All white Audi, enough is enough

Maybe they did it as a joke? After a few days of thinking time, that's the only logical explanation I have for Audi's ridiculous decision to display nothing but white cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011. Perhaps Audi UK wanted to prove that the 'ze Germans have a krazy senz of humour'.

Or maybe they simply felt that it would represent a bold and confident statement, a signal to the watching world that Audi is at peace with itself. "Just look how far we've become - know your place motoring world and bow down at our feet and bask in the splendour of our whiteness".

Really? REALLY?

To me, seeing the Audi display represented the final nail in the coffin of a brand I once adored. Rather than fight the growing skepticism of the design language, Audi instead chose to simply accentuate the problem by whitewashing all of their models. Well to my eyes at least, it backfired. Big time. It came across as bland, uninspiring and seemed to speak in a somewhat aloof tone. If you ever need evidence that Audi's range of cars had become identikit - this was it.

But it did give me an idea for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2012. Save money on your rather expensive patch of Lord March's lawn and simply wheel a photocopier on to the display area. Then invite your adoring public to bring along their favourite picture of an Audi and pass it through the copier on the mono setting. By adjusting the copier to varying percentages of magnification, hey presto, your very own Goodwood display unit. In glorious black and white too. Perfect.

What's more, your customers will feel right at home with the photocopier, won't they? Does anyone need any toner?

Copier image courtesy of Wikipedia.