National car-buying characteristics
Discussion
That Bentley SUV thread got me thinking - it's clear there are some cars deliberately tailored for the whims of particular markets and not others. I was told by a suit on the Bentley stand that they'll probably sell the majority in the Middle East if they make it, which sort-of makes sense even if the car doesn't - their owners will be into things like falconry and will want to take their luxobarge out into the desert.
We all know about the Chinese preference for LWB saloons, because of the ease with which even middle-class people can get chauffers to negotiate hellish traffic jams.
Any more? I've heard about 4WD versions of cars usually made in 2WD being sold in Scandanavia and Canada. Is there anything out there we don't currently get you'd want to import?
We British have a quirk apparently, according to someone I know at Vauxhall. Where we can, we like our cars to have a rear hatch. Manufacturers sell big five-door hatchbacks here in preference to four-door saloons (think Mondeo, Insignia et al). There are all manner of hatch-based saloons that we find ugly, that wouldn't have a hope in hell of selling over here, and yet in other markets they're clearly appreciated. He puts it down to our national obssession with DIY and 'hobbies' involving carting bulky things around - antiques, fibreboard from B&Q, dogs, mountain bikes etc.
However, try and sell a five-door fastback or hatchback in Japan and you won't have a hope in hell.
We all know about the Chinese preference for LWB saloons, because of the ease with which even middle-class people can get chauffers to negotiate hellish traffic jams.
Any more? I've heard about 4WD versions of cars usually made in 2WD being sold in Scandanavia and Canada. Is there anything out there we don't currently get you'd want to import?
We British have a quirk apparently, according to someone I know at Vauxhall. Where we can, we like our cars to have a rear hatch. Manufacturers sell big five-door hatchbacks here in preference to four-door saloons (think Mondeo, Insignia et al). There are all manner of hatch-based saloons that we find ugly, that wouldn't have a hope in hell of selling over here, and yet in other markets they're clearly appreciated. He puts it down to our national obssession with DIY and 'hobbies' involving carting bulky things around - antiques, fibreboard from B&Q, dogs, mountain bikes etc.
However, try and sell a five-door fastback or hatchback in Japan and you won't have a hope in hell.
Twincam16 said:
However, try and sell a five-door fastback or hatchback in Japan and you won't have a hope in hell.
Really?http://www.made-in-japan.org/blog/car-sales-rankin...
Strangely Brown said:
Twincam16 said:
However, try and sell a five-door fastback or hatchback in Japan and you won't have a hope in hell.
Really?http://www.made-in-japan.org/blog/car-sales-rankin...
This reminds me of the E60 M5 being available in North America with a manual 'box for some reason - think the new M5 is too, if i'm not mistaken, where as we've just got the paddle-shift version.
Same wnet with the D2 Audi S8. It was available with a manual in some parts of Europe, but not the UK strangely.
Although having said that a lot of Amercian cars are auto-only - goes with the lazy-American sterotype i suppose...
Same wnet with the D2 Audi S8. It was available with a manual in some parts of Europe, but not the UK strangely.
Although having said that a lot of Amercian cars are auto-only - goes with the lazy-American sterotype i suppose...
PaperCut said:
This reminds me of the E60 M5 being available in North America with a manual 'box for some reason - think the new M5 is too, if i'm not mistaken, where as we've just got the paddle-shift version.
Same wnet with the D2 Audi S8. It was available with a manual in some parts of Europe, but not the UK strangely.
Although having said that a lot of Amercian cars are auto-only - goes with the lazy-American sterotype i suppose...
I think that's possibly because they're seen as hardcore performance cars over there, bought by equally hardcore enthusiasts, whereas over here, where BMW basically hijacked the 'judge the driver by the letters on the bootlid' culture from Ford and there are a lot more models available from boggo 520ds right up to M5s, the M5 is merely the top of the range, bought by someone who traded up from a 535 rather than someone who specifically bought an M5 because they had their heart set on them.Same wnet with the D2 Audi S8. It was available with a manual in some parts of Europe, but not the UK strangely.
Although having said that a lot of Amercian cars are auto-only - goes with the lazy-American sterotype i suppose...
Historically quite a few European manufacturers only sold the biggest-engined version of their car in America, simply because they knew four-cylinders and diesels wouldn't shift over there. As a result, the range hierarchy didn't exist.
It always stkies me that, when I'm in Ireland and Eastern Europe, saloon versions of common hatchbacks are much, much more prevalent than they are here. Such things as the FIAT Linea aren't even sold here. Saloon versions of the Renault Clio abound, and may others I've probably forgotten. Many more Focus and Mondeo saloons than here. Corsa saloons, there's another.
I'm a bit of a Europeanist at heart I suppose, I still prefer a saloon.
I'm a bit of a Europeanist at heart I suppose, I still prefer a saloon.
braddo said:
The Brits have a strong aversion to 'poverty spec'. Anything without leather and all the toys is looked down upon whether it is a Porsche, S-Class Merc or a Fiesta.
Not completely convinced by that. I'm not sure we're given the choice - I suspect manufacturers have realised that we're used to paying through the nose for things and never haggling, so we're only 'allowed' to buy mid-range upwards and bullied out of option deletion by the notion of 'residuals'.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff