i used to think 911 sits below Lambo in VW group line-up and to some extent that is true but what i am starting to realize is that it isn’t so much about above versus below or even just different flavor ( German vs Italian ) but different demographics being targeted …
whenever i see 911 the driver is usually either white or Asian …
but the Lambos are usually driven by Negros and Latinos …
also 911s come in subdued, classy, elegant colors - similar to colors you may expect to see on a Mercedes S class
meanwhile Lambos come in ostentatious colors you might expect to see on basketball shoes …
basically a 911 suggests you’re a doctor or a lawyer while a Lambo suggests you’re a finance bro or a drug dealer …
also it seems 911s are more prevalent in the north ( like NY, NJ, Connecticut etc. ) while Lambos in the south ( Miami etc. )
the 911 has an air of ( German ) sophistication to it whereas Lambo is more suggestive of ( Italian ) naked aggression …
it’s kind of crazy that the folks who run VolksWagen group are intelligent enough to psychoanalyze their customer to this degree because an Autist like me would just design a car for performance, efficiency and safety while completely ignoring things like prestige, heritage, style and so on …
i always wondered what is the point of having a V10 Lambo, Audi R8 V10 and 911 Turbo when performance wise they are all basically the same ? and the answer is of course that it’s not about performance. these cars have totally different vibe and heritage ( or lack thereof in case of Audi ).
the Audi of course is just a badge engineered Lambo the purpose of which is decoration for Audi dealerships and nobody actually buys it, but it spices the showroom up.
Audi E-Tron GT is somewhat similar deal being a badge engineered Taycan with the difference being that people actually buy E-Tron GT. In case of E-Tron GT then it isn’t so much about spicing up Audi showrooms but the fact that some areas only have Audi dealerships and not Porsche dealerships so VW can sell more cars by having an Audi version of a Porsche.
It works for E-Tron GT but not the R8 because the E-Tron GT fits with the general Audi vibe whereas R8 does not, even though the R8 used to share the engine with some Audi sedans. instead, without R8 in the Audi showroom you would be hard pressed to say what is the difference between Audi brand and VW brand ? there is always at least one R8 in the showroom which nobody buys but it’s there to remind you that Audi is a premium brand.