3 ms·
Nobody wanted cars like the Saab 900 by the mid 1990s. Volvo did away with the boxy design and started catering to a different demographic. Mercedes stopped pro
by bluetomcat 7y ago
Nobody wanted cars like the Saab 900 by the mid 1990s. Volvo did away with the boxy design and started catering to a different demographic. Mercedes stopped producing Panzerwagens like the W140 and vault-like vehicles such as the W124. Handling and design were prioritised over long-term durability and build quality.
It is still a cultural matter, but a one that pertains to the tastes of car buyers in general.
- linksnapzz 7y ago"Handling and design" and "long term durability and build quality" are pretty orthogonal. The 900 and Volvo 240/7x0/9x0 were old designs by the '90s; a mechanical refresh was neccesary even if the styling was to remain largely unchanged.
- bluetomcat 7y ago> a mechanical refresh was necessary even if the styling was to remain largely unchanged No, a mechanical refresh only would not be sufficient. At the time, the styling of a Saab 900 or a Volvo 850 would look hideously outdated next to more modern German contemporaries like the first Mercedes CLK or an E39 5-series. They needed to rethink and redesign the layout of the car for the new era, rather than come up with mechanically-revised 1970s throwbacks.
- linksnapzz 7y agoI'm sure that post '95 Saabs and Volvos also became more streamlined due to the demands of aerodynamic optimization. As for styling...de gustibus non est disputandum. I happen to like the squared-off Bruno Sacco era Mercedes look; it has the additional advantage of being a car that you can see out of. Many of the newer "modern, contemporary" European cars, to say nothing of the American ones, are claustrophobic rolling pillboxes in comparison.