Any other brand besides Audi that went upmarket?
Discussion
Audi is IMHO the only brand which managed to move up - from staid Audi 50 and Audi 100 saloons on par with similar offerings from Ford and Opal, to a Holy Trinity on equal footing with MB and Beemer. R8, S8, W12 engines, ticks all the boxes.
Whereas Mercedes (starting with 190E, then A-Class and Smart), BMW with (3 series compact), Bentley (with new gen CGT based on Phaeton), Porsche (924, Boxster) moved down.
Ford never managed to capitalize their posh Gia sub-brand, the Swedish manufacturers went bust or badger engineering. Itallians? Lancia is gone too. Maserati moved into diesel repmobiles territory.
And Asian manufacturers never cosseted the idea of a class mobility thing because of Communism, salarymen culture, loss of face and all. Toyota remained true to its classless valves.
Whereas Mercedes (starting with 190E, then A-Class and Smart), BMW with (3 series compact), Bentley (with new gen CGT based on Phaeton), Porsche (924, Boxster) moved down.
Ford never managed to capitalize their posh Gia sub-brand, the Swedish manufacturers went bust or badger engineering. Itallians? Lancia is gone too. Maserati moved into diesel repmobiles territory.
And Asian manufacturers never cosseted the idea of a class mobility thing because of Communism, salarymen culture, loss of face and all. Toyota remained true to its classless valves.
Edited by Exoticlover on Wednesday 3rd August 13:19
Edited by Exoticlover on Wednesday 3rd August 13:21
mmm-five said:
Or you could see it as simply a broadening of their offerings, rather than going 'upmarket/downmarket'?
If Audi were lower-level, there was only an upward gap to fill.
If MB/BMW were higher-level, there was only a downward gap to fill.
A bit like telling an unemployed person that they have a gap to fill at the queue for the dole.If Audi were lower-level, there was only an upward gap to fill.
If MB/BMW were higher-level, there was only a downward gap to fill.
Audi were always above ford and Opal, they were better built and more expensive. If anything the gap has closed!
They also make the A1 which is a small relatively inexpensive car, if you're suggesting that BMW and Mercedes were devalued by the smaller cheaper cars in the range then Audi is in much the same place.
They also make the A1 which is a small relatively inexpensive car, if you're suggesting that BMW and Mercedes were devalued by the smaller cheaper cars in the range then Audi is in much the same place.
Problem is that every car brand wants to move upmarket. The Koreans are out-Japanesing the Japanese. Even Citroen wants to be up there with the DS brand and current styling which people "love" (but I bet they wouldn't put their money where their mouth is, because, still shonky French).
That leaves fewer and fewer common garden manufacturers. Hell, even Dacia is on the creep up.
That leaves fewer and fewer common garden manufacturers. Hell, even Dacia is on the creep up.
I'd probably argue that Volkswagen has gone up the ranks a bit...
Kia is definitely going more upmarket, at least compared to what they were 15 years ago. There are genuine reasons why you would purchase a Kia over a European equivalent, whereas before it was just because they were dirt cheap.
I also feel like Volvo have gone a bit more upmarket now - not massively though.
Skoda's brand image has massively improved in the last 20 years and is now not looked down upon, they're now at VW level from 20 years ago, with VW transcending above.
Kia is definitely going more upmarket, at least compared to what they were 15 years ago. There are genuine reasons why you would purchase a Kia over a European equivalent, whereas before it was just because they were dirt cheap.
I also feel like Volvo have gone a bit more upmarket now - not massively though.
Skoda's brand image has massively improved in the last 20 years and is now not looked down upon, they're now at VW level from 20 years ago, with VW transcending above.
a 1970's Estelle gives Skoda probably a lot more headroom to improve than any other manufacturer mentioned so far 
Newarch said:
Land Rover.
Yes this is my thought. I think they were always relatively upmarket but didn’t have the product to back it up but now they do; regardless of how good or bad the products can be. They’ve done well to majorly capitalise on the Range Rover elevating it further than it’s price point (which is a difficult thing to do) and thus created a whole new sub brand and it’s rubbed off on the rest of its range. Again, regardless of the quality, it’s actually quite an achievement considering they’re not part of a big car brand like VW for example. It’s a shame Jaguar hasn’t had the same success.
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