Audi A1, it will make you mad at the low rent interior MINI delivers with the CM.

I was at the local VW/Audi dealer yesterday collecting my wifes new Touran, while she was going through how everythihng works I was looking at the A1, the interior is beautiful, everything you can touch and see is of considerably higher quality then the CM, I knew I shouldn't have looked inside, when I jumped in the CM this morning I was a touch jealous. I love my MINI, but I'll have to keep well away from the Audi dealer when the 5 door A1 arrives early next year.

 

Alas, it's said that the A1 is not destined for American shores until another generation arrives -- in six damn years... And Audi well never market an underpowered $20k subcompact here... Instead, they'll keep their premium cachet and tack on a profit-generating $5k worth of supersized powertrain and base model accouterments and still have over $10k worth of options to choose from.

That said, it DOES look quite nice...

[Car & Driver] 2011 Audi A1 - First Drive Review



But like MotorAuthority says... It's curious that Audi USA has an A1 microsite complete with customizer... Hmmm!

 

What's an A1? High quality small cars are hard to come by in the US.

 

Audi has very nice interiors. I looked at an A3 a while back and was impressed. However, if you look close you'll see a lot of VW under the facade. I got the impression I was sitting in a high rent Jetta. MINI, on the other hand, goes the other way and markets to a different crowd. It's supposed to be fun and hip and youified. The difference is, behind its facade you have BMW. Here, VW has about the same quality image as Studebaker. BMW is a little better. For, I'll guess, about the same money you can pick either flashy trash or trashy flash.

 

You left out the "h" in "site", right after the "s".

Dealers don't like people pooping in their unsold cars, especially those in the showroom

 

You might say that for an A3 but it would be pretty difficult finding any visible parts that are shared between an A1 and a Polo, or a Golf and a TT, or a Tigan and a Q3, VAG are the masters at platform sharing. The cabin in my wifes new Touran is also far higher quality than my CM, MINI really needs a kick up the backside for selling a premium priced vehicle with a budget priced interior.

I had read that the 5 door A1 will be launched in the US next year, that car and the CM are in the same market.

 

MINI will never be able to truly sell at Budget prices, including their One series. With MINI being a low volume niche car sharing very little with BMW right now, their parts, even for junk (not saying their parts are junk) will always be at a premium. Audi and VW shares a ton, at least in US Spec vehicles. Have the world's best selling auto full of parts that trickle even to Porsche and some say Lambo.... You will be able to have nicer looking parts at cheaper prices.

With that said, I didn't buy my MINI or my future MINI's based on luxury....I base it on style which matches me. Heck my biggest complaint about 2nd Gen mINIs is that the interior has become a bit more refined and "bland" compared to Gen 1's.

Michael