Word: germane
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Audi R8 is the German luxury automaker's first attempt at producing that most rarefied of motoring beasts, a super-sports car--a high-priced combination of verve and vroom. As I drive down the main drag of this English coastal town, the road narrows and I stop to let an oncoming car through. It turns out to be a vintage Mercedes SL sports car. As the R8 idles, its 420-h.p. V8 engine purrs with a low growl, and I can't resist revving it. As the Merc passes, its driver slows to a pause, nods at the sinuous...
...superb performance, agile handling and drop-dead looks to such an ultrabuffed level that it turns heads, inspires envy and justifies a stratospheric price. In this case $112,500. And clearly, the R8 seals the deal. Notes Jay Nagley, managing director of car consultancy Spyder Automotive: "Italian styling with German quality and engineering. What's not to like? It's a great brand builder...
While the R8 is the designated head turner, Audi's momentum is being led by its lesser beasts, such as the $32,700 A4 and the $42,950 A6. Like its German counterparts, Audi benefits from an accurate perception that its cars are expertly engineered and well made. But in recent years, Audi's been winning the style wars, turning out models, like the TT sports car, with eye-catching designs that are hugely influential and popular with buyers...
Designing a car to be priced higher than its German rivals was an exercise in brand positioning, says De Nysschen. "We think we found a sweet spot in the market." Bentley--which, like Audi, is part of the Volkswagen Group--successfully exploited a similar luxury-market niche when it positioned itself between supercostly Rolls-Royce and the sedans and coupes of BMW and Mercedes...
...East German lawyer with a marked ability for negotiation, Wolfgang Vogel became known during the Cold War as the point person for anyone who wanted to cross the Berlin Wall--in either direction. Over three decades he helped more than 200,000 people leave East Germany, including American pilot Gary Powers, whose release he infamously arranged in exchange for Soviet spy Rudolph Ivanovich Abel. Though Vogel considered himself a humanitarian, his reputation was tarnished after the Cold War ended and he was convicted of blackmail. Upon appeal, he was cleared--and his benevolent reputation restored...