5 ms·

Whats the reason for the percentage of American brands being lower in the Bay Area, NYC, etc.? Do wealthy areas just prefer imports or is there more to it?

by Shengbo 11y ago

furyg3 11y ago
My guess would be: compact cars are more desired in very urban areas for many reasons (size when parking, fuel efficiency in an area where it is more expensive); less trucks (truck workhorses are overwhelmingly American); and a higher concentration of rich people so more German imports.
- Shengbo 11y ago
  I totally forgot about gas prices. Looks like some of these trucks can consume >15l/100km. I guess it only makes sense that we don't have them in Europe. Especially with recent emission regulations, downsizing, etc.
pionar 11y ago
Pickup trucks. The #1 selling vehicles in the US year after year are pickup trucks. Those aren't really needed or desired (due to size) in places like NYC and SF. In the midwest, however, Pickup trucks are everywhere. In my suburban Detroit neighborhood, looking outside, probably half of the houses have a truck parked in the driveway. I'm thinking of getting one soon. I don't usually have a need for one, but a small old S-10 (Chevy) or Ranger (Ford) would be handy sometimes. It was the same when I lived in Indiana. I was in the minority driving a sedan. American trucks outsell the foreign competitors handily, though Toyota is catching up with the Tundra.
alistairSH 11y ago
I don't have any hard research, but I suspect it is mostly style and ego. BMWs are generally perceived as higher status and more stylish than Cadillacs. Edit - I speaking mostly of cars and middle-weight SUVs. Pickup trucks, as noted in a sibling, might skew the rural areas back to the domestic end of the spectrum. Part of that is a history of poorly constructed domestic cars (relative to Japanese imports, anyway). My personal experience bears this out... My most reliable car to date is a Lexus RX330. I owned a used Miata that was better than average. And a used Pontiac sedan that needed a new engine at 75,000 miles. I currently drive a Wrangler, and have my fingers crossed that it proves Americans can build reliable cars. Time will tell.
- linksnapzz 11y ago
  Hooboy...not exactly the vehicle I'd pick as an exemplar of domestic mfr. attention to assembly detail. It used to be that the bits on a Wrangler (or CJ-5, CJ-7 etc.) that were made out of steel or iron would be reliable; the rest of it-well, pray that it was built on a Wednesday.
  - alistairSH 11y ago
    I hear ya... but I wanted a 4-seat convertible. Of the options, it seemed like the best bet (BMWs seem plagued with annoying gremlins, Chrysler - no thanks, etc).
    - linksnapzz 11y ago
      Yeah, that's a tough one. The intersection set of (mfr. w/ quality reputation) && (mfr of 4-seat convertibles) has been getting smaller and smaller, at least in the US. On the bright side, Wranglers tend to be bought by owners who know what they are in for, and intend to keep their vehicle, hence their anomalously (for a relatively low-priced domestic vehicle) excellent resale value. They're not being made for the two-year lease crowd, which IMO has led to so much derangement in the execution of many new cars.
      - alistairSH 11y ago
        relatively low-priced My wallet laughs at this assertion! Chrysler plays the upgrades game very well in the Jeep line (and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker). Sure, you can buy a base Wrangler X for around $20k. But, it's really easy to option them up to BMW territory. My only defense is at least spending the money on factory upgrades gets me a factory warranty, unlike similar upgrades sourced from Quadratec.
organsnyder 11y ago
My guess is that people there have less connection to the Detroit 3. I live in Grand Rapids, which is second only to Detroit in their list for having the highest percentage of American brands, and I got a few sideways glances when I purchased my Civic (even though it was manufactured in Indiana). Like any other Michigan resident, I have quite a few acquaintances that are somehow connected to the auto industry. Also, I know that GM gives out some pretty good discounts for their employees, which they can share with family. I'm assuming that other brands are similar.
jcl 11y ago
One thing that I didn't know prior to moving to California is that if your car meets certain specifications, it gets a sticker that allows you to drive in diamond lanes (carpool lanes), regardless of the number of passengers. I imagine that this, combined with foreign brands' early investment in hybrids, is a factor in the popularity of foreign brands in California, at least.
- PirateDave 11y ago
  I almost bought a Prius for this exact reason a couple of years ago. Unfortunately(?) the emissions requirements is now limited to electric or plug-in hybrid models now.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

Whats the reason for the percentage of American brands being lower in the Bay Area, NYC, etc.? Do wealthy areas just prefer imports or is there more to it?

by Shengbo 11y ago

Whats the reason for the percentage of American brands being lower in the Bay Area, NYC, etc.? Do wealthy areas just prefer imports or is there more to it?

furyg3 11y ago

My guess would be: compact cars are more desired in very urban areas for many reasons (size when parking, fuel efficiency in an area where it is more expensive); less trucks (truck workhorses are overwhelmingly American); and a higher concentration of rich people so more German imports.

Shengbo 11y ago
I totally forgot about gas prices. Looks like some of these trucks can consume >15l/100km. I guess it only makes sense that we don't have them in Europe. Especially with recent emission regulations, downsizing, etc.

pionar 11y ago

Pickup trucks. The #1 selling vehicles in the US year after year are pickup trucks. Those aren't really needed or desired (due to size) in places like NYC and SF. In the midwest, however, Pickup trucks are everywhere. In my suburban Detroit neighborhood, looking outside, probably half of the houses have a truck parked in the driveway. I'm thinking of getting one soon. I don't usually have a need for one, but a small old S-10 (Chevy) or Ranger (Ford) would be handy sometimes. It was the same when I lived in Indiana. I was in the minority driving a sedan. American trucks outsell the foreign competitors handily, though Toyota is catching up with the Tundra.

alistairSH 11y ago

I don't have any hard research, but I suspect it is mostly style and ego. BMWs are generally perceived as higher status and more stylish than Cadillacs. Edit - I speaking mostly of cars and middle-weight SUVs. Pickup trucks, as noted in a sibling, might skew the rural areas back to the domestic end of the spectrum. Part of that is a history of poorly constructed domestic cars (relative to Japanese imports, anyway). My personal experience bears this out... My most reliable car to date is a Lexus RX330. I owned a used Miata that was better than average. And a used Pontiac sedan that needed a new engine at 75,000 miles. I currently drive a Wrangler, and have my fingers crossed that it proves Americans can build reliable cars. Time will tell.

linksnapzz 11y ago
Hooboy...not exactly the vehicle I'd pick as an exemplar of domestic mfr. attention to assembly detail. It used to be that the bits on a Wrangler (or CJ-5, CJ-7 etc.) that were made out of steel or iron would be reliable; the rest of it-well, pray that it was built on a Wednesday.
- alistairSH 11y ago
  I hear ya... but I wanted a 4-seat convertible. Of the options, it seemed like the best bet (BMWs seem plagued with annoying gremlins, Chrysler - no thanks, etc).
  - linksnapzz 11y ago
    Yeah, that's a tough one. The intersection set of (mfr. w/ quality reputation) && (mfr of 4-seat convertibles) has been getting smaller and smaller, at least in the US. On the bright side, Wranglers tend to be bought by owners who know what they are in for, and intend to keep their vehicle, hence their anomalously (for a relatively low-priced domestic vehicle) excellent resale value. They're not being made for the two-year lease crowd, which IMO has led to so much derangement in the execution of many new cars.
    - alistairSH 11y ago
      relatively low-priced My wallet laughs at this assertion! Chrysler plays the upgrades game very well in the Jeep line (and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker). Sure, you can buy a base Wrangler X for around $20k. But, it's really easy to option them up to BMW territory. My only defense is at least spending the money on factory upgrades gets me a factory warranty, unlike similar upgrades sourced from Quadratec.

organsnyder 11y ago

My guess is that people there have less connection to the Detroit 3. I live in Grand Rapids, which is second only to Detroit in their list for having the highest percentage of American brands, and I got a few sideways glances when I purchased my Civic (even though it was manufactured in Indiana). Like any other Michigan resident, I have quite a few acquaintances that are somehow connected to the auto industry. Also, I know that GM gives out some pretty good discounts for their employees, which they can share with family. I'm assuming that other brands are similar.

jcl 11y ago

One thing that I didn't know prior to moving to California is that if your car meets certain specifications, it gets a sticker that allows you to drive in diamond lanes (carpool lanes), regardless of the number of passengers. I imagine that this, combined with foreign brands' early investment in hybrids, is a factor in the popularity of foreign brands in California, at least.

PirateDave 11y ago
I almost bought a Prius for this exact reason a couple of years ago. Unfortunately(?) the emissions requirements is now limited to electric or plug-in hybrid models now.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]