AUDI A1 - 1 Month Old!!

Strider590

bigjl wrote: »

On the subject that Audi are a luxury marque.

My only comment would be in the notoriously fickle High End London Chauffeur market clients regularly request stuff like the Jaguar XJL or Mercedes S Class.

But the LWB version of the BMW 7 series and the Audi A8 are still not considered to be pukka.

An A8 is certainly a luxurious car as is a 7 series.

But neither is truly considered a Luxury brand.

Range Rover are considered a Luxury Brand as are Maserati, despite it likely sharing parts with other brands in the group

At the end of the day if the OP likes her A1 and the image it projects then good for her.

But not everybody is of the same opinion, wouldn't life be boring if everybody though the same?

"Luxury" is a socially derived term.
In much the same way that certain clothing/accessory brands become "luxury" for absolutely no reason other than celebrities start wearing them and word spreads via the media that what they're wearing is somehow "special".

Effectively it's only what it is if enough people say it is...... Which in real terms means there's very little difference from brand to brand, except one costs more than the other.

motorguy

WellKnownSid wrote: »

No-one is sneering.

We are highlighting the fact that some people have expectations which don't match reality. The motor industry is fairly mature - and apart from where forced by legislation, e.g. emissions, extremely resistant to innovation.

Yes, VAG spent more that Apple and Google combined last year on R&D, but that doesn't mean they were doing anything other that trying to make internal combustion seem less horrific. No-one wants to buy the cars that roll off production lines at the moment. Most manufacturers have bet the farm on China - and it doesn't take a genius to work out where they're going. Cue more "dealer contributed PCP deals" in 2016.

Economies of scale mean that most bread and butter production cars have to share a vast array of almost identical components and technologies. Buying a modern car is a lot like buying water these days - different marketing, different packaging, but mostly similar inside.

Be interesting to see where things go when Apple et al do roll their ideas into production. I think we can expect a lot of change and innovation where currently there is none.

And exactly my point too - the O/P seemed to be saying that it wa unacceptable for a "luxury" brand car turbo to fail after a month, when the same engine is fitted to VWs, SEAT and Skoda too. I wonder would their perception be that it would be ok for it to fail in a Skoda as its a value brand?

motorguy

Strider590 wrote: »

Effectively it's only what it is if enough people say it is...... Which in real terms means there's very little difference from brand to brand, except one costs more than the other.

Bingo! And exactly the reason for my bemusement. Same engine different car, but shouldnt fail in a "luxury" brand car.

motorguy

cjdavies wrote: »

Exactly I do it, for example my deodorant has to be Lynx.I

I'm sure everyone does it without realising, I do it replacing certain electrical items, some brands I avoid.

Yes, but is Lynx a "luxury" brand to you?

motorguy

rudekid48 wrote: »

there's no reason to sneer at people who like to shop by brand.

Absolutely no issues with that at all - you dont seemed to have grasped the point being made that that "luxury" brand car has an identical engine fitted to a "value" brand Skoda, yet there seems to have been an expectation on the part of the O/P that in some way it was "better" if it was fitted to an Audi.

I actually think that mentality is why Audis dont usually do as well in customer satisfaction surveys as Skodas - fault with an Audi and its rectified quickly and efficiently, their owners are miffed that they paid all this money extra for a "luxury" brand and it failed in some way, fault with a Skoda and its rectified quickly and efficiently and the Skoda owner is pleased because its been fixed quickly and efficiently.

Strider590

motorguy wrote: »

I actually think that mentality is why Audis dont usually do as well in customer satisfaction surveys as Skodas - fault with an Audi and its rectified quickly and efficiently, their owners are miffed that they paid all this money extra for a "luxury" brand and it failed in some way, fault with a Skoda and its rectified quickly and efficiently and the Skoda owner is pleased because its been fixed quickly and efficiently.

Yes and no, maybe? Dunno

My GF worked at an Audi dealership and said she couldn't stay there because of the arrogant attitude of the other staff toward customers and eachother. It was bit like "I work for Audi, I am considerably better than you", very similar to the "I drive an Audi, I am considerably better than you" people who drive their cars.

There is probably an expectation in many Audi owners that everyone should "kowtow" to them (especially at a car dealership) and when that level of arrogance meets the same, the results won't be pretty.

DUTR

Strider590 wrote: »

Yes and no, maybe? Dunno

My GF worked at an Audi dealership and said she couldn't stay there because of the arrogant attitude of the other staff toward customers and eachother. It was bit like "I work for Audi, I am considerably better than you", very similar to the "I drive an Audi, I am considerably better than you" people who drive their cars.

There is probably an expectation in many Audi owners that everyone should "kowtow" to them (especially at a car dealership) and when that level of arrogance meets the same, the results won't be pretty.

In 2005 when I was looking for my 1st brand new car I detected that in the Audi dealerships ended up with a VW, but my mate says that the Mercedes can be worse he ended up with a beamer.

Iceweasel

DUTR wrote: »

In 2005 when I was looking for my 1st brand new car I detected that in the Audi dealerships ended up with a VW, but my mate says that the Mercedes can be worse he ended up with a beamer.

There can be snooty salesmen/women in all of those dealerships - and LandRover and Volvo too.

I've found that especially in LandRover and BMW showrooms the sales staff and customers fall into two categories - the down to earth real enthusiasts for the marque - and those who only want one (or work there) to tell the world how successful they are.

WellKnownSid

motorguy wrote: »

fault with an Audi and its rectified quickly and efficiently, their owners are miffed that they paid all this money extra for a "luxury" brand and it failed in some way, fault with a Skoda and its rectified quickly and efficiently and the Skoda owner is pleased because its been fixed quickly and efficiently.

Fault in an Audi now out of warranty and owner is ranting and raving on this very forum, wondering why the repair is considerably more than *exactly the same repair* at a Skoda dealer...

At least Audi drivers have the spare cash to afford the extra servicing costs. I always remember my friend and his Saabs - demanded Vauxhall brake pads come service time. The identical component was almost 50% cheaper if they came in a box marked Vauxhall than a box marked Saab

Strider590

WellKnownSid wrote: »

At least Audi drivers have the spare cash to afford the extra servicing costs. I always remember my friend and his Saabs - demanded Vauxhall brake pads come service time. The identical component was almost 50% cheaper if they came in a box marked Vauxhall than a box marked Saab

That's not true.

I have a friend who works in a bank, has done for 15+ years. He arranges loans and mortgages, of which he's worked with tens of thousands of customers.
He always says that 99% of people who own these "luxury" brand cars, cannot actually afford them.

It's all about that British middle class illusion.