That’s obviously an exaggeration, but why don’t manufacturers of basic cars just put a fancy-looking exterior onto them? Aren’t you mainly paying for the engine and electrics and upholstery and sound system with fancy cars? Why is it (seemingly) only Lamborghini and Ferrari that look like Lamborghini and Ferrari? Is chassis manufacturing more difficult than it seems to a numbnut like me? I assume it’s just pressing sheets of metal into a mould, so I’m probably way off the mark.
It’s like when you see a computer mouse that’s named something like GamerStealth eXtreme Zero Pro, and it’s the worst piece of shit you’ve ever used but looks like it came from Area 51. Same for PC cases, actually. Alienware rigs look a million percent better than they actually are. Why is this not also the case for cars?
Full disclosure: I know nothing about cars. I just know that when I see a fancy car, and check the make, it’s BMW or something high end, and when I see a pygmy hippo lookin’ motherfucker, it’s made by one of those “buy one, get one free” type manufacturers that appeal to meth head soccer moms. And by “fancy” I don’t even mean “luxury”, just obviously high quality. Most BMWs and Rolls-Royce don’t look like spaceships, but they nevertheless look really impressive. Again, I need to stress that I know nothing about cars.
Cheers!
why don’t manufacturers of basic cars just put a fancy-looking exterior onto them?
They do. This is exactly what Hyundai does for the Genesis brand.
I didn’t know I wanted to slap a Lamborghini-style chassis onto a lawnmower, but now I do.
I never want to look like something a cop will pay attention to. Better high performance in a boring sedan shell.
Is chassis manufacturing more difficult than it seems
Yes, I remember watching a video explaining how the bend on the side of an Audi differs between cheaper and more expensive models due to ease of manufacturing. That makes intuitive sense too: a nicely carved stick is more valuable and takes more time to make than one that’s simply had the bark removed. The body design of a Lamborghini is orders of magnitude more elaborate than that of a VW Golf so ofcourse it’s going to also cost much more.
I dont know if you are talking about this one by bsport. But it is one of the most enlightening video about cars that i ever saw.
More expensive car have sharper bends that cannot be replicated on a cheaper car. This is especially true when you compare a commercial van to a nice car.
Oh wow, that explains why so many of the new Audis look worse than they used to!
Cheaper cars have been taking design cues from supercars for at least a couple decades
I would argue that it is already the case that cheap cars look and perform excellently, compared with cars produced fifty years ago. They are more reliable, economical, comfortable, higher performance, superior in virtually every respect.
The other factor to consider is the use case. Something like a Ferrari is not reliable compared to a VW Golf, it sucks at carrying passengers and cargo, terrible fuel economy, it is horrible value for money and inferior in most ways apart from one - compensating for a small penis. That is its chief purpose and it is supremely well crafted for this use case.
Source: automotive engineer of 25 years.
In order words cheap cars = big penis , expensive cars = small penis.
Car companies hate this one trick.
I would argue that it is already the case that cheap cars look and perform excellently, compared with cars produced fifty years ago.
50 years? Try 30 and even 20 could be argued.
I would not argue against that. Two steps forward and one back is usually how it goes with technology. Reliability is the problem that has only been achieved relatively recently. I remember a time when the hard shoulder was full of stalled vehicles. Japanese cars from the 70s and 80s were notably inferior to their competitors. We’ve come a long way in making this technology polished and affordable to the masses. Now the science shows us it is contributing to climate change and we have a new challenge. So it goes.
Isn’t that what Scion does?
Car designers trade off style, aerodynamics, cost of design work, and cost of manufacturing (and a lot of other things, not all I’m aware of). If you want an economy car you trade things off differently, you take the first design that meets your needs instead of tweaking the design for perfection.
I’m the opposite: I find it increasingly harder to distinguish car makers just from looking at the car (without seeing the logo of course). They all look snazzy.
I just know that when I see a fancy car, and check the make, it’s BMW or something high end, and when I see a pygmy hippo lookin’ motherfucker, it’s made by one of those “buy one, get one free” type manufacturers that appeal to meth head soccer moms.
First of all, car manufacturers invest A LOT of resources into evoking that specific reaction in (potential) customers.
And I don’t like your attitude towards people who have less money than you.
Go to a junk yard and look around the import section. Without a front bumper, it can be very hard to tell what make a car is.
Some companies spend a lot of money on market research and trying to get ahead of trends (Mercedes Benz, Honda, Toyota) some companies disregard common sense and do what they want (Alfa, The French in general) and cheaper brands dont waste the money on price point cars. Its not an Iron clad rule but people buy a german to project wealth, you buy other euros to project style, you buy Honda and Toyota for reliability. You buy a Nissan Altima because they will finance you, you buy a Chinese car because you arent keeping it past warranty expiry anyway.
As to what sets them apart. Little things like painted brake calipers, the quality of the badging, the texture on the plastic interior, little trim pieces that stop you seeing any of the interior workings, the windscreen wipers looking “chunky”. Wheels and stance also play a large part of the image. Wide wheels simply look more expensive, as do lower profile tyres.
Then things get a little more tactile, the dull thump when you shut the door over the higher pitched clank, the thickness of the interior plastics and number of fasteners making the interior feel sturdier even though you cant see the difference, the sensation of the indicators being put on, the UI on the touchscreen…
Prestige brands also dont do trim level names/badges very often. They like letters and numbers like 330i M-Sport or c65 AMG. Lexus followed suit with the LS400. They WANT you to say “Yeah, I got the Touring package” or “I bought the AMG sports pack” and they know their owners want to do it too.
Lexus models work like (2 letter body style)(size of engine). My IS250 is identical to the same model year IS300 or IS500, the only difference is my 2.5L engine. Their main trim level upgrade is f-sport.
They want to “reserve”
featureslooks and styles for expensive cars to make you upgrade.I think our 2021 Honda Civic Sport looks pretty fancy. No one is going to mistake it for a Ferrari, but I think it’s pretty hot for the price.
I also wouldn’t fit in any real sports car anyway.
That counts as an expensive car in my opinion
If you make a Toyota fancy, you end up with a Lexus. If you make a Honda fancy, you end up with an Acura. If you make a Volkswagen fancy, you end up with an Audi. If you make a Nissan fancy, you end up with an infinity.
If you make a Volkswagen fancy, you end up with an Audi
Or a Porsche. Or a Bentley. Or a laborghini. Or a Bugatti.
I don’t know much about cars either, but that does happen. For example, Cadillac Escalade was/is based on a less-fancy-looking GMC SUV (Suburban?). Chevy Volt is also Cadillac ELR (different body and interior, same drivetrain), Opel Ampera (in Europe), and Buick Velite (in China, because Buick has a better brand recognition there)
Some cheaper car models come with variety of “sport editions” and out-of-factory tint and spoilers, which would be the equivalent to the RGB computer peripherals that you mentioned, and appeal to specific customers.
TBH I don’t know why some expensive car designs are perceived as “fancy” or “impressive”. I think they are mostly boring. And quality-wise, anything above bottom tier would have materials that last decades now.
but why don’t manufacturers of basic cars just put a fancy-looking exterior onto them?
“Kit cars” are a thing…
Not sure what’s popular these days, but for a while people were putting Shelby Cobra bodies on Miatas.
It’s way more than a Miata, but way less than an authentic Shelby.
So people who just care about the looks have been doing this for decades now.
But when it happens as a production, people don’t buy it because other people recognize it for what it is, look at the PT Cruiser.
So if a couple people do it, it passes as expensive. If a lot do it, it comes off as tacky and becomes a joke.
it’s subjective. Unless there’s obvious rust or off-color replacement parts, they all look the same to me.
