Re: Audi Future Plans

["George S Achorn III" <coolidge@tidalwave.net>]

A few facts I've heard first

1. The Audi A4 Outsold the BMW 3 series in Europe in 1996. That can
significantly tell you that Audi has market share in other parts of the
world.

2. Porsche is privately owned and couldn't raise enough capital to buy Audi
even if it wanted too.

3. Why would it want to, when Piech's and Porsche's (the families) have a
small bit of sayso in what goes on at VWAG (uhhh Ferdinand Piech, recent
head of Audi until he took over as head of VWAG).

4. Porsche and Audi and even VW share many engineering tasks. You have to
remember that when Porsche makes money the Piechs and Porsches directly
make money. When Audi makes money it's pretty much distributed between VWAG
stockholders. I think someone mentioned conflict of interest here.

5. Audi started the widespread use of all wheel drive. There were Audi
Quattro Coupes passing on the outside in races long before Touring Car was
big and long before the now bankrupt Bugatti had their awd GT  cars.

	Now on to my point. I'd love to see Porsche and Audi do more together.(
Did you know the Boxster uses an Audi transmission. Maybe they'll use the
ratios in the new S4.). I've said on this list to no real success, that
Audi+Porsche should market an RS line of Audis through both Audi and
Porsche dealerships that are totally Porsche tuned. An RS4, RS6 and RS7
minivan and S8 would be seriously cool IMHO and would help Audi with it's
performance image and Porsche to widen its line. I think it could be done
over the S series cars, perhaps 7-10K more expensive and with limited
numbers it would insure exclusivity and non cannibalization of the S series
cars.
	LAter-G