re: VW taking on Mercedes

["George S Achorn III" <coolidge@nicom.com>]

	I like Eric Kraus' idea of reviving the Horch nameplate. I think Ferdinand
Piech's ideas are very suitable for Europe, but not the US. VW is
synonymous with small cars and with the most famous small car  in the world
poised for a comeback, trying to change that image here and in other
markets would be nearly impossible.
	To F.P.'s favor, in Europe MB is not as highly regarded as in the states
(Eclass taxis and so on) and VW is a little more prestigous (though not
much more). Still, in the US it is humorous to think of prospective MB
buyers opting for a VW, especially when we are much less discerning of
German brands and marketing, because we are not the home market. What that
means is that MB buyers here are looking for image and that is something VW
does not have and BMW and Audi do. They will opt (if for anything other
than an MB) for a Bimmer or hopefully for VW, an Audi. I don't think the US
is a good market at all for his marketing scheme. There are only 4 German
manufacturers here that make mainstream passenger cars, not counting
Porsche.
	VW is in a unique situation and not very good at marketing it. They have a
ton of heritage and the only idea they come up with is the Bug (it's a no
brainer). They are the only entry level German car or european car for that
matter in the US marketplace, where the european car market is burgeoning. 
	They do not try and market cars as entry level european cars, or even the
driving enthusiasts version of Toyota and Honda. Neither do they cater to
their abnormally large aftermarket catering to enthusiasts. Compare if you
will the number of cars sold in the states by Chrysler and that of VW. Now
how many big Chrysler tuners have you heard of (don't count muscle cars
like Cudas no longer in production)? Now how about VW aftermarket tuners
not counting air cooleds? Big difference huh? This is where they build
their image, or rather tuners build their image. Chrysler would kill to
have an aftemarket for the Neon as strong as that of the Golf. They go so
far as to put show cars at Sema to try and build their aftermarket.
Meanwhile VW has the customer service people with their little sign taped
to their desk in front of them to read to any enthusiast who may call "we
do not recomend you modify your car in any way other than VW genuine parts,
like our cool line of 14 inch wheels."
	VW could sell a ton of cars doing what others are doing. Find holes in the
market and hit them or jump on a bandwagon like the SUV thing. Know how
hard it would  be to develope an SUV. I'll tell you. Federalize the Golf
Variant (Jetta Station Wagon), develope a high perched suspension for off
road, develope a rear tire holder like the CR-V and give it a cool name
that fits into the VW mould like the Rugby. Kablam you have a competitor
for the Outback, CR-V and Rav-4. With VR6 it'll blow their doors off and
with TDI you'll keep going and going and going and going.
	How about this. Develope a small A platformed minivan and give it retro
styling sharing many interior pieces with the Beatle. Give it cool features
like Syncro, VR6 or TDI, Bucket captains chairs, a camper option or maybe a
removeable roof segment that could optionally house a rollback canvas
sunroof, camper pop top, basic flat surface or dual sunroofs. Now give it a
cool recognizeable minivan type of name like say Microbus and voila....
you've got a gas friendly utilitarian minivan that would appeal to
generation X and also be the only other competitor to the Plymouth Voyager
in the low price segment. It would also be as tuneable (suspension and
engine etc) as any GTI or Jetta. Not bad huh?
	Audi is good enough on it's own and I don't think Horch is necessary in
the states, just more Audi engine and transmission options. That and get
the damn S versions to market already. Sometimes I think BMW is running
Audi or something.
	As for big VWs. In the states I think it's a big mistake to do anything
more than a VR8 Passat. I could see a $32,000 VR8 Passat with a funky
designation like (M, S or AMG) perhaps RSR or Touring. Either way, anything
above that won't sell, my 2 cents. LEAVE IT TO AUDI. Old Money buy Benzes
for being a Benz, not a rebadged Audi called a VW. IT will not work.
	LAter-G