Audi Ownership Generations

[Ti Kan]

Ti wrote:
> Not so much with the Audi company, but definitely with the owners.  I happen
> to own both generations of Audis, so I kind of straddle in between.  However
> clearly there is a chasm between those who have lived and breathed Audis
> of yore and the new breed who got turned on to Audis post-1996.

Taka wrote:
> It's funny that you mention this, but I see a distinct difference between
> the "A" series car owners and owners of the older cars. Most of the A series
> car owners have never owned an Audi before his/her current one and know
> very little about Audi's history in the '80s and early '90s.

This is really a unique situation with Audi, especially in the North
American market where the lean years of the late 1980s to the mid 1990s
practically made Audi an unknown entity.  Suddenly the success of the
A4 catapulted Audi into the spotlight again, and with it came a large
new owner base.  I guess that is a bit unfortunate that many of
the newcomers (particularly the A4/S4 series) jumped from other marques,
and brought with them a certain attitude/culture that is quite incongruous
with the "traditional" Audi owner.  As much as we lament that, it is
an inevitable phenomenon.  Had Audi not been through the "CBS 60 minutes"
debacle and the onslaught of competition from Lexus/Infiniti in those
years, and had a owner base that simply grew steadily over the years,
thing would probably be quite different.

However, give them time, and let them discover that there were great
Audis before 1996, and there is a rich, fascinating history behind
those four rings dating back over 100 years.  Some of them will no
doubt realize that these excellent automobiles are not merely fashionable
transportation.  There is a company behind them that had held steadfast
to its principles and built cars with strong genes and character,
as well as a glorious racing heritage supported by some of the
best luminaries of the sport.

-Ti
01 S4 2.7 biturbo quattro
84 5000S 2.1 turbo
80 4000 2.0
--
    ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
   ///   AMB Research Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA. USA
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