Surely he's joking!?

A

A2magic

Member
This amused me ...

While researching online at http://www.scribd.com/doc/6447398/1461 I came across a thesis by one Timo Smieszek ([email protected]) entitled "How People Communicate about New Technologies and Ideas", from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich.

The short quote below, particularly the last sentence, suggests this young academic has much to learn!

"For more than one hundred years researches have been interested in the question why some innovations succeeded quickly while others failed (e.g. Tarde, 1890/2001). In the field of environmental policy, examples for both are observable: success stories as well as failures. In order to give advice for future policy measures, it is necessary to investi-gate and explain why, for example, the furtherance of the renewable energy production in Germany was quite successful (Erneuerbare Energie, 2006), while fuel-efficient cars as Volkswagen’s Lupo 3L TDI or Audi’s A2 1.2 TDI failed completely."

"Failed"? Really? No! Worse still! Failed "COMPLETELY"! Well I never! I do have this wee feeling that not everyone shares that opinion on this forum. Shall we all email him to correct the record?

According to OTHER online sources he's currently modelling the spread of influenza. I leave you to draw your own conclusions as to the likely success of those models! (best buy your Tamiflu upfront...?). Must be marvelous to be an academic.
 
I haven't gone through his piece but it sounds to me 'failed completely' in the context of his thesis, about 'communicating technology', may be he has a point. How many people heard of the 3L models? However, the technology itself worked. Sounds to me, he created or assumed an objective of the 3L cars, which is to create mass awareness of high fuel efficiency. But I've always seen the A2, extending to the 3Ls, as experimental products to test the market, which it did what it had to do. It told Audi, people weren't ready to pay a premium for efficiency back then.
 
nice point

Thanks humps, you have a nice balanced viewpoint which nicely counters my Red Top knee jerk ... has I not been ever so slightly tongue in cheek you'd put me to shame! I think in terms of his thesis you are right ... the a2 was not an outstanding success for Audi. I suspect they would be justified in feeling they (Audi) were ahead of their time. For the rest us us on this forum, though, it does the trick very nicely indeed.

Matthew
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top