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Middle class cars at aimed at different needs than highend cars. A highend car like a Ferrari may aim at image and performance solely and not consider how that

Middle class cars at aimed at different needs than highend cars. A highend car like a Ferrari may aim at image and performance solely and not consider how that car would handle/drive in adverse conditions like snow or concerns for MPG. Most middle class cars are highly optimized shape wise for MPG as well as handling all types of road and weather which is why tires on performance cars look so different than middle class cars, because their goals are completely different. Cars like Hyundai are building their own brands based on great technology, reliability, strong MGP etc. If they attempted to simply through that out the window and look like a ferrari, they would lose their core customer base and also not attract ferrari's customer base because they don't want a something lat looks similar on the outside but has lawn mower on the inside.

markbnj 10y ago
This is a good answer. It boils down to what you're paying for. My dad was a suspension and steering engineer at General Motors years ago, and he impressed upon me the number of evolutions these designs go through. The current shape of a standard "middle class car" is highly optimized to give the best trade-off between aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, interior capacity, structural strength, etc. That's what a typical middle class buyer wants to pay for. A Ferrari is entirely optimized to look hot and go fast, and makes a huge number of concessions to those goals. Just try using one as a daily driver and grocery hauler and you'll see why few people do that.
- eatbitseveryday 10y ago
  > A Ferrari is entirely optimized to look hot and go fast, and makes a huge number of concessions to those goals. Just try using one as a daily driver and grocery hauler and you'll see why few people do that. But then there are sports cars that are meant as daily drivers, like the BMW M5. The former CTO of Intel said he owns one and uses it as such.
  - Analemma_ 10y ago
    Sure, but this thread is about "middle-class cars", which the M5 definitely is not.
    - quietplatypus 10y ago
      With depreciation and older m5 models, you could definitely fit the initial and maintenance costs of a m5 into a middle class budget.
  - pjc50 10y ago
    The M5 is visually very similar to the rest of the 5-series, though. A Ferrari is instantly identifiable even if you can't see the badge and don't really know cars - a low wedge thing is either a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. An M5 looks like any other large BMW saloon.
  - rifung 10y ago
    The M5 makes the same tradeoffs but in a different way. It takes a very good sedan and makes it even better. But, there's no question that it would be even better to drive if it wasn't limited to being able to comfortable seat 5 people or fit golf clubs. We might still even have a lovely NA motor like in the E60 =[ Also I don't think the M5 is actually a sports car? I mean don't get me wrong, it's completely awesome and I would absolutely love to have one, but it's also nearly 4400 pounds and a sedan. Origins of the term "sports car": http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28225/sports-car-definition/ http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28225/sports-car-de...
  - nunez 10y ago
    The M5 is meant to be a fast daily driver, so that makes sense
  - Spooky23 10y ago
    Ferraris are reflections of their owners. If you're actually driving one to work every day, the point of that exercise is to let the world know that you're the alpha ape. BMW 5 series is the Accord for rich people. An M5 is your "I like cars" model.
jessriedel 10y ago
The emphasis on MPG is driven by regulation, not consumer choice. Auto manufacturers are required to satisfy fleet-average MPG requirements that have continuously risen over years. Most low- and mid-hanging engine efficiency improvements have been picked, so drag reduction is just about all that's left. This is why the large bulk of modern cars all look like identical eggs even though consumers would pay for non-egg cars in the absence of regulation, and don't understand why cars look so much more boring than a few decades ago. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Econo...
- eru 10y ago
  Isn't that an American-only regulation?
  - jessriedel 10y ago
    Europe has similar regulation of fleet-wide efficiency. http://www.unep.org/transport/gfei/autotool/case_studies/europe/cs_eu_0.asp http://www.unep.org/transport/gfei/autotool/case_studies/eur... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/07/eu-states-call-tough-car-fuel-efficiency-targets https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/07/eu-state...
cityhall 10y ago
That explains why you don't see track-inspired designs but not why you don't see cheap clones of Bentleys and higher end Mercedes. Hyundai actually seemed to break with convention a few years ago and make their cheap cars resemble more expensive competitors, presumably because they didn't have anything in that market to devalue.

markbnj 10y ago

This is a good answer. It boils down to what you're paying for. My dad was a suspension and steering engineer at General Motors years ago, and he impressed upon me the number of evolutions these designs go through. The current shape of a standard "middle class car" is highly optimized to give the best trade-off between aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, interior capacity, structural strength, etc. That's what a typical middle class buyer wants to pay for. A Ferrari is entirely optimized to look hot and go fast, and makes a huge number of concessions to those goals. Just try using one as a daily driver and grocery hauler and you'll see why few people do that.

eatbitseveryday 10y ago
> A Ferrari is entirely optimized to look hot and go fast, and makes a huge number of concessions to those goals. Just try using one as a daily driver and grocery hauler and you'll see why few people do that. But then there are sports cars that are meant as daily drivers, like the BMW M5. The former CTO of Intel said he owns one and uses it as such.
- Analemma_ 10y ago
  Sure, but this thread is about "middle-class cars", which the M5 definitely is not.
  - quietplatypus 10y ago
    With depreciation and older m5 models, you could definitely fit the initial and maintenance costs of a m5 into a middle class budget.
- pjc50 10y ago
  The M5 is visually very similar to the rest of the 5-series, though. A Ferrari is instantly identifiable even if you can't see the badge and don't really know cars - a low wedge thing is either a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. An M5 looks like any other large BMW saloon.
- rifung 10y ago
  The M5 makes the same tradeoffs but in a different way. It takes a very good sedan and makes it even better. But, there's no question that it would be even better to drive if it wasn't limited to being able to comfortable seat 5 people or fit golf clubs. We might still even have a lovely NA motor like in the E60 =[ Also I don't think the M5 is actually a sports car? I mean don't get me wrong, it's completely awesome and I would absolutely love to have one, but it's also nearly 4400 pounds and a sedan. Origins of the term "sports car": http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28225/sports-car-definition/ http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28225/sports-car-de...
- nunez 10y ago
  The M5 is meant to be a fast daily driver, so that makes sense
- Spooky23 10y ago
  Ferraris are reflections of their owners. If you're actually driving one to work every day, the point of that exercise is to let the world know that you're the alpha ape. BMW 5 series is the Accord for rich people. An M5 is your "I like cars" model.

jessriedel 10y ago

The emphasis on MPG is driven by regulation, not consumer choice. Auto manufacturers are required to satisfy fleet-average MPG requirements that have continuously risen over years. Most low- and mid-hanging engine efficiency improvements have been picked, so drag reduction is just about all that's left. This is why the large bulk of modern cars all look like identical eggs even though consumers would pay for non-egg cars in the absence of regulation, and don't understand why cars look so much more boring than a few decades ago. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Econo...

eru 10y ago
Isn't that an American-only regulation?
- jessriedel 10y ago
  Europe has similar regulation of fleet-wide efficiency. http://www.unep.org/transport/gfei/autotool/case_studies/europe/cs_eu_0.asp http://www.unep.org/transport/gfei/autotool/case_studies/eur... https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/07/eu-states-call-tough-car-fuel-efficiency-targets https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/07/eu-state...

cityhall 10y ago

That explains why you don't see track-inspired designs but not why you don't see cheap clones of Bentleys and higher end Mercedes. Hyundai actually seemed to break with convention a few years ago and make their cheap cars resemble more expensive competitors, presumably because they didn't have anything in that market to devalue.