To be fair to them, it might not be inferior in general. But they claim they are designed for the beating daily use in the city gives them, not to be cleaned and stored in a heated garage after use. I'm sure the quality is fine for a fancy bike one would take out for a ride on a sunny sunday, but with their claim of a highly practical city bike, they should have made sure it's got superior durability. With claims like that, you have to pay special attention and for example zinc coat the fenders before you put layers of very hard paint on it. Durability is more than just leaving vulnerable stuff off.

But the parts they use now are different from what they used in the beginning, and the early ones weren't very expensive, so probably they are getting better. It just attracts my attention when I see such a modern bike looking like it has been parked outside for 30 years.