digg

Join DiggAbout

Introducing Digg Dialogg!
Check out the first Digg Dialogg with Nancy Pelosi. More guests to be announced soon!

Ads.War: BMW started it, Audi answered...Bentley chairman had final say !!!

americatopten.blogspot.com — Facts you need to know before viewing the ads: 1. BMW started it. 2. Audi answered. 3. Subaru needed to say something. 4. Bentley Chairman had the last word!

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • Berkana, on 10/12/2007, -8/+51If I remember correctly from Wikipedia, Volkswagen 0wns Bently. (I mean that literally, as in owning controlling shares in the company.)

    Any suggested responses?
    • Chebyshev, on 10/18/2007, -4/+87VW also owns Audi if I'm not mistaken.
    • gbarger, on 10/12/2007, -26/+20VW does own Audi, and Audi owns Lamborghini.
    • sv650touring, on 10/12/2007, -41/+5Wait, then who pwns n00bs?

      And what was it that Prassi ONES again?
    • freakygeeky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+69Volkswagen AG owns seven brands which are organized into two groups. The Audi branch consists of Audi, Lamboghini, and Seat. The Volkswagen branch consists of Volkswagen, Bentley, Skoda, and Bugatti. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Group

    • aegis9975, on 10/12/2007, -17/+9The ad is fake; being that if the reader doesn't know the context of the advertisement it can easily be misinterpreted as Bentley giving the reader the finger. Also, they would not want to give the finger to Audi which is part of VAG. Also, the picture originated from Flickr and is actually several months old.
    • SickFinga, on 10/18/2007, -2/+72That's not nearly all of them, here are more
      http://rankyspanky.com/2006/11/13/car-manufacturers-ad-wars-9-posters/
    • drunkenoaf, on 10/12/2007, -19/+5Yup, that's why it's called VAG-- the Volkswagen-Audi Group. Which Porsche is currently increasing its 20%ish stake in...
    • jon3k, on 10/12/2007, -11/+2whoops.
    • lazyrussian, on 10/12/2007, -8/+11And for good measure, VW also owns Bugatti, which created the fastest street legal car in the world (1000 Horsepower), the Bugatti Veyron.

      http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4997267460336395782&q=bugatti+veyron
    • KevinWhite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+32@drunkenoaf

      Uhhh, no, VAG does not stand for Volkswagen Audi Group, the AG stands for Aktiengesellschaft, a German company type used as a suffix on company names, the German word meaning "corporation limited by shares" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktiengesellschaft ). This is the same as a corporation in the states.
    • Pile, on 10/12/2007, -15/+2Wow. People think television commercials are news. That's sad.
    • jlylereeves, on 10/12/2007, -3/+16"That's not nearly all of them, here are more
      http://rankyspanky.com/2006/11/13/car-manufacturers-ad-wars-9-posters/"

      The BMW vs Jaguar is the best one of all!
    • fishbert, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3@lazyrussian
      "... which created the fastest street legal car in the world (1000 Horsepower), the Bugatti Veyron."
      -------
      should read: "... which created the former fastest street legal car in the world ..."
      Meet the Koenigsegg CCX

      http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=2385067&page=1
    • h2d2, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5^ Err. Wrong.

      The Koenigsegg CCX sports only 806 horses compared to the 1000 for the Bugati. So it may be the fastest street-legal car in the US, but definitely not the world.
    • mrFREEZE, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Wow. Fake hype artificially created by luxury car manufacturers. As long as no one starts releasing "diss" albums, we're alright. Just ignore them.
    • PDave, on 10/12/2007, -1/+17It saddens me that it was actually necessary to clarify the correct technical definition of 'own' here.
    • fishbert, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15@h2d2
      "The Koenigsegg CCX sports only 806 horses compared to the 1000 for the Bugati. So it may be the fastest street-legal car in the US, but definitely not the world."
      -------
      hp != mph/kph

      Koenigsegg: 1175 kg
      Veyron: 1600 kg

      takes less hp to move 1175 kg at a faster speed than 1600 kg.
    • fishbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4actually, correct those numbers...
      wikipedia lists the Veyron 16.4 at nearly 300 kg heavier than I mentioned above.
    • kozie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21. Different divisions of the same parent company are encouraged to compete with each other.

      2. The CCX hasn't been driven at over 250 mph. (It can probably beat the Veyron)
    • AceTracer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Here's the thing though, if you try to drive a Koenegeeogsig CCX as fast as you can drive a Veyron, chances are you'll get dead in a hurry. Part of the reason the Veyron took so long to design and build was because it's not just a 1000 bhp monster of a supercar, but a civilized luxury car as well. No flames farting out of it or a tail that needs a massive spoiler just to keep it from flying off the ground. I doubt its gearbox will last you till the end of the year.
    • KniteWulf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@ace

      The CCX doesn't "fart out" flames of the exhaust system. And you wouldn't be "dead in a hurry" either, because the CCX is more of a performance car than the Veyron, meaning, it would have more capabilities to pull it out of a bad situation than that boat Bugatti calls a car. Plus, the CCX is wayyy cheaper.
    • AdamalNZ, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Knitewulf:

      Watch:
      http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5690527907781299378&q=top+gear+koenigsegg

      VW/Bugatti poured huge amounts of money and time into developing the Veyron. When performing wind tunnel testing, they found the wing mirrors produced too much drag at 350kph, so put smaller ones on. The result was that the car started to lift in the front. The bigger ones were producing downforce.

      To say that the Veyron isn't about performance is laughable. The above video goes to show that Bugatti obviously put more thought into their supercar than Koenigsegg did. They made a wing for it, which helped with the handling, but lowered the top speed.

      I'm not saying the CCX is a bad car. I'd LOVE to have one. But to call it more of an accomplishment than the Veyron, Thats a tall claim. There are many in the automotive industry that would disagree.

      I'm sorry to seem if I'm flaming you, but your statements do seem somewhat unfounded to me.

      You're right about one thing though, it is WAY cheaper :)
  • CrappedCrusader, on 10/18/2007, -22/+193At least Subaru knows they make ugly cars
    • ButtholeSurfer, on 10/12/2007, -48/+35I'm very sorry, but the WRX Sti is freaking beautiful.
    • clackerd, on 10/12/2007, -8/+12the legacy spec.b looks pretty nice... but i think you just wanted to make a point.
      http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/04/spec-b-almost-dead-on-resized.JPG
    • Slovenian6474, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19I kinda like the last gen models. The front of the 07s aren't that great.
    • Ninjab3ar, on 10/12/2007, -48/+2Can you guys please stop talking about cars you will never touch....
    • mongrel, on 10/18/2007, -1/+74Yes, because Imprezas are downright unattainable - you'd need to pull, like, $35k a year to afford one of those.
    • noreturn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+28Never going to touch? It's not like a WRX STi is prohibitively expensive or anything..
    • sv650touring, on 10/12/2007, -0/+28The words "ugly" and "beautiful" are too strong to describe most Subarus. Some are kinda ugly, but in an ugly-cute way. Maybe the spec sheet of the WRX STi is beautiful, but not the car itself.

      Try this: Subarus are normal looking cars, just like they try to be and most of their customers want them to be.
    • Kericr, on 10/12/2007, -1/+23@noreturn - $35k is apparently prohibitively expensive for kids in high school.
    • umdigger, on 10/12/2007, -8/+10I have an Audi, and compared to my buddys BMW I think it is quite a bit nicer inside. Plus BMW can't touch their quattro system. Loved the ads, was good for a morning laugh.
    • CraigJ, on 10/12/2007, -3/+13@Kericr - depends on where you go to high school...
    • Lord_oftheTrons, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"The words "ugly" and "beautiful" are too strong to describe most Subarus. Some are kinda ugly, but in an ugly-cute way. Maybe the spec sheet of the WRX STi is beautiful, but not the car itself.

      Try this: Subarus are normal looking cars, just like they try to be and most of their customers want them to be."

      So you are trying to tell me that this:

      http://www.edmunds.com/media/seo/500/2006.subaru.b9.tribeca.jpg

      Isn't ugly???
    • bakkouz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Actually, The fastest street legal car is the Red Victor One, sporting a 9.3 litre V8 Engine and 2200 BHP it goes from 0-60 MPH in just One second.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtxfbxGz1u4
    • Nobi-Wan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@ CraigJ

      No it doesn't. It just depends on how wealthy your parents are and whether they are willing to buy one for your spoiled ass.

      I went to a private high school and I took better care of my '89 Toyota 4x4 taht I bought myself than some kids did with their M3's that mommy and daddy bought them.
    • kolywater, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2with regards to the suburu ad, the blog linked far above (rankyspanky) wrote:

      "It looks like a photoshoped Subaru’s poster and the ironic fact that BMW actually won 2006 International Engine Of The Year (http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/winners/winner.html). Nice try nonetheless."
    • KniteWulf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@bakkouz

      It's not the fastest production car in the world. There's only one of them. I'd rather have the opportunity to purchase a vehicle that is already fast, already street-legal, and somewhat available. How much you want to bet you'd never get the owner of the Red Victor to sell it to you?
  • kevyn, on 10/12/2007, -4/+25very nice. but is that bently one real? Personally if i was bently, i wouldnt want that kind of advert going out
    • allenb, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2Bentleys are Rollers for rebels, so I can imagine them doing something like that.

      But I don't know if it's real or not.
    • goat2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18im sure its not gonna stop any of their potential customers from buying their cars
    • Ninjab3ar, on 10/18/2007, -24/+134If only the Mac vs. PC ads were like the Bentley ad

      Mac: Hi, I'm a Mac.
      PC: And I'm a PC
      Mac: ***** You, PC.
    • mankyd, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1His head looks too small for the rest of the body, but maybe that's just me.
    • rotarychainsaw, on 10/18/2007, -0/+28Bentley can do whatever it wants. I'm sure Bentley owners look down and laugh at BMW and Audi owners anyway.
    • Nobi-Wan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12They look down on BMW and Audi because the cars in the ads are the ones they give their kids on their 16th birthdays.
    • GopherGod, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I am pretty sure the bently one is real, but I have no proof.

      I think I have just seen it before. It also might not really be an answer to the other three ads, but hey... it works!
    • Scarblac, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Well, if it's real, wow. Talk about having a powerful brand :-)
    • hayden.evans, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Seriously do you think they're advertising to? soccer moms? if i had a Bentley I'd be giving everyone the finger too.
    • gannondork, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I'd give them the shocker if I had a Bentley.
  • LotusWolf, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7thats awesome
  • CapnObvious, on 10/18/2007, -0/+78if that is a real advert from Bently, that's awesome. it definitly is represenative of their target market.
  • alexkim804, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5funny as hell, but where are these ads from? i've never seen them... also i'm wondering if the bentley ad (if real) was really a response to the others, since VW does own them.
    • muntz, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7the other ads are definitely real...the Bentley one is still up in the air
    • Rchapman8, on 10/12/2007, -8/+1Europe
    • betterth, on 10/12/2007, -2/+21@Muntz I don't think all of them are real:

      The BMW one is the only one I can believe fully is real. The Audi one looks unprofessional and like a copy of the BMW one.

      Just about any advert in a car magazine will have the tiny text at the bottom, talking about the car and providing sources / legal loopholes for any claims made. The BMW advert is the only one that shows that.

      And the Subaru one is definitely fake: Subaru didn't win best engine of the year 2006, BMW did. http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/winners/winner.html

      As for the Bentley one, who knows, but most likely fake.


      As a side note: I have no idea why BMW's V10 M3 engine is impressive. At 500hp, it does 0-62 in 4.7 seconds. Subaru should have won, as it's 4 cylinder turbo charged engine will do 0-60 in 4.7, and probably 0-62 in a small fraction more. At six less cylinders.

    • jon3k, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11@betterth

      Yes, but will it seat 4 with the same comfort, quietness and amenities as a BMW M5? I've ridden in both. One is a souped up grocery getter and one is a luxury sedan, that just happens to do 0-60 in 4.7 seconds. Not to mention how badly it would destroy a WRX STi from highway speeds. Not everyone buys a car to race from red light to red light.
    • HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Audi didn't win 6 consecutive Le Mans races either. An Bentley won in in 2003. It was actually a rebadged Audi motor (VAG owns both Audi and Bentley), but still, it wasn't an Audi.
    • junkpunch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@betterth: "As a side note: I have no idea why BMW's V10 M3 engine is impressive. At 500hp, it does 0-62 in 4.7 seconds. Subaru should have won, as it's 4 cylinder turbo charged engine will do 0-60 in 4.7, and probably 0-62 in a small fraction more. At six less cylinders."

      The M5 weighs 4010 pounds. An STI weighs 3300 pounds. That's 800 pounds difference. Also, an STI is geared for sprints, and M5 isn't. There's a lot more to 0-60 times than just the engine output.
    • deim, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Subaru engine award is NOT a fake! Subaru got 2005 award for best engine in 2-2.5 litre category:
      http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/winners/2_25.html
    • betterth, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8"Subaru engine award is NOT a fake! Subaru got 2005 award for best engine in 2-2.5 litre category:
      http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/winners/2_25.html"

      The ad clearly claims it won the international engine of the year, 2006, which, as the link I provided shows, was won by BMW.

      The link you provided shows that Subaru won the International Engine (2.0L - 2.5L) of the Year, 2006. BMW didn't win the ">2.5L" category, the won best engine bar-none, which the Subaru ad claims. And another point. If the Subaru ad was real, there would be small print defending this exact point. "The Subaru blah engine won blah's blah award for the division of blah, etc etc"

      As for the luxury and amenities of a BMW. I've been in a WRX many a time and the STI a couple of times. If the M3 is what, $50,000 over the cost of the STI, I certainly hope for a little bit more than "Amenties". And the STI is a damn nice ride, and very comfortable. And it does seat four just fine.

      Oh, and not every race is stop light to stop light? Very true. But if you're not looking to get yourself pulled over for doing sixty over on the interstate, and try to keep your speed around 25 over tops (any more and they cut your license on the spot here in Georgia), than the fact that the M3 "destroys the STI at 80mph and up" is hardly useful in any real world condition. I think I go 0-60 much more often than I go 80-130.

      And we're still brought back to the fact the M3 costs 50 grand more ._.;;
    • mleh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@betterth

      BMW is almost constantly pushing the envelope for performance, safety, gas consumption, emissions, etc. For instance, my previous car was a 2004 Subaru WRX sedan with ~225 hp, ~220lb/ft of torque generated from its turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. It was a LEV vehicle and got an EPA estimate of 25 mpg (22 realistically) on the highway, which is where I do nearly all of my driving. My current vehicle is a 2003 BMW 330i sedan with an inline-6. ~225hp, ~215lb/ft of torque -- nearly the same specs, but the BMW gets 30mpg highway (28 realistically) and is ULEV even though it has two extra cylinders.

      Also, with 0-60 times the vehicle's weight is very much a contributing factor. Call me crazy but I'm betting that the BMW V10 weighs a whole hell of a lot more than Subaru's 2.5L-4, and that the STi weighs significantly less than the M5 (no head protection airbags, for instance, on the Subaru); I know my WRX weighed a good amount less than my 330i.
    • deim, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2>The ad clearly claims it won the international engine of the year, 2006, which, as the link I provided shows,
      > was won by BMW.
      > The link you provided shows that Subaru won the International Engine (2.0L - 2.5L) of the Year, 2006. BMW
      > didn't win the ">2.5L" category, the won best engine bar-none, which the Subaru ad claims. And another point.

      You see, the point is - that there is no overall "international engine of the year" award. Awards site clearly states, that there are 11 awards categories, and none overall: http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/categories04.html

      Subaru won 2.0-2.5 best engine award, and BMW got awards in another category. Actually BMW got 3 awards:
      BMW 5-litre V10, BMW 3-litre Diesel, BMW 3.2-litre.

      But again - there is no overall best engine award - they all compete only in respective categories.

      I have to agree, that even though subaru ad is correct, but not exactly accurate regarding awards.
    • kolbyjack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9@betterth

      You keep saying M3, yet you quote prices and stats from the M5. They are not the same car.
    • deim, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1> no head protection airbags, for instance, on the Subaru

      Hey, what kind of old subaru were you checking?! Check this out:
      http://autos.yahoo.com/subaru_impreza_wrx_sti-safety/
      "Front Side Airbag with Head Protection - Standard"

      The same head protection is presented on normal WRX (non-STI), and even on regular Impreza.

      Subaru is evolving - same with every other manufacturer...
    • jverber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@deim
      Just a second. You claim the "Awards site clearly states, that there are 11 awards categories, and none overall," but the page you linked to states
      "The International Engine of the Year Awards feature 11 Awards categories plus the coveted prize of International Engine of the Year."

      You probably just misread it...
    • deim, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@jverber

      Damn it, I missed it! :-( You are right - there IS an overall winner, and M5/6 is the one :-)
  • mcwiggin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yah... Does anyone know if its actually real?
    • Istari6, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9I can vouch for the BMW, Audi and Subaru ones as I've seen them in magazines here in South Africa. The Ad's appeared after Audi won SA car of the year and they put out a few ads to that effect. (The BMW one was done after Audi won SA car of the year). The ads aren't that recent though. I think it would have been 2005.

      BMW have a bit of a history of doing this type of thing and I recall them having a dig at Mercedes a couple of years back. I've not seen the Bentley one and seriously doubt it's for real.
    • Anisty, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1They're all real, they've been doing the round in the creative industry for a month or so now.
    • RatherDashing, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I don't think the ads are from 2005 if the car won "Car of the Year 2006"
    • LFAB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9No, it's not real. Bentley owners would have their driver give you the finger.
  • gen2ux, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3awesome. I want to find a magazine with all these ads right in a row. That would be a keeper.
    • muntz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4they never ran at once or in one publication
  • Zoshchenko, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Sometimes the best way to settle an argument is with a blowtorch!
  • NoMullet, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0That's freakin hillarious
  • ZoomBoy, on 10/12/2007, -5/+18None of these ads are real. It was part of a big discussion over on the VW Vortex message boards, I don't think vehicle manufacturers this large would pull a stunt like that.
  • Infinitas, on 10/12/2007, -15/+7Subaru? Ha, Mitsubishi should make an ad congratulating Subaru on their engine of the year from the car that has consistently beaten the Subaru in every performance test since the beginning of time.
    • sv650touring, on 10/12/2007, -4/+15That way Evo owners will have something to chuckle about while they are waiting for the tow truck to arrive.

      As someone that has had plenty of experience with both, compared to Subarus, Mistubishi cars are disposable junk.

      (please note: I drive a Chevrolet...)
    • cawpin, on 10/12/2007, -14/+4What the hell are you smoking? Do some reading and a little real world research before speaking. You have much less chance of making yourself sound like a complete ass.

      And, just so you know, Audis also have Subaru to thank for their all-wheel-drive system.

      Edit: sv650touring, thank you. I also drive a Chevy.
    • junkpunch, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7@cawpin: What? Please explain how Audi has Subaru to thank for their AWD system.
    • CoachZed, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7@ cawpin

      I'd love to hear how Audi (which introduced quattro in 1980) should be thankful to Subaru (which introduced its AWD in 1987).
    • ZoomBoy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@ cawpin: Are you nuts? Audi has to thank Subaru for their AWD systems? Hilarious.

      "In the 1970s, two vehicle manufacturers Audi and Subaru designed their own all wheel drive systems in passenger vehicles. In the 1980s, all-wheel drive systems in cars became a fad, and other German manufacturers like Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-Benz offered all-wheel drive systems in their cars to compete in the marketplace, along with GM, Ford, Toyota and others...

      Today, after over 25 years of class-leading technology and engineering, the name quattro is an identifiable symbol and trademark that shows would-be competitors the level of quality they have to achieve in order to attempt to compete with Audi."

      In fact, they aren't even the same by design. Subaru primarily uses a center diff with lock or clutch pack and locking or limited slip rear, where as Audi/VW uses a Torsen center diff or for VW a Haldex based system that is only part-time AWD that is primarily FWD except when it senses slippage it will enable the rear wheels.
    • deim, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Right, Mitsu beats Subaru in TESTS, and Subaru constantly beats Mitsu in REAL competitions (WRC). Well, most of other cars beats Mitsu there :-)
    • dreserd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@cawpin

      "Do some reading and a little real world research before speaking. You have much less chance of making yourself sound like a complete ass."
      Exactly.

      Subaru uses a viscous coupling system. Audi uses a Torsen system. And what everyone else said.

      And if you did a little research you also wouldn't be driving a Chevy.

  • purplegrog, on 10/12/2007, -2/+18I don't think that's the Bentley chairman.

    http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/112_0507_franz_josef/photo_01.html

    I don't think the last one is real. there's literally no context to it, unless you know the back story. If those ads were all next to each other, it makes sense, but if you're going to put up an ad, you'll want to know why the pissy old man with the Bentley logo is giving you the bird.
    • muntz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14hate to agree. that ad by itself wouldn't work without the other ads
    • scb0825, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5Too bad Mr. Chairman's grill isn't as pretty as his cars. You'd think he'd get those buttery teeth fixed!
    • catullus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11no, consider the ad out of context, it still makes perfect sense. bentley pretty much saying "***** you" to everyone else out there
    • igraham09, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3that bentley chairman definitely has the pedosmile
    • widman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Bentley is giving it's finger to Audi's 6 in a row Ad. They won the 2003 Le Mans.
  • sTiZZiT, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0hell yeah!!
  • optikalblitz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3gotta be the best advert conflict i've seen yet. audi wins, though.
  • macacid, on 10/12/2007, -10/+3http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/winners/winner.html It was BMW who won the best international engine of the year, not Subaru. IBTL o wait , wrong site.
  • afterpartyboy, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3Leave it to people on digg to be like "durrr... vw owns bentley" and go into the details of car manufacture and advertising and who is in the ad. Who cares?!

    It's an advertisement, it's funny. LAUGH. I know I did.
  • rjani57, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3now now guys (sorry gals, assume a Digg on cars, especially big boys toys like these, does not turn you on). Highly unlikely that the Bentley ad is intended to be part of the story.

    But that's not the point of what we it is doing here on Digg.

    Some blogger has decided to put the first 3 ads (which do tell a story) and 'mashup' the Bentley to finish his story. Absolute genius. Platinum for me. DIGG it up!
  • kjhatch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Original images likely come uncredited from Autoblog back in August:
    http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/08/ad-fight-audi-bmw-and-subaru-take-each-other-on/

    The Bentley is most likely a fake.
    • Kericr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You're saying that in 4 months time, Bentley couldn't come up with a response?
    • kjhatch, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2No, I'm saying the Digg link goes to a site that took those ads a while back and made a joke one in the meantime. The only people who would get the joke as presented are those easily able to compare ads (i.e. only the other automakers+advertisers if it were real). Bentley has both the class and smarts to not waste their money on a joke that would never be understood by the public, and notice how the real ads have text that enable them to be understood alone. The Bentley image simply screams "I'm a stock photo," and I'm really surprised someone hasn't posted a link to a stock archive with the original for it already.

      It's just a joke, and the original poster should have made that clear in the first place.
    • Kericr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1That's a good point. Then again, think about it like this. Assume all of these ads ran in the same magazine. Since the primary market for a magazine is their subscriber base, it wouldn't be too far fetched to assume that if these ads all ran month after month, that the reader would at least make a connection reading each magazine and catching each ad (with the possible exception of the Bentley ad, which is a bit ambiguous).
  • joerod, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4I want a Bentley soooo bad
    • cawpin, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2You better want schitt to go wrong SSOOOO BAAADDDD too. They break a lot and they never break the same.
    • fishbert, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3what's "schitt"?
  • HeyArnold, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3LOL! i totally didnt see that coming!
    oh and for the record, imprezas only look good covered in mud.
  • BigKoala, on 10/12/2007, -7/+0This is OOOOOOOOOOOLD.
  • acirrone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I think Subaru needs to do some research....LeMans races are some of the toughest abuse you could put on a vehicle or its motor....LeMans is nowhere near "just a beauty contest"

    Ha -Audi wins in my opinion...they have some street cred-

    Great ads though!!
    • cawpin, on 10/12/2007, -14/+2And Audi fans need to do research before lambasting Subaru. Without Subaru, you have no AWD.
    • wbrooks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5@cawpin... wtf are you talking about? Audi AWD has nothing to do with Subaru AWD.
    • Corneliusm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think he means the Subaru was the first automaker to mass-produce AWD for a consumer vehicle (the Leone in 1972). Because of its success, other companies jumped on the AWD bandwagon. The Audi Quattro came out in 1980.
  • RealHyperX, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Has anyone known an Audi owner whose car is not constantly in the shop? I really had my heart set on an A8, but all I hear are horror stories. What happened to German engineering?
    • OnymousHero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10"What happened to German engineering?"

      It came head to head with German accounting...
    • prammy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I had Audis before and 2 of my friends have S4s. Neither I nor those 2 friends have had problems with the Audis. However like any other German car, once it starts having problems, its gonna keep having problems till its put down.
    • kernelhappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Audi interiors are absolutely gorgeous, enough said. When you look at the new A8L every detail is well thought out, the cables are in protective sheathing, metal edges are covered in rubber to protect anything around them, the switches just feel great. It's a shame that these details do not provide a more reliable product. From broken fuel filler doors (where the manual release can't even open it), to a moon-roof that doesn't close down to the headlights turning on inexplicably and killing the battery (there's no manual way to release the electric parking brake which makes it a bitch to jump start it if say it's backed up against something (I know first hand)).

      To be fair though the previous generation S-Class benz was no better in terms of reliability (suspension problems, electrical problems). I don't have first hand experience with the 7 series but I've heard from other owners stories about them.

      All this said, the only complaint I have with the current A8 is the stupid waterfall grill. I personally think it gives the nose of the car a wishy washy appearance compared to the first year grille.
    • foxmajik, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Those cars which are constantly in the shop are due to people who feel they don't have to adhere to maintenance schedules because, if they can afford a luxury car, they shouldn't be held to the same standards of maintenance as other people. So they don't take their car in to get it serviced.

      This is fine for them because then they can drive their sport utility vehicle while their luxury car is in the shop, to Starbucks, where they can sip expensive coffee drinks and complain to people on the Internet about how their car is always in the shop.
    • kernelhappy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4foxmajik;

      What kind of regular maintenance does a brand new $83K A8L require that if neglected would cause it to turn it's headlights on automatically in the middle of the night, derail the moonroof and prevent the fuel filler door from opening even when using the manual release cable. Same thing goes for the S-Class, what maintenance would have prevented the front suspension from collapsing and the instrument cluster from losing power on a car that was less than 2 years old at the time? Here's a hint, none, I do scheduled services at the prescribed intervals and they have nothing to do with those items failing.

      Better button up, your ignorance is showing.
  • zanthrax, on 10/12/2007, -7/+2This is very likely to be fake, in many countries you are not allow to market your product by saying "We are better then brand X".
    Only the second one from Audi is somewhat believable.

    Digg is more and more turning from a news site into a random blog...
    Good luck trying to compete with /.
    • purplegrog, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1while I agree the ads are probably fake, none of them actually say that one is better than the other. They simply state objective (unverified by me) facts. Repeating that you were a winner of award X doesn't mean you're necessarily better. It means you won award X. Hopefully you won it because you were better, but the ads don't explicitly make the assertion that one product is better than another.
  • Blunty, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1BMW pwnzj00
  • trehlo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm pretty sure the BMW and Audi ads are legit, the Subaru one is a fake, and the Bentley one is real.

    The Bentley one works just fine on it's own. Nothing says "I have more money than you do" or "I'm better than you" more than a smirk and the finger. Take your pick.

    Oh, and from a Subaru owner, Audi was the first company to get AWD onto a passenger car. They don't have Subaru to thank for anything. Hence the first Quattro rally car, which owned everyone at the time.
    • Corneliusm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Audi wasn't the first to put AWD onto a passenger car. It was Subaru who first mass-produced the AWD car in 1972. Audi didn't follow suit until 1980 after Subaru's success.

      And the Subaru ad is a fake. The Subaru ad ripping on VW for their "Fast" GTI character was real, however.

      /subie nut
      //driving my second impreza (05 WRX STI)
    • trehlo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Actually, we're both off, Jensen made the first AWD production car, at least according to wikipedia, and everyone knows that's never wrong...

      Besides, I doubt Subaru would be where it is today if it weren't for Audi going balls out on the rally circuit with the Quattro.

      It really doesn't matter though, I'd still trade my old WRX or my STI for a Bentley any day.
    • Corneliusm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1A limited run of about 300 cars isn't mass-produced. My original statement is correct.
  • Cbaar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2How actually did a sequence of joke pictures get to be featured on the front page in the technology section? Did I overlook some new "cross-topic"-"feature" on digg?
    Phex zum Gruße,
    Cbaar
    • hobbesOSU, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I agree. This belongs under World & Business / Offbeat News. In no way is this related to Tech Industry News. Marked as "Wrong Topic" Help keep Digg honest.
  • mr_mechanics, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1He's a smug looking bastard, isn't he.
  • skribble, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The BMW - VAG thing is a big deal really. For some reason Audi has never gotten the respect of BWM & Mercedes as top notch luxury performance vehicles (it doesn't help that Porsche has put it's pressure on Audi pricing... Apparently Porsche, who owns a large chunk of VAG, would "prefer" that the top o the line Audis remain less expensive then 911's even though the Audi's cost more to make).

    That said VAG could just roll out the Bugatti which puts any BMW road car to shame.

    Suburu doesn't even belong in this. A nice Suburu would more properly compare to a mid-rang Volkwagon.

    I would jump in a state that Audi's Turbo's (especially the newer .5 L per Cylinder ones) just absolutely rock (These include the 2.0T 4 Cyl in some VW's (GTI) and Audi's and a 3.0T 6 Cyl in many Audi's +) Audi also has a fantastic 12 Cylinder Turbo Diesel (TDI) race engine that hasn't reached any mass production (and may not due to Porsche pressure).

    VAG has had some issues over the past few years, but I'd take their engine development over the rest any day. (possible exception would be Ferrari).
    • Space_Balls, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Audi has just as much respect as the other three, in Germany that is. Just in North America they are relatively weak.
      Also, I fail to see how Porsche has restricted Audi, especially given how the TT(RS) and the R8 are both intruding on Porsche's turf more then ever before. But the argument goes that the Porsche buyer is different to the Audi buyer.
  • wesmoc, on 10/12/2007, -7/+1Although humorous (and completely fictional), definitely not something that needs to be on the front page of the technology section. Bad Digg.. bad.
  • iluvhatemail, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Well my car can drive over every one of those. (Jeep)
    • tehnico, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Yeah! And my car gets better mileage then any of these. (Civic) So there!
    • VarianX, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15Congratulations to all you road-loving sissies.

      From the winner of World War II

      -- Jeep

  • nutsackninja, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Ford should have made and ad and said congratulations to every other car company in the world for producing a more reliable car.

    From the most unreliable car company in the world (FORD)

    Yes my car broke down and I am mad..
  • Burmask, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Why aren't American car companies in this feud?
    • Corneliusm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Could you imagine Ford, Chevy, or Chrysler saying, "Congratulations to BMW, Audi, and Subaru on your awards, from the winner of the... um... uh.. best American car award winner"?

      I'm kidding... I'm currently lusting after the Corvette Z06 (C6).
    • leftfoot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1c6z06 FTW

      I have a c5 z06 and I'm DROOLING over the new one.
    • rjani57, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1simply? not good enough for a global audience which is what these ads are aimed at!
    • geekmansworld, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1There's a world outside America?
    • Amazetbm, on 06/04/2008, -0/+1The only American company that would have a slight chance of being taken serious is Ford. They actually make better cars for their European market than they do for domestic.
  • thejadedmonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I wish all commercials were this polite
    • Corneliusm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1American political ads mudsling like crazy. Why not car companies?
  • timtastic, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This is ok. Next time more unnecessary exclamation marks please.
  • cbiz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I was in Bentley GT last night (my friend purchased the car for his Dad, it was a good year!!) and it is one MF of a car. The car is a two door, ultraluxury coupe - imagine having a LARGE very well-appointed race car. Cool factor includes HID headlights, adjustable suspension damping, 20-inch two-piece wheels and a 2000 watt audio system. I'm not much of a car guy but I wanted a nasty redhead at my side, a BIG fat cigar and the open road for 2 weeks. I now know why the Bentley Chairmen gave EVERYONE the finger!
  • grinin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Haha... the Bentley one should have had a subtitle "Actual Bentley owner/driver" :D
  • m3mn0n, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1ROFL

    The last one is just classic.

    Doesn't even reference them or have any words, but everyone who knows, knows exactly who that finger is directed to. bwaahahaha.
  • tugger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11I can confirm thats not the Bentley Chairman (I'm a Bentley Design Engineer).
    Audi didn't win 6 years Le Mans (at least not consecutively), Bentley won 1 of them. Did they win some back in the 80's? maybe.

    If I had the money, I definitely get the GT (60 Yrs Special Edition), but with the Naim Audio update... 3,500 watts (rms, not peak) and 32 speakers. And unlike the Aston Martins, the GT is designed and built beautifully.

    ..and if I had even more money, the Arnage is in a whole different league. If anyone is ever visiting the UK, you really have to go on the factory tour. Just watching those old boys stitching the interior, building up an Engine, and cutting the leather etc is a joy to watch.
    I'm biased obviously, but hell, for the first time in my life I love my place of work.

    Finally..
    I've met a few Bentley customers, and they definitely have that smug "F*ck you" attitude as shown in the advert.
    • cbiz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2it got head of the line eveywhere we went...the 2 door GT is a monster in any iteration. Very, very sharp car, the brits should be proud!
    • rjani57, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1hey tugger. gizza job
  • totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So now the hackers are going to attack those car manufacturer websites for being "too smug" :p
  • foxmajik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The Impreza fits a special market demographic in the US:

    People who would rather buy a car than a house.
  • cutlerite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Wait, BMW got best engine in 2006.
  • rabidsquirrelOG, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1All these cars are nice and meant for various demographics...

    The Subies are the ultimate rally car/rural rocket.

    I own a 2002 A4 1.8T Quattro with a 'real' tranny (Manual transmission)... I love the car. It does have some electrical issues mostly relating to its appetite for light bulbs and ignition coils... Outside of that, it is a 'Driver's' car. Lots of fun, with great handling prowess and an absolute demon in wet weather conditions. I would love to covert it to an SCCA type race sedan or an Autocross special...

    Audi makes a great car. I've no experience with the Beemer's but I've nothing against them. I'd like to own a modified 3 series or a M3 at some point, just to try it out.

    I'm also glad that someone from 'Bentley' chimed in here (@Tugger). I'd hope that I'm able to take the wheel of a GT at some point in the future. I've caught parts of TV specials on Bentley's manufacturing plant. I'd love to take a tour of that factory! There's something to be said for hand built machines and I'm glad to know that there are artisans like yourself still out there building fantastic machines by hand (Hand Built for the most part, or should I say assembled by hand?).

    After watching my mad genius mechanic, Stuart, lovingly re-assemble my Yamaha R1 into race bike form, one realizes that true metal artisans are hard to find and somewhat of a dying breed.

    Competition pushes the technology to evolve. Humans bring a dash of art to this potent mixture as well. Audi has done well in the areas where they race competitively and deserve respect. BMW fares well in 'their' classes. Lest we not forget Subaru and the WRC! I'm also glad to see Bentley running well in the LeMans series. The more manufacturers involved in racing the better. The nice thing is that we all benefit from the battle hardened design evolutions born out of racing.

    Each manufacturer serves a niche in the market. The more we have, the better. Appreciate them for what they are...
  • bionikal, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1these have all been proven fake. besides six races from 2000-2006 i don't think Audi would make a mistake like that

  • Yetimon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1:) Old, but still cool. Dugg.
  • kalleanka, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1http://www.duggmirror.com
  • Alternate, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5bionikal: The first 2 ads are real, they were in our South African newspapers and mags.
  • treelovinhippie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Oh man, that made me laugh so hard
  • Dustyb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1The R10 could destroy all of their cars anyway. Ha.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 63 of 63 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.