Following on from Chippo's experience with Audi's "customer service" watchdog has reported last night that despite boasting 5 star NCAP safety ratings that only a few of the range has actually been tested. It seems salesmen have been lying to all the customers that ask as have Audi's head office, and NCAP can do nothing to stop them. This is another and very good reason why I would never buy an Audi, when word spreads about what they have done residual values of the cars out there will probably plummet.
Even the prestigious R8 has never been NCAP tested although Audi advertise that it has a 5 star NCAP rating, this only came to light when the owner of a prestige car rental business had one driven by his father involved in a very nasty accident.

Shame on you Audi.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/arti...y-testing-lies

And they can't stop lying, saying models have been tested, despite the head of NCAP when interviewed saying they have not, how arrogant is that!

 

Yep, this was posted yesterday in the German customer satisfaction survey thread - I read it and wondered why a bigger deal hadn't been made of it - turns out they were waiting for the Watchdog airing to publiscise it. The Euro NCAP site was crashing apparently.

... and yes, Audi reputation will plummet - I have only even been to one Audi showroom and I was treated with such disdain I've never been back - tbh the damand for Audis is on the wane anyway with "the Audi type of person" wanting a Merc these days instead

 

I wander if a customer would be able to reject the car on the grounds of mis representation? I wander how a court would view that?

 

I'm no fan of re-badged over priced Skoda's for aspirational types, but I think some perspective is needed given Watchdogs sensationalist journalism.

The bulk of their range has been accredited.

The rest Audi will have crash tested them self, knowing the NCAP criteria and will have met the standards required, they've just not submitted the cars to NCAP for independent testing.

If there is no law against saying a product meets a standard even though that independent body hasn't done the testing them self then while not wanting to defend Audi as a brand, I think it's being blown out of proportion.

Of course if the sales staff are outright telling bold face lies that NCAP has tested and accredited that's another matter, but then we are talking car salesmen here, what brand does have whiter than white sales staff

 

Watchdog just is as bellendy as Audi.

The NSX however, passed its flight test with flying colours:



Engineers taken to hospital with pains, but not believed seriously hurt.

Vorsprung duerch Wald.

 

fraud sprung duck technik.

 

Telling people they are tested to NCAP standard and achived five stars is not the same as having NCAP test the cars and awarding five stars, the difference is in no way subtle, and this dishonesty is in no way being blown out of proportion If they have lied about the NCAP status they can very easyly lie about the results of the test.

At the last Olympice I won the gold medal 100M race. Well no actually ran 100M in the same time as guy who won it (honest). Not quite the same is it?

 

It's blatant lying and deceit , the car are most likely safe as most others , but it's the hypocrisy and deceit that gets me , and I wonder what else they are telling porkies about .
Certainly MPG figures are complete fabrication and in my experience at least 30 % down on their claims

 

The gist I got is that Audi say they have Euro NCAP 5 star crash performance. So in your analogy it would be like you saying I can run the 100m in a gold medal winning time. Absolutely nothing wrong with saying that if you can.

The dealer sales people are then when quizzed by prospective customers are telling them that the cars are tested and passed by Euro NCAP. So that would be like your agent telling prospective sponsors you have won the medal. Did he lie to make a deal or did he misunderstand you telling him your capability?

Now where the grey area lays is did the sales people know they were giving false information or have they legitimately misinterpreted the information provided to them? And that's what Audi are stating.

Working in sales myself I know how easy it is if you haven't been trained in every minute detail of what you're selling to misinterpret product information and maybe get it wrong when a customer is putting you on the spot for information.

I suspect what's happened is Audi marketing have attempted to be clever with the legalise of it all while saving the cost of going through the actual NCAP process, but the sales staff haven't adequately been trained on the subtleties leading to customers being misled.

Ultimately if the cars do genuinely have the adequate crash test performance then no one has been hurt by this. It's important to remember that even big bad corporations still have humans working in them that aren't without fault.

If there is any evidence of wilful deceit then they deserve to be punished legally, and their brand image is going to be hurt anyway, but it's still innocent until proven guilty no matter how much of a drama Watchdog make out of it.

 

Someone somewhere made a decision to be less than honest , and start a train of events that has mislead and misinformed lots of people .