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!
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.