Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Sedans High End Luxury Cars
24700 messages, Last post on Dec 01, 2009 at 12:24 PM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
Let's try to define this forum as being limited to luxury performance vehicles where the mainstream version in a typical configuration has an MSRP of at least $60k.
A luxury vehicle with a base price of $59k qualifies because it would typically be bought with some additional equipment, bringing the MSRP over $60k.
Vehicles like the E, 5, A6, M, or GS, even if available in certain versions over $60k, don't qualify because they are cars from companies that have higher end cars in their lineups.
|
Let's take a look at something that I found interesting in today's Boston Globe: Lexus: Parent Company-Toyota Mercedes: Parent Company-DCX Audi: Parent Company-Volkswagen AG Jag: Parent Company- Ford (PAG) Volvo: Parent Company- Ford (PAG) And just for kicks and laughs--- Caddy: Parent Company- GM(vergening bankrupt, delinquent, counter-productive....etc) So BMW has it all to itself. Could this be the under-lying reason for it's continued astonishing sales performance and the enviable M models and the ever present and popular 3-Series? Or could it be the reasoning for such bad business decisions as the destroying the Ultimate Driving HELM(7-Series) style, even as far as hiring Bangle? I must admit that a company that doesn't have to answer to anybody and the company run correctly is the envy of all car companies. The reasoning for posting this message is this: ALL car companies can learn a thing or two from BMW, and now Toyota for that matter. Up until '02, the company was hugely cautious about what product it put out(save for the James Bond-esque Z8). Then the polarizing 7 took the world by storm(for good or bad), and the company has taken the huge gamble that has ultimately paid off big time. And at the rate they're going, it doesn't seem likely that there will be a take-over anytime soon. |
|
|
Replying to: syswei (May 26, 2006 6:10 pm) |
|
|
Replying to: stevekilburn (May 25, 2006 7:51 pm)
|
|
|
Replying to: reality2 (May 26, 2006 7:01 pm) Yes the next A8 will move up even more in size(which is definetely not lacking now), and will prove to be one of the most sophisticated cars in it's class. There's even talks of a super-high luxury variant to push the envelope to 200k. Surely this will be a super-low volume model, but it will have the goodies to back it up, mainly the 600-hp plus twin-turbo FSI V-10. Audi is still the only manufacturer to use turbo on a direct injected engine. Wonder how long that'll last? I'm most interested in the 450-hp V-8 version because as it looks, it'll be the most powerful player in it's class(base engines of course). Audi has also revamped Quattro so that the cars will have a RWD-biased power development. Also the cars will have much shorter front over hangs as the platforms switches to a sort of Nissan-like front-midship engine design, meaning the engines will sit behind the axle line, for better handling and weight distribution. As most of you can tell, I'm probably the biggest Audi nut on this forum. I believed Volkswagen/Audi last month when they said that they know that they've left North America out in the cold regarding the A8 and will rectify the situation this go round. They have to in order to stay competitive. In Europe, the A8 is often the first or second best selling car, so it's likely that they'll definetely advertise a lot more here. And Audi does have this uncanny ability to introduce the flagship in a model year when no other car in it's class is about to be released, hence the '09 release, just like '04. Judging from my W-12, which is probably the best kept secret in the biz, Audi is not a joke. The company has to do a better here in North America with this car. The A3/A4/A6 and heck even the Q7 will sell themselves, but when dealing with a customer that's about to plop 70-80 large on a car, you must know what the customer is wanting in a car. The current A8 has it, but there has been a huge communications breakdown here that has inhibited Audi's share of the pot. Hopefully this will change soon.
|
|
|
Replying to: blkhemi (May 27, 2006 5:59 am) And we can always hope that by the '09 model year, Audi will have given up on that "wide-mouth bass" front end, or at least figured out how to make it better fit in with the rest of the car's design. That kept me personally from even considering the car the last time. |
|
|
Replying to: garyh1 (May 27, 2006 9:06 am)
|
|
|
Replying to: houdini1 (May 27, 2006 9:57 am) |
|
|
Replying to: houdini1 (May 27, 2006 9:57 am) On the bigger cars though, I think its just too much. Slap some wings on the new A6 Avant, and it would look like an old MiG fighter jet. |
|
|
Replying to: garyh1 (May 27, 2006 9:06 am) Is it my imagination, or has VW also adopted this look? TagMan
|
|
|
Replying to: tagman (May 27, 2006 12:16 pm) VW and Audi will tell you that the grilles are more of a need than a want. They said that it was easy to convert to the new Euro pedestrian safety measurements and also give teh cars a "face-lift" at the same time. All of the cars would prabably look good with the grille if it wasn't dressed in 40lbs of bling-chrome. Body-colored w/ black mesh(as on the Jetta GLI and Golf GTI) grilles look very good on these cars. Strangely enough, the V-Dubs have more chrome than the Audis. My W-12 has a thin strip of chrome around the grille and also where the front license plate(mid section of the grille) goes which is good enough. |
|
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2011 Audi A8
2010 BMW 7 Series
2008 Jaguar XJ-Series
2010 Lexus LS 460
2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
2006 Volkswagen Phaeton
2009 Maserati Quattroporte
2010 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
