The nature of American cars

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Hi,

I was reading a thread on how common TVR's are in britain and remembered a holiday i had in Arizona a couple of years ago and being dumbstruck at the sheer number (and size) of pickup trucks in the US.

Where I live in england - a town about 50 miles from London - i have seen 3 or 4 proper pick ups in the 10 years I have lived here, literally you are more likley to come accross a Ferrari 550 or a R33 skyline than pickup.

I hope this thread isnt taken the wrong way - im not critisising the cars/trucks people drive in America - more wondering what types of cars are popular in America - Do you see many european cars in the US - TVR's, Beemers, Land Rovers, Bentleys? - and how people in the US percieve these cars. Are they seen as slow? underpowered? boring? dull? compared to the American alternative.

From looking around the forum there doesnt seem to be much talk of pickups and yet they seemed to dominate the roads when i was on holiday, instead Japanese cars seem very popular, Hondas, Mazdas Scoobys etc along with a few european cars too.

So basically the questions im asking are how european and Japanese cars are percieved and seen by America as a whole and really i spose how common they are in amidst the pickups.

Again, i hope this thread aint taken the wrong way, im just curious how America's car population differs from the image in my head of the holiday where seemingly 90% of all vehicles were pick ups.

If anyone can be bothered to reply to what is (looking back on it) quite a boring thread id be very gratefull.
 
Ok, this I can try to tackle! I am the proud owner of two, Chevy pickups, one being a full size and the other being a Xtreme (S-10). Plus my father also has a full size pickup.

Now, remember for just one second that Americans are "cowboys." This isn't nessairly the opinion here in the US, but around the world, I think it is refered to quite a bit.

That being said, Americans like trucks. Always have, and probably always will. Matter of fact, the whole United States is in a "SUV" craz. Everyone wants one. At first, I think many thought bigger was safer. So the SUV's were the obvious choice over, what was the old craz, minivans. People wanted their families to be in a safer vechile, while still providing a huge amount of space. The SUV was the automakers answer. Now, just to give you a scope on how big the demand is, Porshe released their SUV into the market this year. One could agrue weather that was a truck though, so getting back to Pickup trucks.

Area has a lot to do with how many trucks your going to see vs cars. Arizona has a lot of open land. Open land that people own, work, and play on for that matter on. I hate to tell you this, but a forgein or domestic sedan is not going to survive those type of conditions.

Now on perceiving foreign cars in US, depends on the car. Honda, Toyota, and other Japanese automakers are usually more economical. So going back to the area thing, your bound to see more of these type cars in more developed areas.

As far as cars such as the ones you metioned:
TVR's are rare, very rare! This is someone that has money. Its gets expensive to bring a car across the big puddle.
Beemers aren't as rare, but again are usually for the upper class. Not everyone in America is wealthly enough to afford the prices asked on these cars.
Land Rovers, again are available but are usually are for the wealthly. They are getting more affordable though.
Bentley's are usally for the extremely wealthly.

What for you is common, might be rare here. Its just baisiclly comes down to that damn ocean being in between the two continents, some government regulations, import and export laws, and weather or not an automaker wants to even let America enjoy the fruits of their labor. (This one sucks)

I hope that helps! 👍
 
Lets also put this in the subject,Americans like everything BIG.Bigger is better,bigger engine,bigger wheels,and bigger car sometimes show that "you're the man" and you are in control.Take my Dad for instance,he believes that bigger the engine,the cooler the truck.And with the rising gas prices,hes still thinking the same.I too,like big engines,im planning on getting a 360 for my car.I want to get a truck,and it runs in our family to have a nice big chevy.

As I get older,i know the world's supply of gas will run out.Its the stupid SUV buying families that want the biggest engine,etc as stated above.Lets not jump to conclusions,The SUV is a fad,it will end eventually,its Honda's hybrid cars and other hybrid building companies that are doing the smart things.

But still,who wants an electric car?Who wants a natrual gas car?

Its something that will happen and we cant do one thing about it,hybrid is a stupid idea mostly to American's,Mainly because we are big-block loving freaks,well most of us......
 
I bought my truck because I use it like a truck. I can't do that with a car. Especially a sports or luxury car. Yes I have a big motor in it but what is the sense of having a full size pick up with a 6 in it? Lot's of bed room with no power to haul.
I'm not sure why the rest of America likes trucks but they sure are usefull when you need to move something. I think trucks in this area far outnumber the cars. I was sitting at the intersection on my way home last night and looked at the vehicles sitting around me. There were around 15. There was only 2 cars among them. I guess there are a lot of people needing to haul stuff.
 
Proportionally (to the number of cars from all countries for sale), in the midwestern U.S. (Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc.), American car and truck owners far outnumber import owners. I talked to a friend of mine who does tax accounting for several major auto dealers in the Chicagoland area (and therefore gets extreme discounts from auto dealers), and he told me that he drives a 2002 Bonneville SSEi (which, by the way, I love) even though he could’ve gotten a larger percentage discount off a 5-series because ‘he wouldn’t feel right in a BMW.’ I think since September 11, better deals on American cars as well as spiked patriotism has caused a surge in American car sales.

Texas is, of course, the home of pickup trucks, and – as a temporary Texan – I feel right at home cruising the oil fields and Liberty City in an employee’s white 1991 Ford Ranger. Texas is full of trucks – it’s the ‘cowboy’ attitude that Texans seem to posses – and many Texans don’t appear happy with extra cab ‘compact’ trucks. Import trucks are mainly shunned in rural areas. I’d put good money on that the Toyota Tundra full-size truck sells more units in Chicago than in rural Texas – same patriotism phenomenon. Another phenomenon common in rural areas is brand loyalty – many loyal Chevy fans, for instance, wouldn’t be caught dead in a Ford, let alone a Toyota.

European imports are rare in rural parts of this country, but in Chicago they’re fairly prevalent. BMW’s and Land Rovers are by no means rare, but I still have yet to see a 2-door Freelander. New and old Range Rovers are common in Chicago, as are all types of Discovery. 3- 5- and 7-series BMW’s are also extremely common. E- C- and most other class Mercedes’ are common, however the ML55 was cancelled this year due to lack of interest. Volvos are also very common, as are Saabs, though I rarely see the new 9-3. Audi TT’s are also fairly common. I’d say about half of all TT’s are coupes. If the Z3 is any precursor, the Z4 will also be very popular.

The only company that the US doesn’t buy as much as people from elsewhere is Mitsubishi. They make no standout cars, and no Americans take interest in the mediocrity that seems to spur from Mitsubishi. Perhaps they need their own Carlos Ghosn…
 
Originally posted by M5Power

The only company that the US doesn’t buy as much as people from elsewhere is Mitsubishi. They make no standout cars, and no Americans take interest in the mediocrity that seems to spur from Mitsubishi. Perhaps they need their own Carlos Ghosn…
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What about the Eclipse? I think it has had a huge impact in its market! The 3000 GT used to be popular, but the 86ed that. :odd:
 
Originally posted by Magic069
What about the Eclipse? I think it has had a huge impact in its market! The 3000 GT used to be popular, but the 86ed that. :odd:
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The Eclipse has been getting its ass kicked in sales since its minor facelift last year. Consensus is that they took an already overstyled car and overstyled it more. Leave it to Mitsubishi...
 
It all matters where you are at. Almost 50% of auto sales in the US are SUV's/Trucks. Surprizingly alot of them are the good gas milage kind too. Only about 2% of all US vehicles have a diesle engine (except Big Rigs or Lorry's to some of you). Here in Va Beach we have a mix. Trucks, SUV's, sports sedans, coupes, imports you name it. Probably because alot of people here have alot of money. The land here (if you buy a house) is expensive (sort of) so if you can afford that alot can afford a BMW. I live in Bukner Farms (one of those communities with the big houses that alternate as you go down the street :lol: ). I took a lap around the village (Stallian Village of BF, which is very big I might add, and I had to walk :irked: ). Around 5 out of 7 driveways have more than one car. 2.5 of those driveways had SUV's. There are alot of sportscars as well. Two houses down there is a 350Z, another house down a BMW (dont know model). It matters where you are at. The reason for the discontinuation of the Camaro was not many were being bought due to the SUV craze. I dont think the SUV thing is a Fad. It will evolve a little though to a little smaller SUV's like Jeep Liberties and Blazers but there will still be plenty of the bigger ones.

To answer you other question TVR's are pretty rare here, mostly because not many people would know about them and the fact that you would not only have to pay for the car but the shipping fee to get it here. Plus automakers cant always sell their cars here, even if they wanted. You have to worry about emissions, road saftey standards, ect. The Skyline was denied sale in the US because of emissions. Another fact is Japan will usually give us the watered down versions of their cars and Europe will usually keep the better ones for themselves, though this is not always true as Japan automakers are seeing a better market for their sports cars here (mostly due to the GT series), and more people are getting more money so they can afford the BMW's and Porche's. We just need to trade more. We have around 30 years of Oil reserves left in the Middle east and more around the world. We might find a way to get the same power using other fuels as well, and it might not be as different as today. I personally dont like electric vehicles or hybrid electrics. I dont mind Hydrogen powered cars as you can get some good results with them...
 
Originally posted by thinkers
American cars just plain suck!!!!!!!!!!!
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Thanks for educating us. Your eleven exclamation marks clearly show how much thought you've put into your post, and it's also a good showing of evidence.
 
Originally posted by thinkers
American cars just plain suck!!!!!!!!!!!
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Cute, could you have come up with something a little more mature to post then just Amercian cars suck. If you threw in some justification to this, everyone would take this a little more seriously. What cars do you think are great? A rice burner? yeah cheap to maintain but when they break in America they are expensive to fix. Plus if you are a sport compact fan, the amount of money that you need to invest in your car to get it going fast would only cost a fraction of that in an American car. The Foreign truck market also does not hold anything compared to ours currently. Toyota is getting real close to american pick ups, but still not quite there. A few more years of development is needed.
 
Im not a big fan of pickups in general. I wouldnt mind having a Lightning. I like Fords the most, then GM (dodge on top), then the Tundra. Its a piece of work, and looks quite nice....and has good power as well.
 
Originally posted by Frustrated Palm
Shows you know nothing about cars :rolleyes:. I bet your 12 or 13...
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Should we have a poll on how old he or she is???? I'm betting 48 or 49
 
Originally posted by GTI-6
I hope this thread isnt taken the wrong way - im not critisising the cars/trucks people drive in America - more wondering what types of cars are popular in America - Do you see many european cars in the US - TVR's, Beemers, Land Rovers, Bentleys? - and how people in the US percieve these cars. Are they seen as slow? underpowered? boring? dull? compared to the American alternative.

[...]

So basically the questions im asking are how european and Japanese cars are percieved and seen by America as a whole and really i spose how common they are in amidst the pickups.
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To answer the first part of your question: Lots of Euro imports, and almost none. It depends on the location. The US is rather large, and the regions are quite different. For example, in the highly-urban New York City metro area, European and Japanese cars rather rule the roost. Euro cars are considered higher-end luxury cars, especially the actual luxury cas like the Mercedes S-class and BMW 7-series. Japanese imports are hot because they're cheap and easy to modify (see: Fast-and-Furious-idiot-generation).

In the mid-west and south, American cars (trucks & SUVs in particular) are popular. Mostly because Americans are a bunch of flag-waving bible-thumping homophobes ;) , but also because that area has a lot of farmland. Audi doesn't make any pickups, so they have low sales here. However, rumours of imports not being able to handle the "harsh conditions" are pure tripe.

As for how Americans perceive these cars (both Euro and Japanese.), it coincides with the locale. Upper-end makes like Bentley are consitently viewed as a billionaire's car. BMW's vary from "daily driver" in New York, to "some crap import" in Memphis. Honda has "high potential as a FWD dragster" in California, but "ricer junk" in Indianapolis.

The second part of the question is best answered by:
http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/

Whatever you see listed here is sold in the US. Popularity is inversely proportional to price. The only factor to consider is that SUVs are 50% of national sales. :-/
 
I've been in the auto repair business for thirty years. I'm an A.S.E. certified master technician with an advanced leval L1 diagnostics certificate. I have found that japanese cars are much easier to repair and have fewer chronic problems than their american counterparts. Japanese VCM's have a higher leval of on board diagnostic capabilities. German engineering far exceeds that of an american when it comes to autos. Japanese and German manufacturers also use high quality raw materials,i.e. steel , aluminum , wiring, electronics. When it comes to parts cost, yes you might pay a little more for an import part. But you get a quality product. The Bosch fuel injector, used in most european cars for years trouble free, was copied by General Motors. To make it a little cheaper they made it a lot cheaper. G.M. used inferior insulation on the coil windings , they tend to short out. I've replaced hundreds. Generally speaking foreign manufacturers pay closer attention to tolerances and fit and finish. Why are Porsches expensive? Because they are very close to being race ready. A mid eighties 944 turbo in excellent condition will cost about 10,000. It'll do 155 mph, and more importantly. it will also stop from that speed!! Try that in your $23,000 Pontiac. My personal vehicle is a 2000 Toyota Tundra. I can pull 7500 pounds,21 mpg, been up to the bumpers in snow and hav'nt been stuck yet. 4X4. Do that with your half ton Chevy.
 
Something to think about. Do you know that approx. 30% of your american cars are made up of foreign parts. The ones that don't go bad!
 
In hindsight, perhaps my first post was a bit brash. I apologize to anybody that I've offended or just plain pissed off. Next time I will think twice before I type. However, my opinion remains the same based on my life experience.
 

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