Why is germany leading the poll? Maybe because I am used to seeing lots of them every day, but I find the design and styling of almost every german manufacturer dull and boring.
All technology and built quality aside, I want a car that I like. And the look and feel of a car is the thing that hooks me first. And there's no current german car that's making my senses tickle in a way that even a Fiat 500 does.
BMW, Mercedes, VW and Audi seem to have some sort of secret bet going on, whoever can sell the most generic and dull 4-door saloon and still be profitable wins. Turn the car into a succesful SUV and you rake bonus points.
"But," you say "what about the R8?" Let's start with the TT first. It's design is a cross breed between a Beetle and a Leopard II. The R8 is a TT on Meth. What's up with this silly painted sideblade, who's idea was this, and how can he be made responsible for his sins?
"But, but," you say "at least BMW M-Line cars are nice!" Back in the middle ages, once a witch was tortured in the most humilating way: Her eyelids where fixed, so that she could not close them, and then she was confronted with the ugliest and deformed horses her torturer could find. After a while she got used to the looks of these poor creatures, and started to like them. Struggling with ideas, the torturer came up with a brilliant idea! He fed the horses with the fattest sausages and pretzels of the kingdom, and the horses farts became more frequent, and in a torturing kind of way more
let's say powerful. After the UN was found in 1948, these ways of torture were deemed illegal and thus banned. But somewhere, in the distant kingdom of Bavaria, the tradition is still alive and executed.
And for Porsche
I don't get the hype. They are recycling the 911 design since decades, and since the early 90s they have been heavily toyotarising their components and manufacturing process. Now they are "innovating" their lineup with SUVs and a stretch-limo 911 with 4 doors, every new car they present is uglier than the last one. The only Porsche I could drive around without being embarresed about myself is 25 years old.
I voted Italy. Concerning styling and design they have hits (458, Alfa 8C) and misses (I tried to unsee the Multipla, I really did), but at least the don't drown in their own mediocrity.
