I might be an idiot but, for similar reasons, I will never buy an iPod.
Hear, hear. Same thing with the Jetta. How many 23 year old girls have you seen driving a Jetta with huge sunglasses, and an iPod docked on the console? Hundreds I’m sure. Remember when cities were putting out bulletins telling people to hide their white headphones because they were getting mugged for their iPods? Instant street cred. But, I’ll leave the iPod bashing for another thread.
How about this in terms of Audi’s influence: Where do you think VW would be if they had not bought Audi? Vice versa?
I would say that VW buying Audi was the best business move they have made since developing the original beetle. How much of VW’s current lineup is a direct result of Audi technology trickling down the ranks? 90%? Once the new Jetta came out in 2002ish, it was obvious that it was an A4, same thing with the new Passat and the A6, and they weren’t even hiding the fact that the Phaeton was a steel A8.
Nurb: VW bought Audi in 1964 when the only “technology” they had was a German version of a GM wankel engine. They stuck that in the front of a cheap car that resembled a Trabant.
Ferdinand Piech actually used Audi as an example of why not to buy a competitor. It took about 20 years to turn them around.
Holy cow was I way off… sorry about that. How did I think that it was 10 years ago or so.
Well, I still think my point is somewhat valid, but now not as much. Oh well.
That’s why I said it’s the luxury car for people who aren’t really into cars. They don’t know or care about any of the technology or bang for the buck issues. They just open their checkbooks and do what they perceive to be the safe and obvious thing.
As far as the iPod issue, have you considered that your face may look strange without a nose if you refuse to buy superior products (iPod or any other) just because they’re too popular or carry too much status? On the other hand, I can’t imagine buying a Ferrari because it strikes me a bit too much like driving around with your figurative dick hanging out, so I guess I’m not immune to relating to your feelings. An Aston Martin on the other hand…just too pretty to resist!
Well, sorry to both of you, but in an AUDI thread some basic
facts should be kept.
VW bought AUDI in 1964 from Mercedes-Benz. It was still
called “Auto Union” at that time and manufactured DKW
cars with dwindling success. At first VW only wanted to gain
access to further production capacity to built all those beetles.
But only 5 years later the VW headquarters had to rely fully
on the AUDI front wheel technology in order to bring forward
a modern compact car with not only the engine at front but
also frontwheel drive.
The early ancestor of the “Bauhaus” look of the 90ies Audis
was the german Wankel Car NSU Ro 80 , which was produced
by a now defunct subsidary of the Auto Union during the
golden 60ies.
(the Wankel was built by GM in licence.)
In Germany Audi was never seen as “avantgarde” They
were teachers cars. And no 16 year old boy lusted after
them.
The Sacco Benzes were all the rage.
Until the very aerodynamic and elegant Audis of the early 90ies changed the game.
Now Benz is dead. (almost) but that would be another thread.
I would say the other way around. The V40 looks like it is very aware of what the A4 has been up to for the last 3 generations. The V40 is a very nice car… in an Audi sort of way.
Audi just bought some new fanboys, even though I`m a Benz owner, I am still astonished by the new looks of the brand: More character, a enhancement in the finishing and advertisement.
I think audi has reviewed the image they projected to get in the big game, sitting between Mercedes and BMW, having a chat with Lamborghini.
Yo, you’re right. I guess that recessed cut around the front grill/nose that sinks back into the headlamps and over hood has been there on the A4 for sometime. On the previous generations that line wasn’t as defined as it is now.
I don’t know, I think that look has been prominent on Volvos longer than Audis. And the whole abrupt-bumper-blends-into-the-grille feature became standard Volvo cue in 99 with the first S80
I would totally agree with you if the iPod’s superiority was indisputable. There’s no denying that the visual element is a huge factor but, with the iPod, you are paying more for the idea of what it is than what it actually is (I am sorry if that sounds condescending.) I just want to be perfectly clear about my way of thinking. If I can find a device that plays music just as well, or better, and is usable, for less money, why would I pay a premium for something that is going to be in my pocket most of the time and is nothing more than a glorified hard drive?
I think the iPod is the ultimate example of empty cache.
It’s much more reasonable to debate the car because that, more than almost anything else, is the insecure representation of how we want to be perceived. We pull up in it. We drive away in it. Our neighbors see us in it. It is who we are without saying a word and it’s impossible to hide. It follows us everywhere we go. Maybe it is an iPod on a giant scale, but it can be so much more because it actually involves a real choice… “This car is me.” An iPod says “I am everyone else.”
The iPod is a pocket bauble. I’d rather spend that money on an object that actually has a practical value past its 1-2 year lifespan… like a comfortable, well designed, chair. I’m fine with my beat to hell Rio Karma thank you. It was nearly half the price, has great sound, no DRM, is multi-format, and has cross-fade… and my nose is just fine.
