AudiWorld Forums - Is Audi losing the new horsepower war in the automobile market? (article length, sorry)

Firstly, I would like to say to anyone reading this post, I am an avid enthusist and recent follower of Audi. I thought I would share my thoughts and get your input into my insight on the current powertrain wars between the massive car oligopolies, and Audi's current and future standing in that war.

Recently Audi has successfully acquired a place on the pedestal among its German brethern, Mercedes and BMW as a performance oriented luxury car. Furthermore, in the recent years, I believe that Audi has rightfully earned the position of "the" performance car, such title stricken from BMW, which has become more of "the" image car. To paraphrase, Audi exclaims, "for the performance and not image minded" of which their commercials have redundantly portrayed. Audi is also on par with Budweiser of cars, Mercedes, with respect to the level of refinement in the interior of their vehicles.

I fear Audi's pursuit of excellence and fight to the top is now in jeopardy due to their failure to engage in the new venue of competition, the fight for more horsepower. For purposes of timing, this new competition has probably come at the worse time with the $51.00/barrel crude oil and ever rising gas prices. However, the consumers are steadily and readily pulling doe out their pockets yelling more more more, and the car companies are off the hinge at R&D figuring out how to push at least a half a grand in horsepower out of a small block V8 that can get 20mpg.

It is my opinion that Audi is seriously falling behind this new competition and is steadily falling off the radar. When is Audi going to catch up with the rest of the automotive world by releasing the RS series on current models, notwithstanding the LE release of the RS6 on the former A6 platform before it "bowed out" this past year.

Audi has been talking about releasing the RS4 in the US for years now, yet nada, zilch, zine, nothing!!! I have had my name on the list for that damn car at Champion Audi since 2001.

With the "golden age of horsepower", as the magazines are calling it, car manufacturers are tantalizing the public's taste buds with mouth watering 400+hp Caddys, 425hp HEMI powered Dodges and Chryslers, 600+hp 6.5ltr V12 AMG M-Bs, 400hp Pontiacs, slapping badges on the back reading TRD, AMG, SRT, SVT, and that is the tip of the iceburg. All the long the RS is found wanting.

If you see eye to eye with me, then you consider throwing a 250hp V6 in a 2005 model, slapping an S-Line embelem on it, and then charging 52k for the car is a mortal sin when you can go down the street and spend $30k for a GTO sporting a similarly refined interior, amply endowed with options and a 400hp powerplant. Audi's prance into the competition is going to get them killed quicker than a cat in a VW bug with eight pit-bulls. Like their market competitors, they are belting out new models every several years, yet high output versions of their models are nowhere to be found, other than talk and possibilities. All the while, their competitors are releasing earth shattering powerplants to go along with their spaceship looking models. I am not ready to get an equity line to spend 60k for a 300hp two+ ton A6.

With this inaction, it seems that Audi powertrains are sliding their cars into commonality, i.e. Buick. After as hard as they worked to revitalize their poor image that plagued them for decades due to the everlasting stigma of the Audi 5000?

Audi is not the only one, until recently, BMW was also falling into the pit of mediocrity. In 2001, BMW released the demonic 333hp powerplant in the E46 M3, and shortly after the 394hp E49 (or is it E50?) M5. Both cars with an asphalt grinding, interceptor stomping 0-60 gain in 4.6 to 4.8 seconds. In 2001, that was definitely a "WHOA". Three years later the world has become a different place, and with the amount of competition for the auto market, everyone can say, "it is time to sing 'Its a small world afterall". Now with $20k you can buy a Dodge Neon SRT pushing a 4.9 0-60, or fork out 50k for a "run of the mill Vette" and sing "Gone with the Wind" as its 400hp powerplant - 75% of the powertrain's potential, same used for upcoming Z06 - breezes past the $53k S4, similarly priced S-Line TT putt-putt-putting slowly in the left lane singing, "The Little Engine that Coule" with its 250hp lawnmower engine. Ditto for the $55k BMW 530 pushing 225hp.

Alas, BMW is now rectifying its apparent drop into the common powertrain market releasing a 500hp V10 for their new M5 in 2005 as a 2006 model, following up with a 400hp V8 M3 (variant of the M5 powerplant), in 2006 as a 2007 model (est). Additionally, they are releasing a new 3.0 V6 engine pushing closer to 300hp to catch up with competition. Where is Audi? Their usual powertrains receiving high points from the critics and general public are dropping quicker than the Dow and NASDAQ after the 2001 e-commerce market crash. The regular powertrains for the common Audi trims are still under or around 200hp. There is nothing more other than rumors as to when the RS division is going to come out with an RS4, RS6 or RS8. As of now, one person will tell you the RS4 will have a 3.2 Twin turbo, another the 3.0 Twin turbo, and yet another a NA high output 4.2 V8. The RS6 is a myth; many prophesize it will be powered by a Twin-Turbo V8, non-believers argue that it will have a modified version of the NA V10 engine designed for Lambo - which happens to be a recycled and modified 4.2 V8. The most powerful powertrain released at this point in time by Audi is their V8 4.2 340hp. To put things in perspective, the G35 V6 pushes 298hp.

There are no definite plans, that I can find, that show a high output powertrain will be released for their models, or even new powertrains with outputs consistent with their competitors. It is seemingly as though Audi is becoming like that local high end, expensive, "couture" restaurant which opened with a $30 per plate dinner; after receiving good press it starts buying hamburger meat from McDonalds, throwing it on the plate as fillet mignon with pretty green stuff and stinky highgrade cheese with a sexy French name, charging the same as before banking on its critically acclaimed rep.

I love Audi, I love my S4, I love that it is a sleeper, I love the beautiful and always remarkable interior. I love the fact that my four door car can pounce on a Ferrari Modena through second and third gear. I pretty much love everything about it from the seats to the blinkers, and I would love to stay with Audi, hopefully as an owner of the RS4 (if it ever comes out). Nevertheless, in my humble opinion with their current horses in the stable, Audi is on the fast track to losing the performance wars, and with that their hard earned "luxury performance sedan" image. Why? Because Neons, Infinitys, and Dodge station wagons are being released with 100+ more hp than Audi's "S-LOLine" cars.

Although Audi has come along way since the Audi 5000, Audi does not have enough reputation to survive on it yet, especially in the car market, look at what happened to Lincoln and Caddy whey they fell asleep in the 90s. AUDI, if you can hear me, lets get it done before you once again have to play "catch up". Tag, your it!

(putting on flame suit, but at least I got you thinking and interacting with a substantive post requiring insight and thought rather than, "check out my new engine snub mount, phat huh?" with the little green box next to it reading, PIC) :)

(Copyright, 2004) LOL - What can I tell you, I am a lawyer.