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> I've never seen an American-style SUV in Western Europe I was actually thinking about these SUVs this morning, as their were two Cadillac Escalades [0] park

> I've never seen an American-style SUV in Western Europe I was actually thinking about these SUVs this morning, as their were two Cadillac Escalades [0] parked on my block in central Stockholm as I walked my kid to school. The town is *full* of these types of vehicles (there are even full-size Hummers driving around). The "EU" can't be characterized in this uniform way - the different countries are totally unlike each other in so many respects. Because Sweden is part of Scandinavia, people often think there's a cycling culture here for instance - but that's also totally untrue. The same is true of our gun-crime - with criminal gangs frequently shooting each other on the streets: such a thing was virtually unknown to me throughout the time I lived in central London. The true picture is way more nuanced than the Europe vs USA binary that people like to imagine. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Escalade https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Escalade

arethuza 5y ago
What I've noticed in the UK is that large SUVs are far more common in wealthy areas of cities than they are in rural areas.
- vidarh 5y ago
  In London at least they're often referred to as "Chelsea tractors" (Chelsea being one of the wealthiest parts of London)., and you're entirely correct according to this article[1]. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/07/stereotype-of-chelsea-tractor-reflects-reality-of-urban-suv-sales-says-report https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/07/stereoty...
ploek 5y ago
I guess it's always a question of perspective. Coming from Germany, there definitely is _more_ of a cycling culture in Sweden than in Germany. The cycling infrastructure is better and better maintained (snow plowing, etc.). Of course that is also a generalization, as the differences can be big within a country as well. (My frame of reference for Sweden is mostly Uppsala) But the noticeable presence of SUV and even Pickup models I usually associate with the US in Sweden also surprised me. Those are rare in Germany.

arethuza 5y ago

What I've noticed in the UK is that large SUVs are far more common in wealthy areas of cities than they are in rural areas.

vidarh 5y ago
In London at least they're often referred to as "Chelsea tractors" (Chelsea being one of the wealthiest parts of London)., and you're entirely correct according to this article[1]. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/07/stereotype-of-chelsea-tractor-reflects-reality-of-urban-suv-sales-says-report https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/07/stereoty...

ploek 5y ago

I guess it's always a question of perspective. Coming from Germany, there definitely is _more_ of a cycling culture in Sweden than in Germany. The cycling infrastructure is better and better maintained (snow plowing, etc.). Of course that is also a generalization, as the differences can be big within a country as well. (My frame of reference for Sweden is mostly Uppsala) But the noticeable presence of SUV and even Pickup models I usually associate with the US in Sweden also surprised me. Those are rare in Germany.