BMW UK seems very sure of themselves. Marketing director of BMW UK Uwe Ellinghaus noted that Audi customers are of a similiar age to BMW owners. But he said that if the original is available, why should anyone buy a good copy? It looks like BMW isn’t taking Audi seriously at all.
Ellinghaus considers Mercedes Benz a serious competitor, but generally Mercedes Benz buyers have a different taste from BMW buyers.
Of course, this arrogance is justified. BMW’s expected sales forecoast this year is a huge number of 100,000-110,000 cars.
Source: Reuters
this arrogance is not UNjustified.
lol, can't imagine if someone ask the marketing director to comment on BYD Auto from china..hehe..But to me at least, the Audi looks more class and their interior quality/finish is better than BMW..But the ultimate driving machine still wins in the handling competition…
herkunftland=deutschland
Damn…
The usage of the word "copy" turns me off. Arrogant, indeed.
BMW…bring me worries…
Audi is as good!
id take a BMW over an Audi any day…but the $$$$ id rather buy japanese car :(
It is without a doubt that BMW is the handling champion of all the luxury car brands. However, handling is only one aspect of the package. The reason why Audi is winning so many converts (in Europe) these days is because it is the more complete and not to mention, higher quality product, which is what constitutes a luxury item.
In Germany, these are what the brands represent to the public there:
Mercedes: Class Luxury
BMW: Sporty Luxury
Audi: Intelligent Luxury
Nevertheless, it is good that BMW execs are turning a blind eye to what is probably their strongest competitor at the moment. I am confident that in the next few years, they will be eating their words.
Many years ago Detroit didn't think the Japanese companies were a problem… look where they are now: Free falling at terminal velocity
Is BMW making the same mistake?
Aiz..continental car still expensive
still prefer japanese car
Quattro vs Vanos vs Kompressor?, if ya watch Top Gear This season, you will know what did Quattro do to Mercedes AMG…….hahahaha
But still i reckon BMW 7 SERIES looks much more better in "TRANSPORTER 2" than Audi……..!
No doubt that, BMW brand is strong, other brands can't beat or compare with it now.
What are the things in mind when you see a BMW car?
Styling: Modern, sporty, advanced or futuristic, sleek, awesome, size …..either interior or exterior……..all these just fit to the Rich youngster needs.
Performance: Powerful engine and super handling machine.
Safety: No questions at all.
Equipment and features: High tech and advanced technologies applied (always keep to be the first).
Brand: Long history and also they have a good advertisment strategy which are 007 James Bonds and F1 race.
Price: Reasonable (of course not in Malaysia).
The only thing bad about BMW is "Banyak Masuk Workshop" and the spare parts cost high like Hell. If BMW can improve it I means like Merz, I am looking forward to Buy one too.
Audi?? I don't see the Brand is as strong as BMW. My feeling is if you don't have enough money to buy BMW or Merz and yet you prefer to buy a continental car…….then Audi is your best choice. If the price is the same as BMW, I don't think he/she wants an Audi instead. What do you think?
BTW, this Marketing director of BMW UK Uwe Ellinghaus is too confident that their products can be world NO. 1 soon and forever!
I don't like this guy, like I said before don't under estimate your COMPETITORS!! Who knows one day POTONG also can beat BMW!!! ……..Watch out man!!
Any of you have make comparisons on value of these 3 cars in the used car market? How much does Audi lose on it's value even for a 3 month old car? heh heh…
I was just checking up on the sales forecast for Audi in the UK. It looks like they are on track to deliver 90,000 to 100,000 cars this year. So, let's take a look at Herr Ellinghaus numbers for BMW for 2005; 100,000 to 110,000 cars. Those figures don't look so far apart to me to justify that level of arrogance.
aksMS, this may surprise you but this is what I have found after a brief search on the local classifieds.
All 2003 models:
BMW 318i LifeStyle: RM168k (New RM250k) ~30%
Audi A4 1.8T: RM160k (New RM218k) ~25%
Mercedes C Class: RM190k (New RM279k) ~30%
Lo and behold, some myths are getting busted here. Now, I realize that the Auto Dunia era Audi models may have depreciated more, but we should really compare the cars brought in by the newest and current franchise holder.
I use to have this perception that Audi loses more. Hmmm…..
BMW relies on the brand and that's what they're selling.
Most on the road is a 318 and to me that's not a proper BMW. a proper bimmer should have the beautiful 6 inline and that starts with the 2.5 range.
Thus it amuses me no end when friends and colleague alike boast about their bimmer when they're only driving a 318. its underpowered and not fun.
The interior also leave loads to be desired. You won't understand until you spent sometime in an audi (or a lexus) and have a neutral stance. If you can't see that then you should look at similar aged cars for bimmer and audi and see which one stand the test of time better and you'll undersand better.
as for maintenance? audi is not as bad as the bimmer, as long as you know where to look.
oh! by the way… I used to drive the E46 318 i and it is a sad excuse for a bimmer.
I'm live in China and I recently bought an Audi A6L 2.0 TFSI. For the price I also looked at the Toyota Crown 3.0 and BMW 320i (E90). The Audi wins hands down in space (largest mid size), safety (just refer to NCAAP and U.S data), solid feel (35% stiffer than previous model), performance/torque (280nm from 1800 -4200 rpm), economy (30 mpg) luxury (best interior) and comfort.. BMW's selling point has always been handling and ride but Audi is more of an all rounder, it does not excel in any one particular area but does well in all areas. Price wise a 520i cost Rmb 90K more and I can't really see the justification or benefits for spending that much extra. The service I got from Audi was much better and helpful than the service I got from BMW which was rather arrogant and downright dishonest (I had 2 very different quotes for the same car from 2 diff. sales staff with a diff. of Rmb20K ). At Audi, they gave me a discount and threw in leather seats at no extra charge. Read the articles from U.S. , U.K. and Australia – A6 and A4 are safest in their class – both front and side impact. Its security system has been rated the top system in Australia scoring 116 points out of a max. of 120. Its car interior is rated as the benchmark in many auto reviews in the U.S. and U.K. The 2.0 TFSI engine won the UKIP media events engine of the year award for the 1800 – 2000cc class (BMW 2.0i came in third after Honda's S2000 engine which won the previous four occasions). The 3.2 FSI and 4.2 FSI won Ward's engine of the year award in the U.S. The only BMW engine to make headlines is the M5 engine. You cannot overlook the kind of recognition Audi is getting for their efforts to improve brand image and engineering technology. Finally look at the sales figures for Audi in the U.S. which is going to be a record year with double digit sales growth while many automakers are registering double digit sales decline.
The thing about BMW is that they are good cars (I owned a 520i before) but unless you get a premium model you will be very disappointed with its performance and equipment level (2.5i is absolute minimum). Otherwise you will not even know what they are talking about – most reviews are 3.0i or above. So people that buy 1.8i or 2.0i models just don't get it, they are just buying the brand period. To buy a premium model is way too expensive when compared to other competitors. In China, Audi sales compared to BMW is 3.6 to 1 and the Chinese are sharp consumers. As for overall reliability, German cars cannot compete with the likes of Honda or Toyota. Audi, Merc and BMW have all got their own problems be it electronic gadgetry, sensors, computers, mechanical parts etc. The more cutting edge you become the more you cannot foresee and this is natural. Testing can only go so far. But when you think about it, people that buy German cars generally drive their cars harder and faster than people that buy Japanese cars so maybe this is also a contributory factor in reliability. So think before you buy.
Audi A6 has just won the World Car of the Year (U.S.) award and Auto 1 (Europe) award. These awards are conducted by journalist from around the world so they are independent. I don't see BMW winning any awards or second placings. Its not easy to win as they are judged on many areas. Looking at the points awarded to Audi A6, it didn't excel in any one area but was very consistent in all areas scoring in the top 3 or 4. So it tells you that they are much better allrounders for the money. I strongly feel that BMW is overpriced and most people are just buying entry level models just to feel that they are there – stupid move.A 2.0 TFSI engine from Audi (entry level) will eat a 2.0 from BMW for lunch however you compare it – torque, power, fuel economy, balance, emissions. I have driven a A6 2.0 TFSI on the highway at 160km/h and its almost effortless with good torque and power for passing. I have sat in a 520i and it was very slow to get to 140m/h and was very slow in passing which makes it dangerous at speed.