Manufacturers evolution theory

[ZesPak]

Manufacturers evolution theory
Hi,

I'm having a little theory here I'm going to throw in the open.
It's about manufacturers that create "everyday/everyman" cars. (supermini's, hatchbacks, mid-size saloons,...)

While brands are perishing (more in the US than here, and most of them prob long overdue, but stay with me), there don't seem to be many manufacturers that are new to these segments, thus creating less brand diversity in those large number segments.
So there have to come new players, and I see some trends in this case:

1) New industry countries with cheap labour (KIA, Hyundai,...)
2) "Premium" manufacturers creating smaller cars (Audi, Alfa, BMW/MINI...)
3) sports car manufacturers creating cars for a wider audience (Porsche, Aston, ...)

So, Alfa and Audi for example were pretty much absent from the supermini market, but now they are there: the MiTo and the A2, introducing two "premium" brands into the supermini market. The fact that these were considered "premium" could also have to do with the fact that they started up the ladder (ie hatchback) a notch higher than some manufacturers, while that is gone now.

The other case is the sports car manufacturers, the new supersaloon isn't an M5 anymore, it's a panamera, Quatroporte or a Rapide.
Now, if that AM Cygnet is for real, could this be an indication of things to come?

I mean, is it possible that the current MINI driver will be driving a Porsche supermini in ten years time? And that the now considered premium brands get so dilluted that they will have replaced the likes of Vauxhall?

Also, with the current rate of improvement on cars like KIA's, will people keep buying Peugeots and Vauxhalls?

[Negative Creep]

Won't people's perceptions change over time though? Rover was considered a premium car maker in the 70's

[LuS1fer]

It's to do with average C02 emissions over the range. They're being driven downmarket and greener to get the average CO2 lower.

It really wouldn't surprise me if the rapide cost so much so they could give away a free Cygnet and class it as a sale to please the EU bureaucrats.

If people are stupid enough to pay huge amounts of money for rebadged Fiats and VWs, that's a matter for their own IQ - no, not the ugly Toyota one either.

[ZesPak]

LuS1fer said:

It's to do with average C02 emissions over the range. They're being driven downmarket and greener to get the average CO2 lower.

It really wouldn't surprise me if the rapide cost so much so they could give away a free Cygnet and class it as a sale to please the EU bureaucrats.

If people are stupid enough to pay huge amounts of money for rebadged Fiats and VWs, that's a matter for their own IQ - no, not the ugly Toyota one either.

idd, was forgetting CO2 bs for a second there.
But that applies to the cygnet, surely not to the Panamera/Rapide.
As for the rebadging: true that, it has always worked, but in a lot of cases it's not just a rebadge and charge more (altough Golf -> A3 really is).
Surely the MINI isn't just a rebadge because it has a PSA engine?

[Tezzpip]

I think the Cygnet is only being sold exclusively to Aston Martin owners as a day to day car instead of using the DB9 etc.

[HellDiver]

When you can buy a brand new Hyundai i30 with all the bells and whistles and 5 yr warranty for the same money as a 2 year old low spec Focus with 1 year warranty, it's pretty much a no brainer.

The domestic manufacturers need to buck up their ideas when it comes to pricing.