Re[2]: Audi Price Cuts

[J_T_Douglas%mwcorp1@MWMGATE1.mitre.org]

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>i am not arguing about german being better than japanese.. i am saying
>that the attitude that mr. joe blow consumer is always right regardless of
>how ignorant he is is a dangerous one.  in the long term, if the
>consumer's ignorance and stupidity continue to rule, we will get worse
>engineered, not better engineered cars.

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>an audi is therefore a superior appliance in terms of being able to
>consume less energy on less than perfectly straight roads.  how many
>consumers do you think will factor this consideration into their
>checklists of number of cup holders and JD power measurements of how well
>the dealer pampers you when you have your car serviced?

Yes, but....  We are really overlooking an extremely important factor here - 
the cultural differences in Japanese, American, and German society. Many of 
these differences are inherently a part of the society's products, since the 
products reflect thousands of design and production decisions (although in the 
case of Japanese cars, the manufacturers have made a point of building cars for 
*our* society, not Japan.

So, what are these differences that I'm talking about, differences that give 
Japanese cars a sales advantage over German ones in this country?  There are 
two main ones:

1. The Germans firmly believe in regular preventive maintenance.  In their home 
market, almost all mechanics are well trained by the factory in an 
apprenticeship system.  Independent garages are non-existent, so it is easier 
to control expertise.  Customers bring their cars in on time, and expect to pay 
for quality service.  In addition, because mechanical faults cannot be 
tolerated by either their society or their driving conditions, Germans expect 
to replace items and are not upset.  Need I contrast that with the situation 
here?  Or note that Japanese cars need little more than oil changes during 
their first 75,000 miles?

2. German cars have sparse interiors and little "surface excitement" on the 
outside (thank God!).  Driving is serious in Germany, and their is no need for 
entertainment inside.  As one German said to me about meager radios in their 
(home market) cars, "we don't need a disco at 200 kph!"  Japanese cars, of 
course, are filled with extraneous crap, like lights that tell you your gas cap 
is open :-)  The typical American consumer probably feels like a nice, quality 
German car is stripped, and is unwilling to pay the price for quality that he 
doesn't understand or see.

While I think the Germans might sell more cars in this country if they were 
Japanese like, I am very thankful they haven't bastardized their product!

Jason