How could the Superb Wagon be better?

[K1W1]

Manufacturers never participate in or even acknowledge that user group forums exist their lawyers won't let them. Just how do you suggest that Skoda let "us" know about their forthcoming plans?

[RSwag]

Manufacturers never participate in or even acknowledge that user group forums exist their lawyers won't let them. Just how do you suggest that Skoda let "us" know about their forthcoming plans?

I agree KIWI, as you know i have been very opinionated about the brand and its short comings but they are that, personal opinions and are said in full knowledge that anyone who is in a position to take them seriously will never do so.

I guess what Jake02 is saying is not so much about forum users its that they don't let their general audience know and it goes to the heart of what they have done wrong since the day they landed, they have never promoted any of the brands positive attribute well. Most of all they haven't even got branding right, I started a new job last week and a lady in the office is about 10 weeks shy of giving birth to her second. She mentioned cars and asked me what the Golf Wagon was like, i showed here around but she wanted a bigger boot (i have no idea why) mine looked small because i have the hard plastic tray inside.

I asked here what she is looking at and she said Mondeo and Mazda 6, i mentioned Skoda Octavai and Superb and she had NOOO idea. Then a female colleague chimed in with "Stick with the others, at least you know your getting a good reliable car then".
Thats all i ever seem to get from people, Skoda are either a "bad" car or they feel they are a risk and signify no specific value, people just have no idea.

You got to also acknowledge that it has had 3 and now nudging 4 years in OZ and it is going backwards, its quite hard to comprehend given how good they really are. The last 12 months have also seen the Mazda, Hyundai and Great Wall brands (to name a few) grow from between 12-37% respectively in the same time.

I understand your comments on being stuck with old stock but this scenario is very different. The 1.6ltr is not selling at all so what do you do, sit and hope that something that is undesirable becomes desirable or bring out a sure fire winner and cut your loses on the old. Stock is an issue but only because they haven't managed to let the audience know who they are and what they can offer, this is the cross roads now, they have an amazing opportunity to cut their loses on the past write it off as a learning curve and proceed to build the brand accordingly.

Pricing, models and specs are right on track for MY11 and it is now up to them to let people know what they are about and how good these packages really are, otherwise what is the point of even bringing the things in???

[Jake02]

Manufacturers never participate in or even acknowledge that user group forums exist their lawyers won't let them. Just how do you suggest that Skoda let "us" know about their forthcoming plans?

Forthcoming plans? See that's the problem. I only suggested they tell us about new releases, not what they plan to do in 12 months. What I say is being misinterpreted. Skoda's car-loving audience are on this forum and as I suggested earlier we're the people with an interest in them. They've connected with our forum before, maybe if they told is in the form of asking our opinions and what not. If Skoda actually asked us what we want etc, I think they'd do pretty alright.

You guys are the people whom I can relate to most in the car world, let's not spread this negativity!

[CanberravRS]

You lot all act like you own shares in the company!...

Short comings or Forthcoming its a bloody tough market atm...
No company is doing well, and if they are its because they are just handing cars over at cost...
No brand of car in Australia has ever taken off unless it lasts 5-6 years as a brand.... VW tried in the past with SEAT, and it failed, as its not a reliable brand world wide. Skoda on the other hand is now (since the mid 90's) regarded highly as a quality product in the most lucrative market of cars ( eurozone ) as the best value for money cars, luxury/sports sedans/wagons/and micro's etc.....

Chill out you lot, you don't need to defend it like its a child...

Its a car, I know most Aussies treat the car like a member of the family, but its just a CAR!

[brad]

I

You got to also acknowledge that it has had 3 and now nudging 4 years in OZ and it is going backwards, its quite hard to comprehend given how good they really are.

has it ticked over 3 years? The brand was launched in Sept or Oct 2007 wasn't it?

[woofy]

Yep will be 3 yrs later this year. Throw in a GFC by the end of the second year, and the fact that they are still here speaks volumes.

[CanberravRS]

yep will be 3 yrs later this year. Throw in a gfc by the end of the second year, and the fact that they are still here speaks volumes.

exactly!!!

[RSwag]

exactly!!!

I thought Australia avoided the GFC, or do you guys know something I don't? Also do some homework on SEAT, you cannot draw comparisons, they are worlds a part and only reinforce the fact they should be in a better place.

Their survival thus far is more a credit to the parent company than it is to anything else, and the fact remains they have bottomed out in a market that is selling large volume. They maybe selling at cost but they are moving plenty.

We'll see fellas, I hope in 12 months time I can eat my own words!!

[brad]

I thought Australia avoided the GFC, or do you guys know something I don't? !!

It hit me pretty hard. My super balances are down 40%. My house dropped 20%. My "other" net wealth dropped 45% and I've been forced to realise enough capital losses in the last 3 years that I really wonder why I bothered investing instead of sinking my money into fast cars, hookers & cocaine (well, maybe not cocaine but you get my drift). Truly, I was aiming to semi-retire at 55 (<10 years away) - that's blown out to at least 65 now.

on a national scale, despite being a red voter for 31 years, the way the national/gov't debt has blown out, I've given up on them. I'm not sure the blues could have done better but I think Australia will be suffering long term (minor) financial pain as penance for not doing the hard yards over a 3-5 year period.

Apologies for off topic & semi-political content.

[spellbound]

Guys i remember the days when audi was a joke late 80's and early nineties , only a well healed graduate would walk that path , all changed when the A4 hit us in 95 .

Similar story with vw , not seen here in the 80'S , again people laughed at you , i remember buying used BMW 'S , when i could have got near new audi's for a pittance , they were very average .

You wont see the octavia take off until the next generation comes on stream , the gen 4 golf styling is not a hit with the punter .