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Concept of the Porsche Boxster presented in 1993 in
the Detroit Auto Show
pedestal in a country that prizes technology and
craftsmanship.”
6. Make cars people want. Fortune sums it up
from The Economist: “It’s quite simple, really –
Germany makes things which people in countries
with growing economies want to buy.”
7. Be confident. Or arrogant. Or both. Either way,
believe in your company and its products. Have a
purpose and a mission that set you apart or above,
the rest of the pack. Mercedes’ ads claim “The Best
Or Nothing.” BMW says they build the “Ultimate
Driving Machine.”
8. Be aspirational but affordable (just). The
price point, and being strategic in pricing and
marketing, is very nearly the object – overlapping
with the above point, Fortune says “Sometimes,
how much you pay for something – as opposed to
its function – is the point of the exercise.”
9. Be exclusive and super-exclusive. Anyone with
$50,000 (Dh 183,500) can buy a 5 Series, but it
takes an even larger bank account to afford an M5.
Arguably the world’s most exclusive car brand is
Bugatti. And it’s German.
20 | GERMANY SUPPLEMENT
10. Be number one. And therefore put everyone
else in second place. The tenth reason given for
German car dominance arguably only repeats
number seven. Fortune says Audi, BMW, Mercedes
and Porsche are generally thought of as top
marques because, well, they say they are.
There are even more reasons to consider why
Germany is doing it better than other car makers.
World war two led to rapid industrialisation of its
manufacturing base, including the automotive
industry. German car makers are excellent at
making premium cars for everyone.
Anyone, from customers after affordable to hyperexclusive
cars, and from 4x4, to sedan to supercars,
can own a German car. And the marketing and
advertising created by German carmakers and
their ad agencies is, frankly, brilliant.
The recent global economic downturn has seen a
number of carmakers downsize. But the financial
turbulence has only underlined the durability and
resilience of German car makers.
How, many people have asked, can it be that
Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi and VW pay their
workers more than twice the salary that US carmaking
employees receive and produce so many
more and better quality cars?
Until all those non-German car makers who are
clamouring to be number one discover that
answer, they will remain number two and three.
What’s clear is that German car makers covet the
top spot and are going nowhere fast.
There aren’t 10 elements to being a world-beating
car maker, there’s just one: be German.