One’s personality shines out in the hardest of times, and it’s precisely at one such moment that Audi gave a glimpse of its true nature. It’s not pretty, if you’re to believe the buzz online.
Journalist and YouTuber Misha Charoudin, a long-established name in the auto community, was recently offered an Audi RS6 for “reliability tests,” he explains in his most recent video (hat tip to The Drive). Usually, this would mean speed tests on the Autobahn or laps on the Nurburgring but, just a couple of days after he took delivery of the car, massive floods hit Germany.
The Ahrweiler region was particularly hard-hit, with the Nurburgring Arena being indefinitely converted into rescue center. That is to say, even if he’d wanted to run laps in his brand new (lender) RS6, Charoudin couldn’t have done it. Instead, he decided to do whatever he could to help out and, since his personal car had been flushed away in a flood, he opted for the RS6 as his daily.
He documented the next few days extensively on his social media and YouTube channel but, to sum up, he used the press car as a relief vehicle.
On the daily, he would carry volunteers, equipment, food and perishables, and other types of supplies to the affected areas. Perhaps just as importantly, he also focused on the devastation left behind, the displaced and the injured, the missing and the deceased, and the kind of effort needed to help these people out. He asked for donations and he asked for more volunteers to show up, all the while highlighting the ways in which the RS6 was a very powerful and fast car, comfortable and high-quality, but also competent in real-life scenarios. Extreme scenarios, no less.
Then, with days to go until the end of the trial period, he received an email from an Audi PR, letting him know that they weren’t ok with the way he’d been using the car. Hauling emergency supplies and offering disaster relief were not part of the reliability test, the message said. Audi hoped the car would be returned in pristine condition.
Though shocked, Charoudin still included an apology in his reply. He also gave Audi what they wanted at the end of the video, including a review of the vehicle while stationary, listing the specs and the features. On social media, he noted that he’d cleaned up the RS6 properly at the end of the 2-week period and that, while it’d been used heavily, it was never mishandled in any way. As one would expect any reviewer with common sense to do.
Needless to say, the whole thing has turned into PR nightmare for Audi, with commenters rushing to note that the tragedy could have been marketing gold for the marque – if only they’d known to read the situation properly. The insensitivity of the remark about the car being returned in pristine condition seems to have struck a chord with most.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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