More: VAG Plans (LAC! Rant Alert!)

[Chris Dyer]

According to articles I read, Mr. Piech et al wants VW to be a competitor 
w/Mercedes. Europe, um, maybe...But here in NA? No way. Big mistake. The 
Phaeton? C'mon. Here's very un-scientific proof:

I live in L.A. (donations accepted) and work in Beverly Hills (therapy 
accepted) right smack on Rodeo Drive. So whatever hot new car comes out, 
I'll see it reproducing like (pardon the VW pun) rabbits. H2s? Everywhere. 
New 7 series? Like gnats. I've seen 2 Phaetons, both with Michigan 
manufacterer plates. That's 2. Neither purchased by a private individual. 
You want to compete with M-B? Build a $400,000 supercar with a VW logo and 
see if it gets in the Robb Report.

My advice to Vdub: do what you can to kick Toyota, Ford, Chevy, Honda et al 
ass. Umuricans aren't paying $70large for a Volkswagen. Bring over the Polo, 
Lupo, make a pickup, etc. And focus on quality, dammit. My cousin's 2000 
Jetta is a POS!

...what do I know? I drive a hypochondriac 17-year old Audi with a 
"computer" on the dash.


from chrisdyer at hotmail.com


Message: 2
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 21:17:58 -0500
From: Kent McLean <kentmclean at mindspring.com>
Subject: RE: Audi's Future
To: quattro at audifans.com
Message-ID: <40624156.8070505 at mindspring.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

Dan DiBiase wrote:
>But now VAG's products seem to be eating their own....

I'd be more worried about the big slump in sales.
Quality problems (control arms and ignition modules
come to mind) haven't helped the cause.

They should take a look at GM and avoid GM's mistakes.
Back in the first half of last century (20s-50s), GM
had 5 product lines: bread-and-butter Chevy, middle
class Buick, Olds, and Pontiac, and top-of-the-line
Cadillac.  They ruled.  Then in the early 60s, the
product lines blurred - a Chevy Nova = a Buick Apollo
= a Pontiac Ventura = Olds Omega. Then the gas shorage
hit c. 1974, and Caddy needed a small car. It took
the Cavalier and made it a Cimarron.  That totally
destroyed the pecking order.  Is Cadillac a premium
brand? Not if you looked at the Cimarron. Was Chevy
an entry level bread-and-butter car? Not when it was
the same as the up-market Buick/Olds/Pontiac.  That
blurring of the product lines, and their atrocious
quality, has seen GM steadily loose market share.

Cut to VW.  VW was the inexpensive, bread-and-butter
entry level car. Now it's a premium sport sedan and
ultra-luxury models. What is VW trying to be?  And
it's Audi brand is what? A premium sport sedan?
Luxury model?  Add in their quality problems and you
have the makings of a GM-style market share slump.

Those guys should hire me to straighten them out.

Kent

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