Audi Wants To Become The BMW-Alpina Of The VW Group

Audi is reportedly planning to become a more prestigious brand than it currently is, moving closer toward – but not into – Bentley territory in a move that calls to mind the plans BMW has for Alpina. According to Auto Express, the Volkswagen Group-owned automaker will make its replacements for the Audi A8 sedan and Audi Q8 SUV even more prestigious, with the seven-seat Audi Q7 also forming part of the move further upmarket.

Audi

Audi is a German automaker that produces a range of luxury vehicles that combine sporty driving dynamics with the latest technology. Its history goes back over 100 years and includes both production cars and a rich racing heritage.

Founded

1909

Founder

August Horch

Headquarters

Ingolstadt, Germany

Owned By

Volkswagen Group

Current CEO

Gernot Döllner

Production Status

Available

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Audi Wants To Be More Desirable, Not Just More Expensive

While nothing specific was said about the future of any of these individual models, Audi’s recently appointed UK head Jose Miguel Aparicio told the publication, « We are making a step upwards in terms of premiumness, increasing the prestige, desirability, and perception of the brand, and more interested in the quality of business than the quantity. » The executive pointed to the launch of new products like the latest Q5, saying that the focus on larger (read pricier) cars shifts the typical Audi customer base up, and this comes with its own challenges, despite the additional revenue.

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He said that cars in the C and D segments (medium and large cars, respectively) were starting to reach the figures the brand is targeting, adding, « That means a significant increase in price, and in order to do it successfully, we really need to create this brand attraction and desire. The essence for this is product innovation , but we also have to offer a premium customer experience to them; we are talking about making an evolution, moving upwards. » He went on to say that there is room to provide a more luxurious experience without encroaching on Bentley and Porsche, but that « it’s not a fundamental change » for how Audi perceives itself. He mentioned that « retail partners » are key, so it’s more about the customer experience and feeling toward the brand being improved than the cars themselves.

Audi Has Some Exciting Concepts In The Works

The executive also noted that just because a brand is perceived as premium today does not mean that it will be tomorrow, especially in light of changing emissions legislation around the world. This uncertainty is part of why Audi has reverted to its old naming scheme, why the A7 might be about to depart, and why the Q8 e-tron is already at the end of the road. Audi needs to refocus on what works, and fortunately, there are promising ideas coming. The Q6 e-tron off-road concept revealed earlier this month shows how current cars could get more exciting, but there are even more grand ideas further down the road.

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Over the last four years, Audi has presented the activesphere concept as a wild coupe-cum-pickup, as well as the grandsphere sedan, a minivan called the urbansphere, and even a roadster called the skysphere. None of these are likely to come into production unchanged, but they show Audi’s ambitions for the future, and though many changes may come to these cars and their basic concepts, they will come. However, it will be in the latter half of the decade before any tangible progress is made, and when it is, it will surely start with an SUV and a luxury sedan before a roadster or a car that nobody has imagined before. In the meantime, small changes will have to shift the brand image.

Source: Auto Express