Does A Prestige Badge Still Carry The Clout It Once Did?

You are not alone. It is called reality check and the size of your wallet/ego.

not as much as it once did, today the best machine wins not a name.

It has always been that way. If a company has consistent values then the brand and thus the "badge" represents those and gives us an expectation. When that expectation is held up for many years (for example: approx 100 years for BMW and MB). If quality, mission, and quality are inconsistent then the "badge" represents inconsistency and has no value.

The "badges" themselves are only worth $10-$100 at the parts counter. I beleive the real question is: What companies have a worthy brand promise and have consistently lived up to it?

Ahh some of the best machines are American made they just dont carry prestige like your foreign nameplates wake up my friend.

I agree America is putting out some great metal these days look at the latest Corvette, CTS-v, Fords Focus,Fusion and there new hybrid lineup along with how cool the Microsoft Sync is. You have it all right here in America who cares about a prestige when my CTS is faster than your German or Japaneses prestige!

thanks upwards

BMW, nuff said!!! <sarcasm>

The wife is.

there are some great cars over the past 20 years that were great without a badge and defined it's class segment. Some that come to mind

- 92 Camry
- the first gen Lexus LS400
- first gen Acura NSX
- 2000 (Mk4) VW Jetta - except for reliability
- Honda Odyssey
- Honda S2000
- Mazda Miata
- Hyundai Genesis

What did the Genesis define? I think the Sonata will define the vehicles it competes with in their future releases (accord, camry, altima, etc...)

Yes it does lol, why would people be so let down by VW diluting Porsche's image? Prestige still holds up, just like tarnished reputations still hold up, and any other emotions that are attached to these corporate logo's.

How many people here can say that the logo has no sway in their decision? I for one can't. On the prestige side of things, just as an example, how many people would rather buy a veyron over the ssc? The ssc is cheaper, has more features, is lighter, and more powerful then the standard Veyron. But it doesn't have the brand name, and probably uses some sort of cow leather that I've never heard of or cared about before.

The SSC is a crude car compared to the Veyron. If I were rich enough I'd gladly get a Veyron over the SSC (extra money and all). And the Buggati name doesn't really mean anything IMO. They only build one car under that badge.

Have you ever sat in an ssc or looked around it's engine bay? How are you concluding that it is a crude car? Thank you for proving my point about prestige, or illusions there of.

I'm talking about the interior. Compared to the Veyron's interior the SSC's interior looks crude.

So you have sat in one?

Do you have to sit inside of both the Ferrari 458 and the Ford GT to realize which one has the nicer interior?

You don't have to sit in both of them to realize which one is the crudest. There's a thing called "high resolution pictures" and video.

yes you do have to sit in them. I used to think the R8 had a nice interior until I actually sat in one. It's amazing what kinds of photoshopping these "prestigious" manufacturers do to make their interior pictures appealing. It's marketing, I'm not saying marketing is bad, I just believe that you actually have to see the thing in person to truly believe anything anymore. Another let down I had was with Spyker interiors, they too have a similar brushed aluminum and leather style that the veyron has and I thought they were high end... until I saw one at a car show and was appalled by how ugly/cheap it looked in real life.

I see your point Joe.

Badge doesn't mean anything. BMW, MB and Audi lower priced offerings are just as cheap (build quality wise) as the Nissans, Hondas and Toyotas that are priced within the same price range. One thing is for certain with the name brand's lower priced offerings is that you will end up with a slower car (sometimes much slower) with a less powerful engine. The name brands lower priced cars are rip-offs designed to separate fools from their money. They would have gotten more car if they weren’t stuck on a badge.

Don't be too quick to discount the "badge" - an entry level badge car may no longer be impressive, BUT, an S-series is still incredibly impressive/expensive and definitely carries with it a sense of success and achievement. Today, the badge alone is not enough to impressive, but it is the actual model that brings the clout and weight of the marque. Can you truly argue with the following models (these are brands that also have $35K entry level cars)?
1. MB's S, CL & SL series
2. BMW's M, 6 & 7 series
3. Lexus LS/SC

Sure they've diluted the brand with some of their entry level cars, but the top end models are still prestigious and serve their purpose. In other words, if I want to flaunt to the world that I've made it, it's a no-brainer that I go out and get myself a MB CL or S series to tool around in. That's how it was in 1982 and so it remains the same. The only difference is that a yuppy in 1982 could buy an entry level BMW and impress people whereas that same yuppy would have to fork out a little extra for a Boxster/Cayman/M3/RS/C63 to get the same reaction today.

Also, the lesser brands have upped their game and introduced quality cars that aren't tin cans like back in the 80's.

@quizz

I agree with everything that you've said.

Lexsucks says "One thing is for certain with the name brand's lower priced offerings is that you will end up with a slower car (sometimes much slower) with a less powerful engine."

Maybe you should take the BMW 1 series (either the 128i or 135i) for a spin - and then tell us these are slow car or are built "cheap".

@AgentOrange

You got me on that one. But I think BMW is the only one that offers any performance for their lower priced offerings. Out of all those makes BMW/MB/Audi, BMW is the only brand that offers super performance at those price ranges.

To get an Audi as fast as the 135 you'll have to move up to the S4 which costs about $20k more than the 135. To get an MB that offers that level of performance you'd have to get a C63 AMG which is about $30k more than the 135.

Why can’t MB offer an A-Class, or a S3 from Audi that offers BMW 135 level performance? I'm starting to think better about BMW. Most best-bang-for-the-buck out of all the premium brands. That title used to belong to Audi, but they've long since lost it.

LexSucks

BMW Sells 128i / 135i
Audi Sells A3 2.0 TFSi and S3
VW Sells Golf GTI and R

All vehicles listed above are Speed Limited to 155mph

You would be quite surprised with the speed and handling abilities of the Golf R and the S3 compared to the 135i

My point is that they all produce quite High Quality High Speed Automobiles.

"Why can’t MB offer an A-Class, or a S3 from Audi that offers BMW 135 level performance?"

Um, are you serious? I live in Germany and nobody buys an A-Class for performance. It's a FWD compact family / practical city car with no performance aspirations whatsoever. There's already an A200 Turbo out with 193-horsepower - and they're not selling. I've driven the B200 Turbo with CVT and it torque steers like crazy. These are FWD cars that weren't designed to be tuned for performance. Period.

@I95SPEEDINGTICKETS
I'm talking about acceleration. Who cares if a car can get to 155 mph if it takes forever to get there. I'm looking for that push-you-back-in-the-seat feeling. And besides, I doubt very seriously that a Audi A3 2.0 TFSi and a Golf GTI can hit 155MPH. I'll look it up later and report my findings. You also didn't mention any MB vehicle. So you must think I'm correct about one brand at least :)

@Wimmer
I just mentioned the "A" class. What I was trying to convey was that why doesn't MB have a car (any car) in the BMW 135's price range that actually performs. It doesn't have to be an "A" class.

Mercedes doesn't have a car that competes with the 135i probably because the typical Mercedes buyer won't be interested in one. I don't really know.

LexSucks

If all you are looking for is acceleration then why even bother looking at the german brands ?

the USA produces quite a few "Push you back into your seat" vehicles at a price that is cheaper than the Euros.

CTS-V, ZR-1, Z06, even the Escalade with the Big Engine accelerates with surprising alacrity for such a huge vehicle.

As a european, when we talk about quick cars, we mean quick in all weather conditions and all road types and surfaces.

It is a great time in the car market. Brands like Ford and Volkswagen have the same quality of engineering, style, and content that only the top end brands once did.

Yep, matters a great deal. I'd never be caught dead in any other the value-priced, budget-luxury brands that look like their mainstream siblings; no high dollar nissan/toyota/vw/honda wanna-be luxury cars for me.

Sales data say that the badge makes a huge difference.

Not at all. Now a days, the badge means nothing because of the simple fact every vehicle is everywhere on every block. anyone can drive a $100K car if they know how to budget right.

I think there is a lot of emphasis on badge, or brand. You are what you drive, so to speak. Some of the more premium cars project a real
douche-y image.

When I see one of these cars, I wonder if it's an ego thing going on, or is the owner "into" the technical features that may be unique to his ride. Kinda unfair, I know.

I actually own a Porsche. Well, nothing drives like it, except another Porsche. If I thought I could pull it off, I would probably put Kia badges on the thing because I hate the image it projects to many people.

I know a 5 series, or E class is better than a Sonata or Accord. but certainly not proportionate to the price difference. For 90% of their use, the less expensive car works as well.

For REAL auto enthusiasts who pay attention to every tiny detail of a vehicle. The high end auto manufacturers produce many vehicles that keep our attention.

But REAL enthusiasts also have to recognize when a lower end manufacturer produces something fantastic; such as the GT-R and LFA to name a couple.

Not as much but still yes. People buy Mercedes for example because they want the best in the world. These "yuppie" brands have expanded there lineups to get sales but there still is a prestige factor with the brand. There are though other brands with less prestige that have made very special cars such as the Honda S2000 and the Nissan Z and GTR. I think BMW with the 1 series X1/X3 and lackluster 6 series has lost prestige as when it was 1985. Id say same for Porsche with there ownership now under VW. But in the end most importantly its up to the consumer.

This is a very intriguing article. I read everyone of you guys' comments and for one reason or another I find myself understanding everyone on their opinion. That being said I would say that yes, badge stills plays an important roll in the perspective of a person. I mean this is why some will opt for a lower model BMW over a higher model Hyundai. Yeah, I'm going to say that it doesn't matter to me, but at the same time I do have a different perspective on it. This means I love execution and exclusivity over the badge; this can be persuade by my opinions on what I think is considered exclusive. I think the Acura TL is exclusive. So, there you go.

Barge definitely plays a huge role. Example, if you want a midsize japanese car thats exclusive, buy a Subaru Legacy or Outback rather than a Camry or Accord. Price is about comparable but the exclusivity of the Subaru is priceless. It may not be as popular but it is nice to use everyday with better interior materials, layout, features, etc.

009, you used to be a brand snob. Now you're just a snob.

As the prestige manufacturers in search of new sales take their mark to lower and lower price poits they will diminish the value of its mark. When a prestige buyer takes their $100,000 car in for service and stand next to a kid with pimples whose hat is on sideways and pants to the floor they will think differently about their purchase. IT IS THE REASON WHY THE ULTRA EXPENSIVE CARS ARE SELLING..the rich want to stand with their own. IT is human nature.

+100

I swear the other day i asked the guy at a Hermes Store why a simple woolen Jumper (Not Cashmere) is priced at over £1,600 GBP {$2,500USD}

His Reply

Drug Dealers can afford Louis Vuitton these days and are always seen in Dior stores and Gucci stores.
Do you see any Hoodlums here ?

The Have-a-bloody-lots wish to distance themselves from the merely Have-a-littles.

Ok, let's understand something, status sells. In cars, in clothing, in neighborhoods. That is a given. The question is whether or not the status is still as important as it once was. To that I say that status and quality are largely intertwined. Those old enough to remember understand that Cadillac was once "the" car before Americans drove foreign cars. Then in the '70's the Caddy became a pathetic and overpriced version of a Chevy , e.g., Cimmaron. Buyers revolted and, poof, Cadillac lost its place as a prestigious car (until it regained some punch because of the incomprehensible allure of the Escalade). The point is, once Audi, MB and BMW start making crappy cars their badges wont mean sh*t. For now, they are the best and their status is commensurate with that. By the way fellas, stop with the "my American car can go faster than a German car so its better." It only makes you sound like the high school kid we all were once.

no, certainly not.

having a luxury car 20 years ago implied wealth. but today, americans are so up to their eyeballs in debt that driving a $50,000 car looking well-off has no correlation to actual means.