Posted on 01/10/2008 2:14:32 PM PST by WesternCulture
It might not come as a surprise to learn that the cars Britons own are smaller than the cars Americans drive or that Swedes favour safe, politically correct SAAB's and Volvo's.
But there's more to be said.
To begin with:
WHO'S RICH, WHO'S NOT?
- Swedes claim they enjoy the highest standard of living in the world and they also say poverty, in absolute terms, is extinct in their country. The income distribution is known for being extremely even.
If this really is true, how is it reflected in Swedish car consumption?
Furthermore, for the first time since the 19th century, Britons are now richer than Americans according to recent (nominal GDP/capita) statistics. Is this mirrored by British car sales?
Let's have a look at the 10 best selling cars in these three countries and classify each of them as either an "Economy", a "Standard", a "Premium" or a "Luxury" vehicle.
Quite arbitrarily, I decided on this categorization:
$0-15 000 = Economy, $15-25 000 = Standard, $25 000-35 000 = Premium, $35 000 and above = Luxury
(Some cars sold in Europe are not marketed in the US, but I've used the VW Rabbit/Golf, a car sold on both continents which just makes it into the "standard" category in the US, as a reference and checked how cars like the Vauxhall/Opel Astra are priced in the UK and Sweden compared to the Rabbit)
Top 10 best selling cars in Britain 2007:
1. Ford Focus (Economy), 2. Vauxhall Astra (Economy), 3. Ford Fiesta (Economy), 4. Vauxhall Corsa (Economy), 5. Volkswagen Golf (Standard), 6. Peugeot 207 (Economy), 7. BMW 3-Series (Premium), 8. Renault Megane (Standard), 9. Renault Clio (Economy), 10. Vauxhall Vectra (Standard)
Top 10 best selling cars in USA 2007:
1. Ford F-Series (Standard), 2. Chevrolet Silverado (Standard), 3. Toyota Camry (Standard), 4. Honda Accord (Standard), 5. Toyota Corolla/Matrix (Economy), 6. Honda Civic (Economy), 7. Chevrolet Impala (Standard), 8. Nissan Altima (Standard), 9. Dodge Ram (Standard), 10. Honda CR-V (Standard),
Top 10 best selling cars in Sweden 2007
1 Volvo V70 (Luxury) 2 SAAB 9−3 (Premium) 3 Volvo V50 (Premium) 4 SAAB 9−5 (Luxury) 5 VW Golf (Standard) 6 Ford Focus (Economy) 7 VW Passat (Standard) 8 Peugeot 307 (Standard) 9 Opel Astra (Economy) 10 Audi A4 (Premium)
Judging by these figures, Brits are poor, Swedes are rich and Americans are somewhere inbetween. But although it's difficult to deny that Britons drive less impressive vehicles than Swedes and Americans, it's not that easy when it comes to comparing Swedes and Americans. Americans go for large cars/trucks that consume a lot of gas. Swedes can afford expensive cars, but one could also argue that they can't afford real gas-guzzlers. If big is better, you'd be better off in the US than in Sweden.
But there is one circumstance that is even more striking. According to the statistics above, income is in fact MORE evenly distributed in the US than in "Socialist" Britain. The wide differences in what cars people drive suggests that the country with the least even distribution of income is, in fact, "Ultra-Socialist" Sweden! According to the list above, 1 out of 5 Swedes are poor (and the the vast, well-off Swedish middle class can't afford gas).
Next topic:
NATIONALISM?
Britons are said to loathe and despise everything French. This might be the case, with two big exceptions: Peugeots and Renaults. In Britain, they are viewed as well designed, priceworthy and reliable.
Internationally, Americans are often thought of as very patriotic and not seldom isolationist. However, that doesn't stop them from supporting foreign car manufacturers. 6 of the 10 best selling cars in the US are Japanese products.
Swedes often shake their heads in bewilderment when they are confronted with the ways in which other nations celebrate themselves. But Swedes are actually more patriotic in the field of car consumption than many other people. The four best selling cars in Sweden all have very strong national ties (although Volvo Cars today is owned by Ford and SAAB Automotive is a part of GM).
Finally:
WHO DARES TO BE DIFFERENT?
In Britain, there's a certain type of individual that everyone hates; the snob. He is either a polo-playing, upper class, inbred, stiff upper lip, retarded aristocrat or an arrogant, rich, successful, self made man. In both cases he drives a BMW. At least by today he does. Jaguars etc are a thing of the past. Despite the fact that millions of Brits daily vent their spleen upon these reprehensible individuals, they just won't go away. In fact, if the trend continues, BMW will one day be the best selling car in Britain!
The United States of America, they say, is the stronghold of individualism and freedom of choice. That might be the case in many areas, but few Americans choose cars that really stand out in a crowd according to statistics. Either they go for a Japanese mainstream car, or an American one.
Swedes pride themselves with being the most environmentally concerned of all Europeans, yet they drive the most polluting cars throughout the continent. A Volvo V70 might not consume gas in amounts anywhere near a Silverado, but compared to the cars Britons drive it is an environmental villain.
In conclusion, the cars we drive don't tell everything about us, but to some extent they might reveal unexpected aspects of our (national) mentalities and lifestyles.
SOURCES
British car sales 2007:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_10_bes ... itain#2007
American car sales 2007:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/industry/best-and-worst-selling-vehicles-of-2007/
Swedish car sales 2007:
http://www.bilsweden.se/files/topplistaokt07.pdf
I’ve got two F150 pickups and an S-10 extended cab sitting in my driveway.
They are all japs apparently
Correction:
British car sales 2007:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_10_best_selling_cars_in_Britain#2007
“I’ve got two F150 pickups and an S-10 extended cab sitting in my driveway.”
- That’s not bad!
What’ll be the next car you buy?
Which would be great if we British could do all our shopping in America. And pay our taxes in Antarctica :0)
As cripplecreek implicitly noted, it is common for Americans to own multiple cars. We own three, with one of them my two-seater (inconvenient for family purposes) and one used as a backup if the other two are unavailable.
Got my F-150 in the driveway
Actually its and S-15 but the next car I buy will probably be another used American car.
Wow.
You put a lot of time into that and I am not sure what you are trying to say.
1. Swedes are socialist and therefore drive nicer cars? Socialism does actually work.
2. Americans are practical and average but free?
3. Europeans make more money than us but drive throw away reaper traps?
No offense. It’s an interesting analysis.
All we’ve driven for the past 20 years are SAABS. Currently we have a 9-5 wagon, a 9-3 ‘vert’, and an ancient 900T. Been the best cars we’ve ever had.
Waaaaaaay back we had Fords, Mercuries, International’s, Chevy’s, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, and Chryslers.
We’ll stick with our SAAB’s.
“Which would be great if we British could do all our shopping in America. And pay our taxes in Antarctica :0)”
- Britons are richer than Americans only on a theoretical level. The cost of living in Britain is higher than in the US. In Sweden, wages seem attractive to most people (but they’re even higher in Norway, Iceland and Denmark). However, in order to really benefit from the ‘Swedish Model’ you have to live there for a long time and raise a family in there to really benefit from all the government goodies. The system is very much designed to benefit families at the expense of singles (which in many ways is good, but still there are too few Vikings being born many would say).
Concerning Britain being richer than the US (from BBC):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7174372.stm
You must have a large driveway, sir.
My philosophy on cars is to let some other poor slob buy the car new, break it in for me and take it in the shorts on the depreciation. I buy it gently used and never pay anywhere near blue book. Based on the article, if you count what the cars cost new, three of our vehicles would be standard and our Dodge Ram pickup with the Cummons Turbo Diesel would be luxury. Imagine that!
2005 Dodge Grand Caravan w/ 6-disc changer, automatic doors, DVD player and Stow n’ Go seating.
It’s basically an apartment on wheels.
The smallest vehicle in my driveway has the largest engine - 2004 Pontiac GTO with a 6.0L V-8. The other one is a Chevy Avalanche with a 5.5L V-8 surrounded by 3 tons of Detroit Iron.
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