German Car Zone

Both Mini and Fiat had a passionate following 40 years ago, they have a sense of retro cool that the A1 don't have. But the A1 has a modern eye catching design which will attract its own customer base. I have to say there is a hint of Fiat 500 about the A1's side profile.

Very right, you can't deny that the Mini and 500 has decades of history behind them which the A1 doesn't. That doesn't mean that the A1 is a waste. It will be more premium than the 500 and Mini which really don't feel that high quality on the inside.

Yes, the opinion of the "great wizards of WCF". Wow!


Really ... IMO separate mini-car brands (eg. Mini, smart) or specific funky or retro design (eg. F500, Beetle, Pluriel) has that special added value over the top-end econo cars like Polo, Corsa, Clio etc. So the higher price is somehow justified. Especially in the case of Mini & F500 where you can heavily customize your car already in factory.

Usually people buy subcompact cars due low price - since they have no bigger budget to spend on a bigger more expensive compact cars.

Therefore I have quite some doubts about models like A1, AR Junior, and even BMW badged "0er" - if ever coming. They have no that special added value - expect the fancy brand name. You can already order leather, alu / wood trims, bluetooth, fancy stereo etc in the top-end sub-compact cars.

But ...

I do not doubt A1 will sell well - especially in Germany & UK where Audi is extremely popular right now.

Yet I still think cars like F500, Beetle, Mini are much more special & attractive - having much more personality & charisma. A1 (same case with upcoming AR Junior) is - unfortunately - just another model in the carmaker's model line. Therefore my remark about missed opportunity: calling for more individual design. A1 definitely won't stick out from Audi model line - and that's a pity.

More or less another "me-too" car in this segment.

I would rather see Audi reviving NSU brand and offering true Mini killer under a separate funky brand. Or at least offering specific individual design for A1.

Don't get me wrong: A1 looks very fine (except the "leaning forward" side profile) & sharp, but IMO such car would be more interesting with more special (less traditional Audi) design, or even offered under separate brand: NSU.

IMO in this case the car would be even more popular - especially outside Adi fan base.

Is that the opinion of the "great wizard of German Car Zone"?

Problem with creating a separate brand for the A1 and name it as the NSU is that normal people will have no idea what NSU is. Audi has great confidence with its existing brand image, and the A1 isn't outside its brand philosophy so Audi just stick with naming the A1 under the Audi brand. It is different between the Mini and BMW, plus BMW know they can capitalise on using the Mini brand, which they know is still very popular and it has a high brand awareness among the non car people.

I don't know of any top end subcompact car which offer the same interior quality as a bimmer, merc or Audi. You can probably get semi leather seats in a Micra or Yaris but the overall interior does not match a premium car. This is where the A1 will be breaking grounds.

As for special customizations it might not be able to match the Mini and 500 which can be customized like crazy in terms of colour combos. Audi is probably going for a more mature image for the A1 and try to sustain good sales through out the cars life span, unlike all those retro cars which have ridiculously high sales the first 2 years but totally die off in the 3rd or 4th year.
Don't forget that awesome engine options will see for the A1 and perhaps even a DSG tranny.

Lastly I don't think it matters whether it has the novelty factor or Mini or 500. If you like what you see then all the analysis and theories about what it is will be irrelevant.

I agree. The NSU brand has almost no recognition outside the automotive history enthusiast circles. Heck, I can't even name one single NSU model!
It's true that A1 can't use the retro image for its favor like the Mini and Fiat 500 but that is not going to be a problem. There are many ways to achieve the goal, which in this case is to sell a lot of cars.

LOL
You and Eni are like Tom & Jerry.

@ Luwalira

Yes, I'm sure A1 will be a great product, with best technical solutions, and superb quality.

But ... Is that THE stuff?

A luxury sub-compact car is already an oxymoron. And offering great product with superb interior is not the selling point in this segment. A special feature is needed to justify higher price.

Eg. Lancia Y: a premium sub-compact car. And despite being a great product the car was a failure.
Why? Because the car was aimed at young people - especially young women. And they prefer funkiness, flair, high degree of individualization / customization ... and if paired with great technical stuff & great quality - even better.

I wonder what - except Audi logo - will be the selling point of this car.

I will monitor marketing activities for this car very closely & with much interest.



LOL.

Me being Jerry, of course.

I don't like it, it looks a little goofy.

It's OK for a concept, but I hope the production version will be more interesting.

I don't think it worth to mention Lancia since it's pretty much a dead brand.

Yes a sub-compact premium car is an oxymoron but that doesn't mean that there isn't a demand for such cars. Just look at the A and B-class. Despite their non premium body shape they are quite popular. The same goes for the Smart which was very popular a while back. Kind of the same way people want a golf but buy an A3 instead for a premium experience and higher status.

The Mini is some what Semi-premium and is more expensive than other compact car but people still buy it. There is a clear demand for small premium cars. People are prepared to pay a little extra for quality.

Right not there is no car like the A1 and will be a good nitch car for Audi. It will eat into the hearts of the people.

The selling points are pretty simple: Urban small and fuel efficient car with high quality interior and well design exterior. The 1.2L version will be popular for people living in cities with congestion tax like Stockholm and London.