In the US and Canada, Japanese cars, in general, have a good reputation. Many people will not even consider a vehicle made by the “Big 3” (GM, Ford and DC).
How does the population in Japan view North American cars? Do N.A. built cars have much of a market share? How about Europe? If I were to go to Berlin or Tokyo, would I see a Ponitac Grand Prix or Ford Taurus on the road there? Is there a rabid following of, for example, GM cars like how some people will never buy anything but a Honda or Toyota here? Or, does North America have a higher percentage of “foreign” autos than either country?
[sub]I am aware that Toyota, Honda, BMW etc have plants in North America, but I am asking about what is generally viewed as “foreign Cars”[/sub]
Japanese cars are more and more popular every year, for their reliability (I’m in this camp).
Australian built cars are pretty much the same as US ones. Big, cruisy, a certain comfortable style about 'em. Some people like this stuff (and I do too, but the lack of refinement and reliability made me defect to the Japanese cars).
The first group of people won’t buy US cars because they don’t like them. The second group probably would buy them, but won’t bother because the Aussie cars are pretty much the same as the American ones. Not precisely the same models, but the same style (though the Aussie market is traditionalist, and would baulk at front wheel drive in big cars). Huge, thumping five litre V8s are common. Also, the Australian manufacturers have lifted their game a bit in the last few years, and are almost beginning to seriously chase the Japanese for reliability and refinement.
The only imported US cars you’ll see here are owned by diehard enthusiasts who simply must have a certain make or model.
They are often taken to Central American countries, as this is an easy way to “launder” a stolen car. Forged US paperwork is easy to make, and it’s just going into a dusty folder in a local office when the new paperwork is issued.
TV shows have exposed the fact that even if an expensive new SUV is found in Belize there is no way for insurance companies to get it back.
Yes, to some extent. What sells are American cars that are distinctly American. Lincoln Navigator, Ford Explorer, PT Cruiser. Minivans, SUVs, Jeeps ASF.
No one would buy an American Camry-type car (Stratus? Neon?), when there is a Japanese original, which is much better.
In short, you would see quite a few American cars on European roads. But only cars that are distinctly American.
The Big 3 don’t do a whole lot of direct marketing at Japan, choosing instead to go through subsidiaries that aren’t known as American (Opel for GM, Mazda for Ford). There are a few dealerships here and there, but pretty much the only cars sporting Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, etc. badges have been brought over by the owners. Basically, the thought of buying American probably never even occurs to the average Japanese car buyer, either positively or negatively.
The cars that do appear here tend to be big or fast (Lincolns, Cadillacs, Cherokees, Corvettes, etc) but almost always expensive. After all, why bother with the expense and hassle of importing an Escort? One small problem I’ve seen people in US-made cars encounter is the fact that regular use streets only a few meters wide (with no sidewalks and with shop displays frequently protruding an extra meter or so) are quite common. More than once I’ve seen a Caddy or an Econoline Van try to turn a corner only to get stuck halfway.
It’s pretty rare to see an American car in England.
They’re too big for the road, they guzzle petrol like there’s no tomorrow, and thus have huge emission problems.
We tend to prefer small, nippy cars.
You’ll see plenty of Fords and GMs in Europe, but most of them will have been made locally and you may not recognise the models at all (I’ve never seen a Ponitac Grand Prix on the road here and only a couple of Ford Tauruses). For example, GM owns Vauxhall in the UK and Opel in Germany, Ford have been making cars in the UK since 1911 and they have plants in Belgium and Germany (probably some other places too). Ford has typically been the biggest seller in the UK, and you can view a list of current models here. You would also see more locally-branded cars in mainland European countries than in the UK (i.e. more French cars in France, more German cars in Germany, more Italian in Italy).
Chrysler used to have a manufacturing operation in the UK, but it closed down in the 1970s IIRC, so the only DC cars you’ll see here are imports. They’ve been promoting the PT Cruiser pretty strongly and I’ve seen quite a few of those around. Jeeps are cult cars, but I’ve seen plenty of those too. The most common non-European cars in the UK are Japanese brands, but Toyota, Honda and Nissan all have plants over here so they are as likely to be made locally as shipped in these days.
As for enthusiasm, I think people have less strong opinions about locally-made US brands than they do about other brands, so Fords and Vauxhalls are just bought by people who want a reliable car to get them from A to B, whereas BMWs are driven by people who would never consider anything else. There is a cult following for certain models though, especially for ones they don’t make any more like the Ford Capri.
I believe in Germany, Opel cars have a reputation for being driven by a certain kind of person, but I’ll wait for a German poster to give you more information about that.
Forgot to mention: not every car on the road in Japan in Japanese. European cars are fairly popular, both for luxury brands like Mercedes and BMW, and more reasonably priced brands like Volkswagon, Fiat, Peugeot, Cooper, etc. Some of these companies may be subsidiaries of either Ford or GM, but their image is European.
Don’t get me wrong. The two big “local” brands here are based in Detroit. Hence the lack of need to have imported US cars. We’re basically churning out the same stuff here.
I read a survey a little while ago that suggested many people in the UK didn’t realise Ford was an American company! As I said, though, most Ford cars on the road here have been made in Europe.
I’m speaking from the 1991 to 1993 timeframe, but the vast majority of “American” cars I saw in Germany had U.S. government plates. Service members get/got there vehicles transported free of charge from the United States. Status of Forces Agreements madated that we use special US government plates.
(In Heidelburg one day I saw an incredibly huge motor home, you know, the super-luxury kind just below an all-out conversion bus. It had Michigan plates. I can’t imagine how much the round trip cost for that vacation.)
In Germany there are a lot of spots where full-size American vehicles won’t work. My work vehicle was an extended length, full-size Dodge van (it was fun [and probably dangerous] to bury the speedometer on the autobahn). But getting around some of the towns with it wasn’t fun. Similarly in Mexico running around in a Suburban wasn’t always trouble-free, either.
Of the German-plated American cars, the most I saw were Corvettes. But that could be just because they call themselves out a little bit more.
And as I say American cars, I mean the things sold to the general populace in Canada/USA/Mexico. Of course there were plenty of Fords and Opels (GM) running about.
Mostly, the American cars you see in Norway fall into two categories:
Hobby cars - classic cars, lovingly restored, and driven in the summer only. A few weeks ago we passed a Pontiac convertible, ca. 1940 as far as I could find out, with temporary plates, getting a tow from a friend. The new owner was sitting in the driver’s seat, top down, grinning like the mouse that got the cheese. I know what he’s going to be doing this summer!
Not-really-cars - the minivans, particularly Chrysler, and SUVs like the Ford Expansion and Chevy Subdivision. There are European and Japanese equivalents now, but these are seen as The Originals in their markets, therefore desirable.
Chrysler’s trying to sell the Neon, but so far the buying public isn’t. Buying, I mean. Other than that, American car companies don’t really try to sell to the Norwegian market unless you count sales through their European subsidiaries. EuroFords are popular, as are Opels.
Like has been mentioned before, there are the ‘built for the UK, right hand drive’ imports like PT Cruisers, Jeeps, Explorers, and Neons. There are some specialist importers where you can get left hand drive Corvettes, Mustangs, and Vipers. There is also a small sub-culture that collects and restores old American classics and not-so-classics. (Why ANYONE would want an 80-something Chrysler Le Baron convertible is beyond me!)
Yup. But corvettes and similar cars have a reputation here as “pimpmobiles.” A normal, well off guy is going to buy a Porsche or some other high-end European car. The mind set seems to be that only a pimp would have both the money and the bad taste to import an american sports car.
From what I’ve seen, I’d have to agree. You’ll spot more Corvettes and stuff around whore houses and strip bars than you do anywhere else. And these are not the customer’s cars. That kind of place is not hidden like in the US, so you’ll see them just driving around town - and seeing the same car in front of a whore house day after day as you drive past it on your way to work can pretty much convince you that it has to be someone who works there or has “business” ties to it.
I don’t think Japanese consumers look at American cars as an equal to Japanese cars. They only appeal to people who want something a little different. The Chevy Astro van was extremely popular in the late 90s because they have the distinct look of full-sized American vans without the cumbersome size. The local Ford dealership mostly stocks Explorers, Mustangs and a couple of pickup trucks. Jeep Cherokee is fairly common, but maybe not as much as during the 90s.
One exception is the Chevy Cavalier which was sold by Toyota under their name, but maybe that was a joint venture? Other than that, I can’t think of any “normal” American cars (compact or mid-sized sedans) that’s popular in Japan.
An interesting aside, Ford releases ‘better’ versions of some cars in Europe and not in the US. By better I mean faster, such as the Cosworth Escort, Cosworth Sierra, and current RS Focus. It would be loads of fun to take a tuned Cossie to the US and drive circles around the Mustangs!