On 14/05/2011 18:17, fred wrote:

Surely we've been down this road with cars. The VW Beetle was
expensive for the class of vehicle it was but it was built like a tank
and literally sold in millions. People were prepared to pay more for
the quality and reliability.

Like it or not the same holds true for the major German makes of car
today. None cheap yet all sell in quantities. People are prepared to
pay for a better product. Its not all about flash badges by a long
chalk.

snip

It may hold for German cars made _today_ but that hasn't always been true.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercede...ality_rankings

reflects information I have heard elsewhere.

Andy