American Car’s Observation 04 21 2011

  American Car’s Observation 04 21 2011

I went for a drive in my car today and made an interesting observation regarding cars.  I looked at the symmetry of various cars and noticed that most German made cars are all of their best designs.  They do not have too many low end models to choose from.  This helps keep their brand image high.  And allows them to get more money for a car.

The United States car companies have always had a different approach and that has been to produce low end models.  What happened to the United States car companies, they were bailed out by the taxpayer.  And what else happened all you see on the road today regarding American cars are low end model cars of terrible design.  Why should you have to pay more to buy a car that is designed to symmetry?  Shouldn’t all American made cars have symmetry?  What has these low end cars of poor design done for the American made car market?  They have eliminated the market for more expensive American made cars and United States customers associate the American brand with low end cars and the foreign brands with high end cars.  You cannot tell me that it cost any more to produce a car that is designed to symmetry than one that isn’t.  What also does this serve to do to the American made car image; all these little junk cars with dents in them look like they were made to be disposable and not to last.  The German made cars at least look like they were styled to be around for awhile.

Does this difference in market for American made cars help to solidify and create a class structure in the United States; I would have to say that it does.  Would the United States be in better shape demographically if this class structure was not created via such a difference in aesthetics between models of cars?  I would have to argue that is true.  In other words if every American car sold met a higher aesthetic standard might the American image be raised?  Might more American cars be sold if they all looked good?  Wouldn’t it cost less to focus harder and make fewer models that are better?  If you got this aspect right you would indeed save costs.  The designers would argue that is a hit or miss approach, in terms of whether the design will be popular or not, but how come that is not the case with German made cars?

If all American made cars were of a higher standard would the American car buyer have a greater respect for the American car brand?  How many times do you hear an American car buyer state they are proud to buy an American car.  What kind of cars do they brag about buying?  The bragging rights do not go to American cars by the braggers.

And one final point, we drove by a Chevrolet Malibu today and the car was one of the best designed cars on the road.  And me and my passenger both said to each other how do you get rid of that Chevron on the back?  For some reason the quality sports car image that I have developed with the Camaro and Corvette does not transfer to their Chevrolet line of sedan type cars.  What do I think of when I think of Chevrolet?  I think of clothe seats and cheap parts that break off in your hand, odd fitting seats. And what else do I think? Everybody who sees me in one of these will say he couldn’t afford the Buick.  If you bought the Chevrolet Malibu what could you place over that Chevron in the back after you chisel it off?  Some kind of custom emblem.  How about the fighting lion from the Murphy coat of Arms.  Now there is a concept for Chevrolet.  You buy a Chevrolet and you get to put on your own custom emblem or get to choose.  In effect you get to personalize your car with your own brand.  I think they would sell one mores Fighting Lions cars than Chevrolet Malibu.  When I think of Malibu I think of some Barbie doll blonde haired woman or I also sometimes think of that obstacle course show where they all had those idiot California names and shot at contestants with a tennis ball repeating cannon.

Now sometimes a brand image is more prevalent with an older generation.  But I would have to say that the brand image of older generations is passed to younger generations in the same way story telling is.  In other words, you cannot age your way out of a bad brand image.  But you can revitalize an aged brand image that was good and now gone, for example Polaris recent announcement today that it is buying the Indian Motorcycle brand from whomever owns it.   What models do the American car makers have that they can dust off and reuse that was considered better quality?

Thomas Paul Murphy

Copyright 2011 Thomas Paul Murphy

Originally published on 04 21 2011 at: www.themilwaukeeandwisconsinnews.com