Re: spelling goofs on Audi's web pages

[four.rings@MCIONE.com]

>         b) If not, it's unclear who should win:
> 
>                 1. Audi's largest customer base -- presumably the US.

No, that would be MB, BMW, Volvo.
The upstarts like Lexus, Infinity and Acura don't even market their cars
outside the US.

As far as Audi is concerned: up until recently they sold only ~5% of
their total output in the US. Hence the arrogant treatment of the
American market.

For 1996 world-wide sales figures for luxury brands were:
#1 -- BMW -- a tick over half-a-mil
#2 -- MB -- a tick under half-a-mil
#3 --Audi -- a tick under MB

Source: Automotive Industries Mag.

Now, given that both MB and BMW heavily depend on the US market
(methinks for no less than 40% of sales), one skilled in arithmetic
could see that Audi actually outsells it's oldest rivals in the rest of
the world. The rest of the world seems to have more appreciation for
fine cars and according to the sales figures chooses Audi over MB and
BMW.

>                 2. Everyone in the world who spells it the "wrong" way:
>                 which I think is everyone except the US of A. You see,
>                 most non-English-speaking countries  take their spelling
>                 cues from the British .. for better or for worse.

Correct.
That's what they should be doing, shouldn't they? If they intend to
speak English that is.
I find that the whole world speaks English whereas only one country
speaks American.

-- 
Igor Kessel
'89 200TQ -- 18psi (TAP)
'98 A4TQ
Philadelphia, PA
USA