BMW Australia’s managing director Guenther Seemann doesn’t view Audi as a genuine rival, however, despite the Ingolstadt-based company closing to half BMW’s volume so far in 2007 (3,143 v 6,462 sales) compared with about a third in 2006.
“We strongly believe that we have two competitors,” says Seemann. “One is from Stuttgart [Mercedes] and one is from Japan [Lexus].
He says Audi's choice of driving wheels rules it out as a true competitor.
“The best real premium brands in the world, like Rolls-Royce and BMW, all have rear-wheel drive [vehicles].
“It is a comfort issue between front- and rear-wheel drive. It’s also an issue of sportiness. You do not find a Formula One car with front-wheel drive.
“The performance and handling of the car is for us the most important factor. And this can only be achieved with rear-wheel drive.”
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