RE: Culture clash

["Peter B" <peterb@mysysltd.com>]

Soooo True and Soooo Sad!!

ROTFL/C(rying)

Peter
1990 200TQ

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-quattro@audifans.com [mailto:owner-quattro@audifans.com]On
Behalf Of Mike Arman
Sent: Monday, December 20, 1999 10:00 AM
To: quattro@audifans.com
Subject: Culture clash


>Subject: Re: Happy Holidays from Audi!
>
>> We can guarantee a certain amount of publicity for Audi through this
>> series.  I would hate to state in an interview our disappointment with
>> Audi for their apathy about their product.
>
>A professional motoring journalist would laugh.  How many wannabees do
>you think buy expensive cars and pester manufacturers?
>
>What counts is, literally, your track record.  Not how deep are your
>pockets, but how many races have you won?  Especially - how many races
>have you won with inferior hardware?  If Audi assist you, how many
>times is their car going to finish last?
>
>It's a hard world. <snip>
>
>Expect to provide serious racing credentials.  These people have no time
>for wannabees.  You can't buy your way in - you have to win your way in.
>
>- --
> Phil Payne



Interesting comment here - shows a definite culture clash between the old
world and the new.

Audi's attitude is that of a very exclusive club - we won't sell you
anything unless you win races, and of course you can't win races without at
least a few factory parts - catch 22. And you will notice how few Audi race
parts are floating around, and the amazing prices they command when (if)
they appear on the open market at all.

Philosophy of "shortages" and "exclusion". Dumb.

Now lets look at US car companies - whether you like the products or not
(and I don't, particularly), they have realized that their goal is to SELL
SOMETHING - and preferably as many somethings as possible as quickly as
possible.

Racing improves your bottom line, oh snooty bean counters of the Fatherland!

The best possible scenario would be for hundreds and hundreds of people to
BUY S-4's then to BUY racing parts, and to BUY tires, and go out to the
track every Sunday and run the hell out of them. Every next Monday, they'd
be lined up at the parts counters to buy heaps, stacks and piles of
replacement parts for whatever they broke or bent or wore out the previous
Sunday.

Look at the VAST amount of hot-rod racing stuff available for US cars -
anything you can imagine, off the shelf, and in your choice of colors. The
value of hot-rod cams for 5.0 Furd V-8s ALONE probably exceeded the value
of all the Audis imported this year. And don't forget the vast universe of
goodies available for the hot-rodder's favorite, the small block Chevvy.
Even Chrylser gets in on the act, with a certain amount of factory support
for the Neon racers - all of which sells more cars, more parts, more tires,
and keeps the product in the news as well.

The US vehicle makers will sell almost anything to almost anyone; all you
have to do is have the money to buy it (and you can get it financed if you
don't).

Everyone is welcome - come and play - there's plenty to go around, so enjoy!

Audi marketing plan #4587 (ignored, as usual): Race sponsors drive A-8s,
Press arrives in A-6s, Racers win in A-4s! (or S-4s) - come and play.

Look how sucessful Harley Davidson has become on the philosophy of
inclusion - buy our product, and you've automatically joined our club! Audi
does it the other way - join our club and we MIGHT let you buy our product
. . . and the bottom line is there's a waiting list for Harleys (and that
list has been as long as TWO YEARS), while the waiting list for Audis is
for brake pads.

Best Regards,

Mike Arman (Audi owner in spite of them)