Are car brands all merging into one generic product?
Discussion
I’m a big Audi fan.
But the latest Q3 has been announced:
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/first-look/well-t...
I want to want this, but honestly it just looks like a cheap Chinese start up product (think BYD).
I’ve been round showrooms lately, and all cars, whether combustion or EV, all seem to be merging into Russian doll crossovers with one long screen swooping across the dash and where the infotainment would have been, with a faux-premium look achieved by cheap plastics and superficial ‘mod cons’ like push button start, electronic handbrake etc.
I recently looked at the new Q5. It looks just a slightly bigger version of this new Q3, but it was also a big step down from the old one, with a cheap plastic cabin, and a significant reduction in horsepower from the old 45 TFSI.
What gives?
But the latest Q3 has been announced:
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/first-look/well-t...
I want to want this, but honestly it just looks like a cheap Chinese start up product (think BYD).
I’ve been round showrooms lately, and all cars, whether combustion or EV, all seem to be merging into Russian doll crossovers with one long screen swooping across the dash and where the infotainment would have been, with a faux-premium look achieved by cheap plastics and superficial ‘mod cons’ like push button start, electronic handbrake etc.
I recently looked at the new Q5. It looks just a slightly bigger version of this new Q3, but it was also a big step down from the old one, with a cheap plastic cabin, and a significant reduction in horsepower from the old 45 TFSI.
What gives?
Yep looks like a lot of other cars; crossover shape with a stretched bottom half, squinty drls up top, hidden main lights just waiting to be bumped on the corners in the bumper, the usual boring Audi black over black over black plastic interior and screens everywhere.
It’ll sell well I’m sure.
It’ll sell well I’m sure.
I don't think it's really anything new. Realistically, the majority of cars have been identikit transverse inline-four engined, FWD (or front-biased 4WD) monocoques with McPherson struts at the front and multi-link or beam rear-ends with a corporate face shoved onto it for decades now.
I think most engineering disciplines ultimately converge on a single solution which offers the best compromise for the problem which is being solved. In the automotive market it seems to be manifesting as something of a race to the bottom.
I think most engineering disciplines ultimately converge on a single solution which offers the best compromise for the problem which is being solved. In the automotive market it seems to be manifesting as something of a race to the bottom.
Like most things in life, it is getting to the point where the difference is all marketing and perceived image. A bit like thinking that Grey Goose Vodka is better than the Supermarket brand for instance.
A lot of people will still buy the German brands because of the image of build quality, reliability and status, despite the first two not existing anymore and the third one being all in your mind due to marketing.
A lot of people will still buy the German brands because of the image of build quality, reliability and status, despite the first two not existing anymore and the third one being all in your mind due to marketing.
Making a modern car is easy...
Take a Nissan Qashqai, replace any remaining internal buttons with massive screens, add lots of LEDs to the inside and outside, add 22" wheels, paint it a shade of grey, slap on an appropriate badge for the target price bracket which will be somewhere between £50k and £150k.
Take a Nissan Qashqai, replace any remaining internal buttons with massive screens, add lots of LEDs to the inside and outside, add 22" wheels, paint it a shade of grey, slap on an appropriate badge for the target price bracket which will be somewhere between £50k and £150k.
Always makes me think back to when I was a kid, cars could be samey but there was more variety I think, this happened with airliners as well.
Say in about 1980 there was stuff like the VC10 with four engines on the back, two either side, the 747 with four on the wings and a big hump at the front and there were planes with three at the back like the Tri-Star, DC10 and Trident (Technically four on later versions)
But, time and practice means airlines have worked out what works for them, engines got more powerful and reliable so two would do, stick them under the wing, job jobbed but they all look the same, never know if its a 737 thats close or a 777 further away Dougal.
Cars have gone that way, the manufacturers make what people buy and the crossovers/SUVs in various sizes do end up a bit the same, the grey goo of cars, superminis are dying out, saloons are pretty much dead, estates are a conscientious SUV objectors choice, Coupes are rare sportscars are very niche.
Its partly fashion but it is, in the main, I personally believe they are just a good use of space and cover a lot of bases, I also think people perhaps buy SUVs bigger then they actually need but I have a large saloon and objectively its f
king useless, boot is big-ish but no through load capacity, lot of bonnet and not much more interior space than something much smaller. My Fiesta is much more useful, so even a small crossover/SUV is more practical again. Cars are in the main, for carrying people and stuff, and SUVs and the like are good at that.
Cars have evolved to be what we ask of them, like the airliners did, we learn and adapt
Say in about 1980 there was stuff like the VC10 with four engines on the back, two either side, the 747 with four on the wings and a big hump at the front and there were planes with three at the back like the Tri-Star, DC10 and Trident (Technically four on later versions)
But, time and practice means airlines have worked out what works for them, engines got more powerful and reliable so two would do, stick them under the wing, job jobbed but they all look the same, never know if its a 737 thats close or a 777 further away Dougal.
Cars have gone that way, the manufacturers make what people buy and the crossovers/SUVs in various sizes do end up a bit the same, the grey goo of cars, superminis are dying out, saloons are pretty much dead, estates are a conscientious SUV objectors choice, Coupes are rare sportscars are very niche.
Its partly fashion but it is, in the main, I personally believe they are just a good use of space and cover a lot of bases, I also think people perhaps buy SUVs bigger then they actually need but I have a large saloon and objectively its f
king useless, boot is big-ish but no through load capacity, lot of bonnet and not much more interior space than something much smaller. My Fiesta is much more useful, so even a small crossover/SUV is more practical again. Cars are in the main, for carrying people and stuff, and SUVs and the like are good at that.Cars have evolved to be what we ask of them, like the airliners did, we learn and adapt
In my view, Korean cars have been styled better than Japanese cars, and the Koreans seemingly make better Japanese cars than the Japanese.
Choice is getting narrower and it is getting difficult to find truly unique cars - look at vans - a Fiat van is also a Pug, Citroen and Toyota, Renault vans are Mercedes too.
Choice is getting narrower and it is getting difficult to find truly unique cars - look at vans - a Fiat van is also a Pug, Citroen and Toyota, Renault vans are Mercedes too.
J4CKO said:
Always makes me think back to when I was a kid, cars could be samey but there was more variety I think, this happened with airliners as well.
Say in about 1980 there was stuff like the VC10 with four engines on the back, two either side, the 747 with four on the wings and a big hump at the front and there were planes with three at the back like the Tri-Star, DC10 and Trident (Technically four on later versions)
But, time and practice means airlines have worked out what works for them, engines got more powerful and reliable so two would do, stick them under the wing, job jobbed but they all look the same, never know if its a 737 thats close or a 777 further away Dougal.
Cars have gone that way, the manufacturers make what people buy and the crossovers/SUVs in various sizes do end up a bit the same, the grey goo of cars, superminis are dying out, saloons are pretty much dead, estates are a conscientious SUV objectors choice, Coupes are rare sportscars are very niche.
Its partly fashion but it is, in the main, I personally believe they are just a good use of space and cover a lot of bases, I also think people perhaps buy SUVs bigger then they actually need but I have a large saloon and objectively its fking useless, boot is big-ish but no through load capacity, lot of bonnet and not much more interior space than something much smaller. My Fiesta is much more useful, so even a small crossover/SUV is more practical again. Cars are in the main, for carrying people and stuff, and SUVs and the like are good at that.
Cars have evolved to be what we ask of them, like the airliners did, we learn and adapt
Yes, the Boeing 707 and SA Caravelle were good lookers, weren’t they? Back to cars. For family reasons I mostly drive a 308 GT line, 2020. At least the ‘I pad’ is fully integrated. The car is silver/grey with dark glass roof. On the convenience store car park, I have sometimes paused to identify if from a Mercedes A Class, Golf Mk7, Astra and some similar Toyota. So, I agree with the OP. Also I think Audi has managed to retain a ‘look’ even though criticised as photocopier enlarger.Say in about 1980 there was stuff like the VC10 with four engines on the back, two either side, the 747 with four on the wings and a big hump at the front and there were planes with three at the back like the Tri-Star, DC10 and Trident (Technically four on later versions)
But, time and practice means airlines have worked out what works for them, engines got more powerful and reliable so two would do, stick them under the wing, job jobbed but they all look the same, never know if its a 737 thats close or a 777 further away Dougal.
Cars have gone that way, the manufacturers make what people buy and the crossovers/SUVs in various sizes do end up a bit the same, the grey goo of cars, superminis are dying out, saloons are pretty much dead, estates are a conscientious SUV objectors choice, Coupes are rare sportscars are very niche.
Its partly fashion but it is, in the main, I personally believe they are just a good use of space and cover a lot of bases, I also think people perhaps buy SUVs bigger then they actually need but I have a large saloon and objectively its f
king useless, boot is big-ish but no through load capacity, lot of bonnet and not much more interior space than something much smaller. My Fiesta is much more useful, so even a small crossover/SUV is more practical again. Cars are in the main, for carrying people and stuff, and SUVs and the like are good at that.Cars have evolved to be what we ask of them, like the airliners did, we learn and adapt
MustangGT said:
AudiMan9000 said:
I want to want this, but honestly it just looks like a cheap Chinese start up product (think BYD).
BYD is hardly a start up, they have been building cars for over 20 years, also they were the original partner to Alexander Dennis for hybrid and EV buses.Jag_NE said:
Why can t manufacturers just give us the estates we all crave?
Because large capacity Estates are the preserve of the few thousand on PH.Doris sees her neighbours with SUVs, so her next car will be a SUV.
Family guy equates a family car as a SUV, especially as it has Sport in the acronym, and Sports sells. There's a lot of people who will see a Golf for £30k and think that is a standard 5 seater hatchback. Then they will see a taller, larger, wider SUV and think value.
Totally feel where you’re coming from. Audi used to be the benchmark for understated luxury and solid build quality, but lately it does seem like they’re leaning more into design uniformity and cutting corners on materials. The new Q3, especially, feels more like it’s chasing trends than setting them kind of like a t shirt brand that once prided itself on craftsmanship suddenly mass-producing fast fashion. Check Harwage.pk
That “Russian doll” crossover effect is real same face, different size. And you're right: features like push-button start and electronic handbrakes are marketed as premium, but often they're just cost-saving changes dressed up with some glossy trim.
Let’s hope the next design cycle brings back some of that Audi magic right now, it’s feeling more like brand dilution than innovation.
That “Russian doll” crossover effect is real same face, different size. And you're right: features like push-button start and electronic handbrakes are marketed as premium, but often they're just cost-saving changes dressed up with some glossy trim.
Let’s hope the next design cycle brings back some of that Audi magic right now, it’s feeling more like brand dilution than innovation.
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