TISaint

Looking in e90post forums and even here you can see alot of ex-Audi owners deflecting to other makes, especially BMW. Has Audi lost the plot?<ul><li><a href="http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=14&amp;article_id=4365">Fro m R&amp;T</a></li></ul>

April

to the exclusion of everything else. The inexpensive German luxury car. People got used to huge discounts, incentives, etc. Now that Audi is discontinuing those programs, we are seeing those bargain hunters drop away. Yes, Audi may sell fewer cars in th short term and they may have to expend more effort in finding new clients, but I think those new clients will buy more often based on the product, not the discount. This is good for image, resale, and long term profitability. It's going to be a bumpy road for a while though.

BMW makes far greater profits per car, both at the factory/design level where they cut corners where you don't see it, and by charging and getting a higher price on the market for dealers to pocket. That extra cash buys all kinds of goodies and appeasements. I can tell you that a buddy is lemoning his M5 because of SMG issues and BMW is fighting him every step of the way. The 335i is having overheating issues, and the 5 series continues to have problems with steering racks among other things. The 7 series continues to have almost weekly software updates it seems. And yet they steam on. How? Fantastic marketing and resources to keep most customers happy. That should be Audi's model, but we know that can't happen overnight.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36410

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37004

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34089

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16458

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32088

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34702

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38088

CMcLeod

of each other. All are strong performers, with slightly individualistic designs ("quirky"?). I wonder if they are eating each others demographics...

TISaint

They are all 2nd tier luxury brand though, even some people consider Audi to be the same

PDXA4

on top of that and it makes Audi's a hard sell...

Audi in Europe have a very different image where they are seen as a premium brand with a rock solid reputation.

I'm surprised to see Saab and Volvo so low on the list, normally Saab and Volvo owners are very loyal to the brand...I guess that they have the same issues as Audi...

danny2.0t

I'm looking at other brands, like BMW, to either add or replace my A3 b/c of dealer service dept

finch

hello audi-build some lighterweight turbo cars that enthusiasts want

finch

Re: hello audi-build some lighterweight turbo quatro cars that enthusiasts want

Buddah

Steve White Audi, Greenville SC

really, the service manager Daniel Nobel took care of my problems with such attention to detail, in my mind he personally pushed my own view of audi brand image way up!

steveracer

NFS!