Not that anyone really cares about the comfort of the press, but for the record, the big international auto shows such as this one in Geneva are held in exhibition halls that soon become saunas on media day.
This city's massive Palexpo exhibition centre was, as usual, hot-air central during the two media days ending today. And that was before even a single car company executive had stepped forward to speak.
The seven or eight halls – after six I stop counting -- are smelly, sweaty, nasty places. The idea surely is to make everyone as uncomfortable as possible. It works. At the end of the day, I simply throw away my socks, underwear and shirt. No amount of detergent and water can possibly wring out the stink of a day inside one of these halls.
We all endure because this is where the stories are. One of the more amusing ones this year had to do with Justin Timberlake, the singer and performer most famous for his role in the Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” that showed us a little extra of Janet Jackson and ultimately ended in a $500,000 (US) fine for the broadcaster. The fine is being appealed, by the way.
Singer Justin Timberlake presents the new Audi A1 at the Geneva Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, March 2, 2010. — Martin Meissner/AP Photo
Audi recruited Timberlake to promote the new A1 small car that aims to take on the Mini Cooper in Europe. We won't get the A1 in Canada, but surely it would be successful in the Great White North.
Many of the middle-aged male journos – especially the ones without daughters -- had never heard of Timberlake, but he nicely represents the affluent, 20-something age demographic Audi is targeting with the A1. For the record, no one around Justin lost a shred of clothing during his performance.
Audi, Volkswagen's premium brand, was intent on showing its rivals how a car company can earn high returns in the fast-growing lower end of the premium segment. This is possible in Europe, where buyers are accustomed to paying relatively higher prices for slick small cars. But in Canada, small equals cheap and that's why Audi Canada won't bother with the A1. The company simply cannot price it profitably.
Audi will sell the A8, however. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler, no shrinking violet himself, has said the new A8 is “extraordinary.” It will have to be if Audi is to find any success competing against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series saloons. Both are stalwarts of the luxury segment.
The A8 won't sell in big numbers in Canada, but it's an image-driver in Audi's aggressive fight for superiority in the pricey car world.
“We will turn Audi into the most successful premium car maker in the world,” is Stadler's oft-repeated mantra. He wants Audi selling 1.5 million cars a year by 2015, and if successful, he'll head up the No. 1 luxury car maker in the world by sales. That will put BMW and Mercedes-Benz in Audi's rearview mirror, where Stadler believes both belong.
More than one auto analysts thinks Audi is capable of overtaking BMW and Mercedes in the medium term. Audi's advantage: it can take advantage of VW's purchasing power, as well as its platforms and its huge research and development resources.
The battle will ultimately be won or lost not here in Europe or North America, however. The emerging markets, specifically China, are where Audi, BMW and Mercedes are in the fiercest battle for buyers. Of the three, Mercedes has the strongest brand in Asia and BMW has been aggressively pushing ahead with expanding the company's manufacturing capacity in China.
Nonetheless, Audi has a strong and growing presence in China thanks in large part to VW's aggressive expansion there. So Audi and VW have a serious plan for Asia.
If only one of them could get the Palexpo people to turn on the air conditioning.
