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What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan

#8606 of 10007 Re: CR and Passat [mariner7] by carnaught Oct 20, 2006 (9:15 am)
Replying to: mariner7 (Oct 20, 2006 9:02 am) I think the current Passat's styling is terrible. It looks more Buick-like than Camry.   Looks are completely subjective. You're right though on Passat resembling Buick (Lucerne). But, the Lucerne came after the current Passat.
#8607 of 10007 Blaming CR versus blaming VW by domenickamarc Oct 20, 2006 (11:01 am)
Hmmm ... I was wrong. I had posted something. Someone had mentioned the Passat in their response. I replied that the Passat was a good example. I was wrong about that. It's not turning out to be a good example to make the point I was originally trying to make.   I don't believe CR makes or breaks any car. I do believe CR is an active ingredient in the decision-making process of a significant number of car buyers.   The bigger point is that the "literature" on cars is not just entertainment. Nor does is it science, as in "just telling it like it is." It's opinion. It's slanted and it skews the collective consciousness about cars, in general, and increases or decreases the good/bad status of some cars in ways that might not be consistent with how many people would have ended up enjoying "the total ownership experience" of a certain car, if what they read about it hadn't led them to not seriously consider it.   I think that what some people read in CR, or Car and Driver, or USA Today contributes to which cars they'll seriously consider and that it cannot be assumed people might avoid a certain car only if it really is a "bad buy." Replies to this message: anthonyp (Oct 22, 2006 2:11 pm)
#8608 of 10007 Re: CR and Passat [mariner7] by lexusguy Oct 20, 2006 (10:38 pm)
Replying to: mariner7 (Oct 20, 2006 9:02 am) I think the current Passat's styling is terrible. It looks more Buick-like than Camry. Styling used to be VAG strength. A4 used to be the most stylish in its class, but not anymore.    The Japanese automaker VW most resembles in NA is Mazda. Very good, quirky cars that find loyal fan base, but never a threat to the big boys! Blame VW, don't blame CR!!!   I don't think the Passat looks awful. There are certainly cars in that segment that look much worse. That enormous rear overhang is definitely a problem though, it makes the car look big and clumsy. VW needs to push the wheels to the corners.   Mazda is pretty different from VW. With the exception of the Miata and the RX-7, Mazda made very bland, forgettable cars that had nothing to set them apart from the competition. They didnt have any kind of real focus as an automaker until 2003. Mazda's sales have been flat in this country for about 10 years, but now that they have a real product portfolio, they have a chance to finally break into the big leagues.   VW had the cars, but they went on a buying spree, decided they wanted a piece of the S class, and left them on the market for a decade.
#8609 of 10007 VW and Audi by sfcharlie Oct 21, 2006 (2:33 pm)
"VW had the cars, but they went on a buying spree, decided they wanted a piece of the S class, and left them on the market for a decade."   Lexusguy, I agree. Former CEO Ferdinand Piech steered Volkswagen off course in the 1990s by trying to take the VW brand upmarket to challenge Mercedes. At the same time, as Business Week put it, "he took his eye off the company's core business in small cars, and failed to grapple with VW's growing productivity gap. With a domineering Piech sitting on the supervisory board, successor Bernd Pischetsrieder didn't dare do a U-turn, and many problems festered."   Volkswagen's started a further turn downward in 2001, but management has been slow to do anything. Now, despite the new models of the last two years, VW's promised rebound doesn't materialize.   The alleged coming turnaround remains a prediction that VW struggles to keep the PR fire under. At the beginning of the year Bernhard promised ten new models by 2010. Then, in July, he moved the target date up to 2008.   Nonetheless, last December, a report by Morgan Stanley warned of a pretax profit plunge of 41% in 2006.   Not sure how well VW is doing financially as the year comes to an end.   Meanwhile, Audi fights for its piece of the international LPS pie from a quasi-independent position within the VW empire. Audi performs strongly outside the U.S. According to Fortune Magazine: "Its brand is strong in Europe, where Audi's are seen as equals in image and performance to its better-known competitors and command similar prices. Audi has also moved aggressively overseas and has become the most popular luxury car in China. Overall, the company expects to sell 890,000 cars this year and is aiming for 1.4 million by 2015 - a position from which it might be able to claim luxury car leadership."   In the U.S., Fortune points out, "it takes more than good products to succeed. Audi's reputation for quality lags that of its competitors. 'You pay for your sins for a long time,' says Johan de Nysschen, the head of Audi of Americas. Quality is getting better but older ones remain a problem. Audi ranked well below average in the latest JD Power dependability study of 2003 model cars." Nonetheless, unlike VW, Fortune's prediction for Audi in the U.S. in optimistic: " Audi is making another push with several new models. It is introducing a small SUV, the Q5, a small coupe, the A5, and a $130,000 mid engine sports car, the R8, over the next year and a half . Its goal: to boost unit sales from 83,000 in 2005 to 100,000 in 2008. Assuming the economy holds up, its targets look reasonable. Both BMW and Mercedes sell more than twice that many vehicles here."   VW has to do something completely different. Replies to this message: domenickamarc (Oct 21, 2006 5:58 pm) purplem46 (Oct 21, 2006 6:54 pm) domenickamarc (Oct 21, 2006 7:30 pm) reality2 (Nov 12, 2006 7:24 pm) lansdownemike (Nov 13, 2006 6:40 am) sfcharlie (Nov 16, 2006 7:16 am) sfcharlie (Nov 13, 2006 8:54 am)
#8610 of 10007 Re: VW and Audi [sfcharlie] by domenickamarc Oct 21, 2006 (5:58 pm)
Replying to: sfcharlie (Oct 21, 2006 2:33 pm) The Detroit News (about VW and Audi): "It's losing big money in the U.S.; bloated European workforce won't be easy to slash; could successful upscale Audi be sacrificed?"   According to investment banker Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas, Audi as a stand-alone business is worth more than VW: "I value Audi at standalone at roughly 60 euros ($77). VW is roughly 54/55 euros ($69/71) now," said London-based Jonas." The "bloated" European workforce is a big reason (although not the only one) why VW can't match prices with Toyota and Honda. A recent article in a German newspaper, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, cited VW sources saying that at least 40,000 of the 100,000 people employed in its parts and assembly plants were superfluous.   Another thing (about Audi), which a number of financial-auto analysts have said: Audi has to completely separate its U.S. dealerships from VW dealerships. I experienced the truth of that, first-hand, while shopping A4s a while back. An Audi Brand Specialist at an Audi/Porsche dealership responded to an off-hand comment, made one of the boys I had with me, about the Audi being sort of like his brother's Passat. The German-accented salesman said: "Only until you drive them." By contrast, a salesman at a VW/Audi dealership commented (when I mentioned that I might consider an A4 with 2.0 turbo for better-mpg commuting): "Waste of money. You'd be better off getting a Passat with the same engine -- more car for your money."
#8611 of 10007 Re: winter tires for Caddy STS [mnjasper] by purplem46 Oct 21, 2006 (6:48 pm)
Replying to: mnjasper (Oct 20, 2006 7:14 am) The problem isn't in buying the same size tires, but in buying harder snow rubber. Go to www.tirerack.com. If you can't find it, ask. They are very helpful.
#8612 of 10007 Re: VW and Audi [sfcharlie] by purplem46 Oct 21, 2006 (6:54 pm)
Replying to: sfcharlie (Oct 21, 2006 2:33 pm) RE: VW has to do something completely different.   Sheesh, if you have been watching them as a company, you may realize that VW has made statements with their wallets that most car companies only dream about. They have stakes in Uber car factories such as Porsche, among others. They invest in their primary brand the segment they wish to capture, in others they partake vicariously. In all, VW is making a killing. Replies to this message: domenickamarc (Oct 21, 2006 7:30 pm)
#8613 of 10007 Re: VW and Audi [purplem46] by domenickamarc Oct 21, 2006 (7:30 pm)
Replying to: purplem46 (Oct 21, 2006 6:54 pm) Sheesh, if you have been watching them as a company, you may realize that VW has made statements with their wallets that most car companies only dream about. They have stakes in Uber car factories such as Porsche, among others. They invest in their primary brand the segment they wish to capture, in others they partake vicariously. In all, VW is making a killing.   I thought it was pretty clear (to me anyway) that the comment you quote and criticize was not speaking about VW as an entire company, but providing some figures and analysis specifically about the VW brand, within the larger VW company. You're talking about one thing (the whole VW company) and the last few comments about VW are talking about another (the VW brand line), unless you mean to imply that they're making so much money on their stakes in Porsche and Audi that they've decided to drain off some of the profits by mismanaging their original brand line
#8614 of 10007 Re: winter tires for Caddy STS [mnjasper] by markcincinnati Oct 21, 2006 (7:51 pm)
Replying to: mnjasper (Oct 20, 2006 7:14 am) Since you did not mention wheel size, I assume you want to use your stock wheels, year round.   Why do you think you can't find tires since the fronts and rears are different? You can buy two tires at the same time from virtually any retailer I can think of.   The Tirerack is very helpful -- here is what they might "suggest": minus zero sizing. For instance, they may suggest 235 x 50 x 18 tires if you tell them you want to keep 18" wheels (using the rears as an example.)   I found 4 WINTER tire brands/models in that size in about 45 seconds on Tirerack. And buying 2 was possible too.   You could opt for 4 winter tires of the same size, or you could minus zero the 235s you have too.   Here is what you may consider if you want status quo but with winter tires:   Matched tire sets for Cadillac STS V8 18 Inch O.E. Standard Wheels:   Front: 235/50-18 Rear: 255/45-18   Bridgestone Blizzak LM-22 (V rated) just under $900 for all four. Replies to this message: mnjasper (Oct 24, 2006 7:00 am) shipo (Oct 24, 2006 8:40 am) markcincinnati (Oct 24, 2006 9:08 am)
#8615 of 10007 How can VW or any German or European match the Japanese by 610looper Oct 21, 2006 (8:41 pm)
dollar for dollar in the U.S. when the Euro is worth more than the U.S. Dollar and Japanese Yen and make huge profits?   Any auto company can only lower the price so much before you mess with resale at the least and have soaring production/manufacturing costs to cover.   VW in the U.S. only has 4 vehicles that are more value priced for the income of the general pop., and even then they are still more expensive overall compared to however many the Japanese competition have vehicle for vehicle...i.e. Civic/Corolla to Jetta or Accord/Camry to Jetta/Passat. Until I see a high volume, high priced, high profit auto company, I'll say it will remain an oxymoron.   And who's lining up for a Beetle or expensive hatchback?   Now outside of the U.S. is a totally different ball game... Replies to this message: markcincinnati (Oct 22, 2006 7:16 am) lexusguy (Oct 22, 2006 7:52 am)

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