Audiphile
January 4th, 2008, 22:54
A recent editorial at Auto Extremist sums up "Audiness" in a perfect manner:
The Audi Way. Publisher's Note: In a wide-ranging interview during a roundtable with journalists last September, Johan de Nysschen weighed-in on the challenges facing the German automaker in the coming months, from the move of its headquarters to Virginia, to the upcoming product offensive that should spur Audi on to even bigger things. de Nysschen is one of the most thoughtful and engaging executives in this business, and it's clear that he has a firm grasp on what Audi stands for, where it is currently in the U.S. market in relation to BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and where it wants to go in the future. Audi has matured from the quirky, march-to-a-different-drummer German "alternate" brand here in the U.S. to become a serious force to be reckoned with over the last five years, and to no one's surprise it's their legendary product focus that is propelling them to new heights. Audi revels in the fact that they aren't BMW or Mercedes, and that's refreshing to see. If the "Toyota Way" is manufacturing excellence and unimpeachable quality, the "Audi Way" is technical sophistication, engineering excellence and high-performance wrapped in beautiful design. Audi reminds me of the way M-B used to be years ago before they lost their way trying to be all things to all people. As a matter of fact, BMW is veering dangerously close to falling into that trap, too, so Audi's singular focus is even more impressive. You get the sense that Audi respects its customers' collective intelligence and needs and wants, etc., but yet the company does things exactly the way it believes they should be done - and its growing fan base of enthusiast drivers respects it even more for doing things that way. Audi has blown right by M-B in terms of product appeal and image and is now the serious contender to BMW's throne. Yet unlike BMW, Audi isn't interested in the least in becoming ubiquitous in every neighborhood and driveway. It's clear the company believes that if they build it, the buyers will come. Audi's legendary focus continues to attract enthusiast buyers who can appreciate the difference, and that strategy alone is what sets them apart in a market suffering from "flavor-of-the-month" segment overload. - PMD "On the Table,"
:)
The Audi Way. Publisher's Note: In a wide-ranging interview during a roundtable with journalists last September, Johan de Nysschen weighed-in on the challenges facing the German automaker in the coming months, from the move of its headquarters to Virginia, to the upcoming product offensive that should spur Audi on to even bigger things. de Nysschen is one of the most thoughtful and engaging executives in this business, and it's clear that he has a firm grasp on what Audi stands for, where it is currently in the U.S. market in relation to BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and where it wants to go in the future. Audi has matured from the quirky, march-to-a-different-drummer German "alternate" brand here in the U.S. to become a serious force to be reckoned with over the last five years, and to no one's surprise it's their legendary product focus that is propelling them to new heights. Audi revels in the fact that they aren't BMW or Mercedes, and that's refreshing to see. If the "Toyota Way" is manufacturing excellence and unimpeachable quality, the "Audi Way" is technical sophistication, engineering excellence and high-performance wrapped in beautiful design. Audi reminds me of the way M-B used to be years ago before they lost their way trying to be all things to all people. As a matter of fact, BMW is veering dangerously close to falling into that trap, too, so Audi's singular focus is even more impressive. You get the sense that Audi respects its customers' collective intelligence and needs and wants, etc., but yet the company does things exactly the way it believes they should be done - and its growing fan base of enthusiast drivers respects it even more for doing things that way. Audi has blown right by M-B in terms of product appeal and image and is now the serious contender to BMW's throne. Yet unlike BMW, Audi isn't interested in the least in becoming ubiquitous in every neighborhood and driveway. It's clear the company believes that if they build it, the buyers will come. Audi's legendary focus continues to attract enthusiast buyers who can appreciate the difference, and that strategy alone is what sets them apart in a market suffering from "flavor-of-the-month" segment overload. - PMD "On the Table,"
:)