Audi and Acura brand perception at rock bottom

In a recent ‘Brand Perception Survey’ by Consumer Reports, consumers perceived Toyota and Honda as the best brands by a wide margin. Toyota and Honda had an overall ranking of 189 and 146 respectively while Ford came in third with 112 points followed by Chevy at 110. What surprised us about the survey was that Acura and Audi were considered the worst and were at the bottom of the list with brands like Mitsubishi, Mercury and Buick. I mean are things really that bad at Acura and why is Audi even down there with their recent onslaught of vehicles?

Well for one the survey says that car buyers considered safety and quality as the most important, followed by value, performance, environmental friendliness, design, and technical innovation.


So the explanation of consumers concern with safety and quality explains why Audi is at the bottom of the barrel, but what about Acura? Has it really become that third-tier luxury brand that doesn’t turn heads anymore? Afterall, the main reason people go for a luxury car is to show everyone that they’ve got some green in their bank account. One can argue that unlike BMW, Mercedes or even Audi, Acura shares many of its components with Honda. For example the Acura MDX is based on the Honda Pilot while the TSX is based on the Accord. But what’s wrong with using parts from one of the most reliable brands in the world?

After all, you can get a fully loaded TL with more technology features, more power and more room for a lot cheaper than a Mercedes C-Class.

We still have hope for Acura and hope that the NSX will really drive more attention to the brand and give it some much needed respect. So stop slacking Acura engineers and get to work! For once we’d like to be excited to attend an Acura press conference at a major auto show.



Source: Reuters (via Automotive Blogs)

Technorati Tags: Cars, Car, Auto, Automobile, Vehicles, Technology, Auto News, News, Automotive, Acura


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Larry - 1/30/2008 9:23:49 AM

+6 Boost

Most people Audi and Acura as rebadged products, however Acura is somewhat popular

EnnNorak - 1/30/2008 10:20:25 AM

-10 Boost

There is a huge difference in interior luxury between Audi and other VW brands so I really don't care what parts they share. The only thing that annoys me about Audi is that they still use an inherently-out-of-balance 90-degree V6. Audi's Quattro with the Torsen center differential has few peers.

I can understand Acura being held in low esteem as a brand but not Audi. Acura is an overpriced Honda same as Lexus is an overpriced Toyota. At least Audi has superior drivelines in addition to luxury interiors.

_43LE - 1/30/2008 11:08:39 AM

+7 Boost

Isn't the 2.0T the same in VWs as they are in Audis? There is not one Acura that has the same engine as a Honda in North America. Also, all the interiors in Acuras are much nicer than Hondas. RDX vs CRV, MDX vs Pilot, TL vs accord.

S4cabriofoxone - 1/30/2008 11:59:28 AM

+2 Boost

43LE, you're right about the engines.

However, every single Acura on sale is based on a Honda twin, some going as far as literally being re-badged (TSX). The same can't be said about Audi.

It's also worth noting that quite a few Acuras use fake wood trim, which is unacceptable for a luxury car in this day and age.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Honda fan and they have some fantastic engineering, but just give credit where credit is due.

_43LE - 1/30/2008 1:47:13 PM

+7 Boost

Yes, I know that the TSX is really a re-badged Euro/JDM accord. There are some major differences though, the interior design is quite different, and it is more firmly sprung in North America, and it is certainly more premium feeling than anything Honda in North America, I should know, I have one.

One question, how about pleather seats? I do not know of any Acura that uses fake leather. In fact, I think that leather is standard across the line.

Htay7500 - 1/30/2008 7:09:27 PM

+1 Boost

it is 43. I like the new facelift of the TSX better than the old one. plus if Im correct, didn't the older tsx have the interior layout that was in our 07 accord?

Heyhuub - 1/31/2008 2:51:43 AM

+1 Boost

The Acura TL is exacly the same as the euro Honda Legend.

Heyhuub - 1/30/2008 10:10:33 AM

+2 Boost

How would Audi be rockbottom because of quality and safety?
As far as i know the build quality of Audi is top notch and i never heard anything negative their safety. Every Audi currently on sale in europe has a 4 to 5 star safety rating.

M35MT - 1/30/2008 12:20:53 PM

+4 Boost

Because of that acclerator/brake pedal thing back in the 80's perhaps?

finishline - 1/30/2008 10:12:21 AM

+1 Boost

"Afterall, the main reason people go for a luxury car is to show everyone that they’ve got some green in their bank account."

False.

EnnNorak - 1/30/2008 10:22:47 AM

+1 Boost

Au contraire finishline, Audi is a great way to enjoy the good life in an understated way.

finishline - 1/30/2008 5:39:33 PM

+3 Boost

I just meant that the last thing I think about when buying a car is what other people will think. The hell? I've bought what many would consider "near luxury"...a TL and a G35....because I think they represent a SCREAMING VALUE. I bought both of them for around invoice and I don't think you can even reasonably compare the driving experience to a Honda or a Nissan. It's worth way more than a few thousand dollars over the lifetime of owning the vehicle.

Don't know much about Audi, but I did test drive an A3 once and I couldn't stop smiling.

EnnNorak - 1/30/2008 10:25:01 AM

+1 Boost

Are you saying that the best way to judge a car is too look under the hood? Nobody understands what's under the hood any more -- it's a jumbled mess of tech stuff that only the dealer can fix and even some dealers have a difficult time of it.

S4cabriofoxone - 1/30/2008 12:03:40 PM

+1 Boost

There is only one VW-developed engine in the Audi lineup: the Q7's 3.6L V6.

The rest were engineered by Audi and licensed by VW... And badged accordingly.

EnvyofyouRS5 - 1/30/2008 3:52:07 PM

0 Boost

Im all for BMW and their vision as a brand, but as far as contemporary industry stature BMW is behind Audi where it matters.

Hachee2001 - 1/30/2008 10:57:24 AM

+7 Boost

This website continues to have the highest ratio of stupid comments to intelligent, insightful ones.

Amazing.

S4cabriofoxone - 1/30/2008 12:05:39 PM

+6 Boost

Along the lines of...

Which brand do you prefer, Toyota or Toyota?

THESCOOTER - 1/30/2008 12:04:23 PM

+8 Boost

Not surprising that a 'study' conducted by Consumer Reports puts Honda and Toyota as the top tier brands. CR is the very magazine that has had the largest impact on elevating these brands over the past decade. Consumers believe that these reports are subjective and really believe in them as a starting point for their decision making process. What is NOT factored into this analysis are the intangibles that different brands bring to the table including passion, status, prestige and loyalty. No doubt that Toyota is a good brand, but a brand that is making more and more mistakes (showcased by a record number of recalls in 2007) and Honda is a brand that has taken precisely zero risks in their consumer vehicles for the last I don't know how long? Sure good brands, but shelling out the kind of cash that the readers on this site pay for vehicles - these brand perceptions simply are irrelevant. I am not surprised by the rating of Audi or Acura in this analysis - Audi has been a brand long condemned by CR and Acura is generally not interesting enough to garner significant attention. Remember Consumer Reports rarely (if ever) places Michelin as a Recommended Best Buy; it doesn't matter that they ARE THE BEST tires manufactured they are too expensive to be recommended.

The best way to evaluate these brands is to attach yourself to the one YOU believe fits best and go from there. Porsche 4 Life.

GermanNut - 1/30/2008 12:17:44 PM

-2 Boost

Audi perception may hit rock bottom but their sales are doing anything but.

Audi is poised to pass Mercdes-Benz as the second best selling premium auto-manufacturer in the world within 5 years.

Audi is addressing this issue with their Superbowl ad.

VISO - 1/30/2008 3:25:43 PM

-2 Boost

It is simple. To those respondents that dinged Audi on quality (though I think this was taken out of context by Autospies)and safety are just plain ignorant. Everyone knows Audi rules in build quality and safety, well just check out Audi ratings on that. Even CR has Audi as highly recommended. There seems something strange about this survey as Audi is quite well known among the affluent and educated. This survey sounds bunk!

M35MT - 1/30/2008 12:23:15 PM

+5 Boost

This really shows how stupid the 'consumer' is. They rank Honda second buy Acura down at the bottom. An Acura is a Honda with better styling, luxury and technology, still at a good price. Do I even have to mention how retarded this is?

pushrod27 - 1/30/2008 1:28:43 PM

+1 Boost

true, but Acuras are so closely related to Hondas that most consumers see no value in the (modest) price increase that comes with an Acura. They'd rather just buy the Honda and save a few bucks. It's still a good car, but not a good deal, in the consumers' perception.

M35MT - 1/31/2008 12:40:20 PM

+1 Boost

I see the value in the design (TL much nicer looking than any accord) and materials. Nicer materials are used inside the TL than the accord (although with a new accord out they're probably much closer now).

GermanNut - 1/30/2008 12:30:21 PM

-2 Boost

Audi is going to be releasing new models at a faster rate than you can think about them.

This year is the Audi R8 V10 and the Audi A5

2009 is the Audi Q3 and Audi A7 along with the TT-RS and Audi A1

So much for brand perception in terms of reflecting overall sales and number of new models being released.

Dustbuster - 1/30/2008 12:43:02 PM

+3 Boost

Anyone out there would get a Toyota/Honda over an Acura/Audi if you could pick one car for free? And I am taking money out of the equation since rockbottom brands must be so undesirable that people wouldn't drive ANY car in its lineups, but is it true in this case? Would the people who participated in this survey really prefer an Avalon over an A8, for example? True rockbottom car brands are the likes of Kia, Suzuki (cars), or Isuzu in my book!

Obliv - 1/30/2008 12:49:49 PM

-1 Boost

I dont see how Audi is on the list, simply put. Acura though, I can see.

chuck717 - 1/30/2008 12:52:56 PM

+4 Boost

Audi is the pretty women who has to explain why she sits home on Sat night most of the time. Acura had it all going when they had the Legend roaring and the auto world in their hands then they fell back into we are the no problem cars and the public will buy anything we develop in the future.
Honda became very comfortable with Acura and let it slip, Nissan almost did the same thing with Infinti but the divison recovered and brought good powerful cars and suv's to market and save themselves.
Audi is pegged the niche player and most buyers of BMW or MBZ visit a Audi dealer but just can't pull the trigger often enough, for about the same prices German car buyers want the blue-black badge or three star emblem greeting them in the garage?

VISO - 1/30/2008 3:28:44 PM

+1 Boost

Is that why Audi rules of over Europe then?

mikeydred20 - 1/30/2008 7:58:30 PM

+1 Boost

Great point yet Acura still sells about 25% more than Infiniti and don't give me the price point excuse because ever Acura is right there in price if not more.

ThierryHenry14 - 1/30/2008 1:13:04 PM

+3 Boost

I just wonder which segment of the population and what part of the country this survey was done in, because it sure is not representative of where I live. Far from it...

fuzion - 1/30/2008 2:05:54 PM

+2 Boost

I actually bought my TL because I liked the features, styling, and reliability.. not because I want people to think i'm rich. That's a completely retarded statement.

I could have bought an Accord, but the TL has better handling, looks, more power, MUCH better sound isolation.. I'm happy with Acura, but they do need to step it up a bit with interior qualities, and they are finally doing things they needed to do a while back - like move the frickin sunroof switch to where 99% of the other cars have it - by the sunroof.

But alas, autospies is still full of posts from tards who know not what they speak of. :(

gg

izfuney - 1/30/2008 2:30:13 PM

+3 Boost

This article is not about how good Acura or Audi is !!
Its about brand perception in the U.S. of A .

Acura in that regard does feel like a step child of Honda as you rarely see Ads or a cohesive branding strategy from Honda. (I do think Honda engineers wonderful cars nevertheless)
As for Audi, it suffers from the same as the above, as it focus's its branding strategy mostly on the 2 coasts. Personally i think the VW/Audi 2.0T is a great engine .. but brand perception of luxury generally is a v6 ( the 3.2VR unfortunately is not as nice an engine as the 2.0T) or a v8 which Audi only offers on its most expensive model iterations ( S4, RS4 etc.)

S4cabriofoxone - 1/30/2008 5:02:02 PM

+1 Boost

In fact, the V6 is not the VR6 that VW uses. The VR6 is used in the TT and A3, but in the A4 and A6 is Audi's in-house 3.2L FSI V6. That's why the A4 and A6 use real (Torsen) quattro AWD as opposed to the Haldex system in the A3/TT/R32/EOS etc.

And what are you talking about, with the V8s? It's like any manufacturer. You don't see a V8 in any BMW 3 Series besides the M3... Audi's V8 is available in the S4, RS4, A6, A8, R8 and Q7.

S4cabriofoxone - 1/30/2008 5:02:20 PM

+1 Boost

*And S5.

YZFracer23 - 1/30/2008 3:00:45 PM

+3 Boost

Consumer Reports is the biggest piece of a magazine. They know nothing about how to conduct surveys. They must only take these surveys in the land of no one because in my area there are more Audi's than BMW's or Mercedes. People here dream of owning Audi's. Acura's are common place and thought of as a great car that will not break, but still have a large value.

TauronB2G - 1/30/2008 4:16:20 PM

+1 Boost

I have owned both an Audi and an Acura. At the time I bought the a\Acura I saw it as a step up brand from the Honda that i'd been driving. I perceive them as a lost luxury brand kinda like Lincoln. The perceive the Audi's to be innovative and definitely luxurious while somewhat odd. But definitely a competitor to Mercedes, Lexus and BMW.
T

Lexus - 1/30/2008 6:21:57 PM

-1 Boost

Wow, to honest I was really Surprise that both the Audi and Acura rank that low?

Congratulation to Toyota and Honda for a job well done!

mikeydred20 - 1/30/2008 7:49:27 PM

+1 Boost

I can't figure out why there is so many repost. Do people read before they post news? Yet when I try it never makes it past screening. This site is so bias it's not funny.

GermanNut - 1/30/2008 10:30:21 PM

0 Boost

AmazinIdiot can't hide his affection for Audi. On the Audi A1 cabriolet thread he posted the following:

amazinBimmer - 1/27/2008 7:17:02 PM+1 Boost


i like this car.


AmazinIdiot, don't hide the fact that you like Audi deep down

GermanNut - 1/30/2008 10:32:02 PM

0 Boost

Larry can't hide his love for the Audi R8 either. Larry wrote the following:

Larry - 10/30/2006 3:40:02 PM+1 Boost
it a hot car no question, i am just saying you guys over rate this car without even driving it, it will not be on sale in the US until next fall. Also audi is a different company than they use to be, they are focused on being the best. But one step of Audi's I question building a A2 based on a VW Seat platform to compete with Mini. Audi needs to leave Mini A2 type cars alone, leave for it VW. Let the brand continue to build it's reputation to silent critics like myself.

reply to this comment

pchera01 - 1/31/2008 2:46:19 AM

+1 Boost

i am shocked no one complain about ES, RX and Infiniti (not really rebadge anymore, except QX)

autopro - 1/31/2008 1:34:29 PM

+1 Boost

People over 40 remember the 60 min. program and unintended acceleration that killed Audi sales in the Mid 80's.Alot of people were burned the the horrible resale value becaust of that,and the horrible quality problems at the same time.When things like this happen a company has to wait for a new generation of buyers who were too young or don't remember.Acura's problem is not enough money spent on develoment of real products that can compete on the level of Lexus,BMW and Mecerdes.

Neverfollow - 1/31/2008 7:46:43 PM

+1 Boost

In some cases, and I think this is true of Audi today, it may take two generations of buyers to change the brand's perception in the US. Many young buyers rely on opinions and support from parents when making their first automotive purchase. After the 60 minute debacle of 1986, not only did that generation of buyers turn away from the brand, they still encourage their kids to do the same thing today. Even in the world of internet savy buyers who are more informed today than ever, parent's opinions still play a powerful role in the car buying process, regardless of whether they are accurate or not. Most people haven't visited an Audi showroom in 20 yrs if ever. Unless someone has been around the brand in the past 5 yrs, they know nothing about it as it is today. The company has literally reinvented itself in the past 5 yrs in terms of product yet most people no little if anything about them. I've talked to people in the past week that thought they were made in France of all places. I'm sure they were thinking of Peugot but Geez. Being a small company in the US auto business is really difficult when it comes to getting the word out. Maybe the superbowl ad this weekend will change some of that perception. We'll just have to wait and see.

c36amg - 2/1/2008 7:32:57 AM

-1 Boost

acura makes cars...? really

steve27t - 2/2/2008 8:14:31 PM

+1 Boost

Read any decent cross section of the motoring press, including such magazines as CAR and Top Gear as well as the US mags, and you cannot escape the fact that Audi has top build quality and is the benchmark for interior quality and design. Audi is selling more cars every year worldwide and introducing more desirable cars at the same time, R8, A5/S5 etc. The R8 has had universal praise and elevates Audi into the supercar elite. Audi group twim VW has just come out top in a proper quality survery in Germany...

http://www.vwvortex.com/artman/publish/volkswagen_news/article_2208.shtml

Under these circumstances for any survey to rank Audi at the bottom of brand perception is a joke!

From 2000 to 2007 I owned 3 Audis and currently own 2 VW's. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but ther must be some very stupid people out there to come us with these results from Consumer Reports.

wpaulson - 4/8/2009 10:10:54 AM

+2 Boost

Audi unintended acceleration problems in the 1980's were ultimately shown to be caused by drivers accidentally hitting the accelerator instead of the brakes. There was speculation that the close placement of the brake and accelerator pedals was a factor, but careless drivers who were unable to admit or recognize a mistake was the underlying problem. The coverage of this on CBS' "60 Minutes" was a hatchet job.
VW/Audis are tops in safety, but suffer from a long history of reliability problems (see Consumer Reports reliability data). Also, VW/Audi has been very hard-nosed about following the letter of warranties, and has refused to extend warranties when significant problems have developed (e.g. engine sludge). Combine this with expensive parts & service, and poor dealer service & attitudes, and you have a brand that many of us stay away from. You have to decide whether the fun of driving these cars makes up for all the cost, hassle, and reliability issues. I am speaking as a former Audi & VW owner.