Audi vs Alfa

[Lawrence.Gowin@domain.elided]

I read an article recently on the fortunes of Audi, Subaru, and Hyundai.  

Audi went from strong sales in the mid eighties to dismal sales at the turn
of the decade due in large part to the media hype surrounding the unintended
acceleration debacle.  The success of the A4 initially and later the A6
revitalized the company.  Public opinion, including my own,  turned largely
on this very capable, affordable car.  .

Subaru was also a strong player that went downhill.  They made a crucial
decision in the early nineties to go with all-wheel drive on all of their
cars (a technical strongpoint of theirs) and did a great job of marketing.
The Legacy Outback package was so popular that it became its own model.

Like Subaru and Audi, Hyundai had great success when they initially launched
in the US in the mid eighties.  Unfortunately, poor build quality and
warranty claims mounted and did significant damage to the  finances and
image of the company.  When they resolved some of the quality issues, they
introduced the 10 year/100k mile warranty.  People then thought that this
cheap car won't cost them anything even if it is a piece of junk, so the
people not willing to spend a lot of money on cars started buying them and
slowly the image started returning.  Now Hyundai is successfully fighting
the "What will the neighbors think" problem.  Potential buyers are less
worried now about having to explain to their neighbors why buying a Hyundai
was the right thing to do.  Unlike Audi and Subaru, Hyundai's new success
isn't based on a hugely successful car, but rather on the corporate support
of the customer.  

There is no reason why Alfa couldn't do the same thing provided the company
were truly committed to it.  The 156 is an excellent car and would be truly
distinctive in the North American market.  If they return with the  147 and
the 157/167 when they come out, Alfa could have the same US renaissance that
Audi, Subaru, and Hyundai have enjoyed.  While the Spider and GTV are nice,
they shouldn't be the basis for Alfa's return.  They need cars that appeal
to everyone, not just the Miata/Z3/S2000 buyers.  

Cheers,
Lawrence
Audi Driver
'71 GTV

Lawrence Gowin
Level (3) Communications
lawrence.gowin@domain.elided
Office:	(720) 888-1234
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