A couple of days ago there was an amazing new Ferrari parked on the street and a lot of passersby were stopping to take a picture of it. That made me think of all the cars that can elicit such a response, and in general, all the cars that are the most desirable in the world.
All cars I could think of were European: Lamborghini, Ferrari,Maserati,Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Bentley,etc
The Japanese make very sensible cars, and make a lot of money doing it, but none of them are drool-worthy. Americans make mostly crappy cars. Other big countries aren’t even making anything worth noting (if they are producing cars at all): Russia, China, India, Brazil
So, why is it that only Europeans make the world’s most desirable cars?
Lexuses (from Japan) are pretty desirable in the US, though they are more the equivalent of Cadillacs and Lincolns than Bentleys, Ferraris and Lamborghinis. That is, your average middle class person does have a shot at owning and regularly driving a Lexus, Cadillac, or Lincoln if they really want to. I can’t say the same for Ferraris.
And also, Europe has produced a number of poop-worthy cars as well. Yugos anyone?
South Korea is also on the upswing with Hyundai and Kia in terms of basic passenger cars, and are making a dent in the US, just not in the luxury, performance, or sports car markets.
Indeed. Foreign is exotic. Over here in Europe US cars are often seen that way. On my way to the train I often walk past a parked Mustang. I’ve no idea how desirable they are considered in the US, but to my European eyes it looks very different and very intriguing.
I personally desire inexpensive, safe, reliable, long-lived transportation that I don’t have to think much about, in between regularly scheduled maintenance. This is why my wife and I have bought three Honda Accords in a row. Accord #1 made it past 250,000 miles before it died; Accord #2 is still a solid car at 201,000. (Accord #3 is in its infancy at <40K.)
How does your Lamborghini hold up over time, and how much did it cost you? I bet there’s nothing desirable in those numbers.
They are ubiquitous, and they have so many trim levels and options packages that the price can vary from a base-model $22,000 (affordable for almost anyone), to the tricked-out, all-options Shelby GT convertible for $54,000.
Most of the cars the OP mentions are not practical cars. American companies are trying to sell lots of vehicles for lots of profit. There is comparatively little profit in selling 100 cars for $300,000 while compared to selling 500,000 cars for $3000 profit.
Don’t you think I know this? Don’t you think the car companies around the world know this?
<rant about Dopers>Why does the OP have to phrased just right for people to be able to respond to the core of the issue?</rant about Dopers>
To rephrase the question in the OP, why do American and Japanese and Korean companies mostly target practical cars (lots of vehicles with smaller per-vehicle profit), while a lot of European companies target “impractical” cars (smaller number of vehicles with larger per-vehicle profit)?
Why is the ratio of drool-worthy/impractical cars to bland-but-reliable/practical cars higher in Europe and lower in the US, Japan, and Korea?
I should note that I think a lot of it is just cultural inertia. In another arena, cell-phones, it used to be that smartphones were utter crap. Utilitarian ugly crap with a horrible UI. Then Steve Jobs and Apple came along with the iPhone and showed everyone how much difference a great UI/UX can make, and ended up capturing a huge percent of the market (and affecting how everyone else makes smartphones). Any other CEO but Jobs would have been pressured into making “what the market wants”, and would have ended up with crap that fulfilled all the then-current marketing know-how about how to sell phones to Americans. I think the US Auto industry needs someone like Steve Jobs to move US cars away from their current state, just like he moved smartphones from their pre-iPhone state (circa 2007) to their current state. (I know full-well that a lot of Dopers either don’t have a cell phone, or have a bare-bones cell phone that “only makes phone calls, as God intended, and nothing else”, and are proud of it)
People lust after these cars because they are rare and expensive, not because they are inherently attractive. As Philster pointed out, there are rare and expensive American cars that have a lot of cachet. Most people can’t recognize beauty when they see it, but anybody can read a price tag.
Your impression of the European market is skewed because you’re only seeing those European cars that have made it to the US market. These tend to be the larger, higher-value cars. You’re not seeing the tens of millions of Renaults, Peugeots, Citroens, Fiats, Seats, Opels/Vauxhalls, Skodas, the Ford Ka, the VW Polo- the humdrum everyday cars that most Europeans actually drive.
It’s probably not the only exception, but it’s a huge one; the Nissan GT-R.
I’m not a big fan of any Japanese makes, being a German car lover through and through. But when I walk past the GT-R parked in my work parking lot, I pop a semi every time. That is a fantastic, drool-worthy, very desirable car by most “car guys’” standards.
I think that’s the core of it. Those brands fill the same general-market need as Fords, Chevys, Hondas, etc. do in the U.S. Even Mercedes-Benz, as I understand it, makes more “everyday” models, which don’t generally get imported to the U.S.
If the U.S. and Japanese automakers only marketed Corvettes, Vipers, Mustangs, Challengers, GT-Rs, etc. in the U.S., I’d bet you’d have a different view of those brands, too.
I imagine that expensive imports will be desirable everywhere. You’re in the US, so expensive imported European cars are desirable. Japan doesn’t really make expensive cars like that.
So are expensive imported beers, coffees, and cigars. Expensive + import = desirable.
Here in Europe, a US muscle car which costs a couple of hundred thousand will also be desirable; because it’s expensive and imported. Certainly more so than a BMW or Merc, both of which are pretty common.
Introducing the iCar. It runs only on Exxon (r) gas, and you have to take it to a back-alley mechanic to get the GPS unlocked so it will properly handle Canadian roads and other exotic locales.
I’d say an exotic car is considered “exotic”, partially because they are uniquely attractive and appealing to many eyes. If I’m understanding the OP correctly, there is definitely a different “presence” to be had when you see an Aventador cruising down the highway, as opposed to most anything else. The fact that they carry a steeper price tag contributes to them being exclusive, but I’d say it’s a proven history combined with an established brand name, which allow them to command premium pricing.
European makes have certainly been doing it a long time and have made a name for themselves, but as pointed out by Philster, exotic/rare machines exist from both the US and Asia. I’d say the Japanese have more recently entered the true upper-end exotic world with Toyota/Lexus’ LFA (commanding a price of close to 400k), but there are many other high performing, notable cars which turn heads, from the likes of the US and Asia, alike.
To add to his list, you have cars which range from the late NSX 90’s era cars, to the current GT-R. They don’t necessarily climb into 6-figure territory, but the former certainly turned heads for it’s time (and even now), while the latter is considered by many to be the bargain supercar (delivering on performance). Also, it’s a matter of perspective, but in a nutshell, prestige sells and the Europeans have long established this. Brands from other regions have displayed moderate to growing success, but it takes time.
No, sorry, I just don’t buy that at all. Canvas any country in the world as to the most desirable cars (money no object) and Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche will top that list. I agree that an American muscle car might be more desirable than a run of the mill BMW or Mercedes, but not over a true supercar like the Ferrari or Lamborghini.