant little things too ok. Thank you.
Also to all Audi fans - I have nothing against Audi just wanted to make a point here. Personally I like Audis.

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BMWMPower - 7/30/2006 4:10:03 AM

+1 Boost

are you braindead? Go to toyotas japan website, and you will see the full range of lexus cars badged re-named and sold as toyotas. pull you head out from under the rock you moron.

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kart1 - 7/30/2006 10:35:09 AM

+1 Boost

I don't want to keep this discussion going on too much longer because it isn't making sense any more so I will try to end it as soon as possible. You have mistaken what I have said, maybe I just wrote too much and it got confusing or something. I know that many Lexus' are rebadged Toyota's, you don't need to tell me that ok. I never said that Lexus is independent from Toyota models (maybe it sounded like that or something I don't know), what I am saying is that ignoring Lexus just because they are rebadged is a stupid idea (This is referring to its competitors not consumers). Ignoring Lexus didn't work in the US so there is a great possibility that it won't work in rest of the world either, ok. Also I know about the Atlezzas and all the other cars that are sold in Japan as Toyotas. I have been to the Japanese Toyota website many times.

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