Are Wheels really THAT important to the sale of a vehicle?

In survey after survey a vehicle’s appearance is a key part of  the purchase decision process.  Therefore, common sense dictates since wheels are approximately 20% of the side view of a car, they must be pretty important.  Last week we published research results that indicated 98% of Audi Enthusiasts felt wheels were at least somewhat important in the buying decision.  But if wheels are so important, why do dealers line their inventory up side-by-side so you can’t see them?  And why does it seem like almost half the vehicles on the road today have steel wheels with wheel covers, the lowest of the low⁽¹⁾?  There just doesn’t seem to be a clear answer, but I’ll let you in on a little secret, the correct answer to the question “Are Wheels really THAT important to the sale of a vehicle?” is ………..

WWAED? (What Would Audi Enthusiasts Do)

Since Audi has recently introduced Chromtec® wheels on a few of their vehicles, we thought it might be a good idea to go and meet our customers in person and see what kind of wheels and finishes they wanted on their next Audi.  We dismissed our first two ideas of hanging out at shopping malls and visiting owners door-to-door because they sounded a bit stalkerish.  Luckily Motorstadt 7 came to the rescue.  Billed as the “premier midwest car show for Volkswagen and Audi” our visit resulted in an earful.  Before we tell you what everybody said back in June, here are a few great cars we saw while there.