Top 50 Flops

Smick

Smick

Member
AOL have issued a list of top 50 car flops and our beloved A2 makes it in there.

http://motoring.aol.co.uk/top-50-car-flops/article/20070503102209990004

If you look in the fifth gallery.

I would beg to differ with them. In fact, they don't say anything bad about the car. Their argument seems to be that the alu was expensive and as a result the target market could not afford it.

Given the diverse people on this forum, I'd say they are wide of the mark.
 
Aluminium masterpiece/flop

I think we can draw a parallel with another great aluminium masterpiece.
Like Concorde, sales were not as high as expected, and as a result the
manufacturer lost money, so yes it is a flop.
However, from a engineering point of view, both Concorde and the A2 are
great success stories. From the owners point of view, both were/are also
great sucessful creations. Let us remember that the manufacturer has to
be profitable to survive (anyone remember Rover?) so yes, for Audi the
A2 did not live up to it commercial targets and expectations. Therefore
it can be considered a flop.
Lets be thankful Audi made the A2 and survived. Enjoy it, as Audi will not
make the same financial mistake again. How unique will the new A1 be.
I suspect it will be little more then a 'me too' over styled Polo chasing the Mini
Cooper.
GBMSU
 
Yes - 180,000 worldwide sales over 5 years says it all from a commercial perspective.

DaimlerChrysler has had the same problems with the Smart Car and it's derivatives - can't see that brand lasting much longer!
 
How can they possibly call it a flop when you get great MPG and car tax is a Meer £35 a year ( on TDI's)
 
One reason it didn't sell was due to poor marketing

Yes it was very expensive (esp in UK) at launch but AUDI did next to nothing to market it properly.

Look at the Prius mk1 and mk2 and see how "eco" now equals fashion statement. How much is a basic Prius?

The USP (unique selling point) was not emphasised enough. Had the car launched in 2005 as a 1.2 TDI for less than a MINI Cooper D incl. RHD things would be very different!

That and those who just by the usual run of the mill cars like SuVs, Golfs, Astras, thinking more is more.....
 
ecoangel said:
One reason it didn't sell was due to poor marketing

Yes it was very expensive (esp in UK) at launch but AUDI did next to nothing to market it properly.

What marketing, I can't really recall any in the UK and I'm a car mag buying nutter - ask the missus!

I don't think it was expensive when you consider it is a premium product sold at premium prices which when compared to the accommodation and equipment levels of an A3 was far superior in all areas including price, it needed dealers who believed in the product to push it better to the punters who came in for that second hand A3. (see any at Audi sites these days? no I didn't think you had but you can still see old shape A3's for sale there - nuff said.
It's just a shame the public didn't see it that way too.
Click to expand...
 
A lot of people arnt aware of the A2 and are never told of the positive points about it. If audi actualy advertised the A2 TDi properly i think it the fuel econamy would have sold it to many people
 
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