"Steve Grauman" > wrote in message
...
> >what they are really concerned about is what other people
> >> will think about the car when they drive by in it.
>
> BMW's yealry sales in North America are built almost entirely on the
brand's
> image. Break 1,000 BMW owners into groups of 10 and I bet that 9 out of
every
> 10 of them will tell you that brand image helped sell them on the car.
Audi
> lacks the image and recognition of BMW and that's a big part of why they
can't
> sell as many cars. It also doesn't help that the average Audi (S and RS
models
> aside) can't hold a candle to the capabiltities of the average BMW. The A4
and
> A6 simply cannot match the overall dynamics of the 3 and 5-series models.

I don't disagree with you. 9 of 10 car buyers of ALL brands are likely
influenced by brand imagery to some extent -- whether it be "youthful
hipness" (Scion), "practicality" (Honda), "staid sophistication" (Mercedes),
or what have you. But that isn't to say that design doesn't count, or that
aesthetics are somehow above criticism.
Just look at Cadillac. At one time Cadillacs were considered by many to
be the very best that the automotive world had to offer -- the best
sheetmetal, the best drivetrains, the most luxurious interiors, etc. (hence
the phrase, "it's the Cadillac of......"). But then, gradually (while many
loyalists/apologists surely continued defending them), the design elements
slid downhill to a point where a large segment of the public no longer liked
the cars. So consumers were left to make a choice: do I buy a "legendary"
brand that I no longer like, or do I buy something less legendary that
appeals more to my senses? And the historical numbers clearly point that
most potential buyers eventually chose the second option. However --
surprise surprise! -- as soon as Cadillac introduced a crop of new designs
that people liked (Escalade, CTS, etc.), sales came back with a vengeance.
Do I think that means that BMW's are going to slide the way Cadillac's
did during the 70's and 80's? Not necessarily. But history shows (via
Cadillac, Nissan, Mazda, Chrysler and dozens of once stylish, but now
defunct brands) that ignoring consumers' wants/tastes and relying instead on
imagery to sell cars is not a viable long-term recipe for success.

Rob