Yea, "cheap gas"

valhalla360 wrote:

Beentherefixedthat wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

Veebyes wrote:

Are the people smaller in the rest of the world so they fit in smaller cars easier?

Thy buy smaller because big brother says they will penalize those that don't.

They buy smaller cars because they are more fuel efficient in countries where gasoline is $4-$7 per Gallon. They are also cheaper to buy initially.

As for "Big Brother". In China the best selling car for years was the biggest Buick made (and it was made in a factory in China) And Ford Motor is looking at a very big new Lincoln Continental for sale in China. In actual terms Big Brothers don't all have the same agenda.

There is also the widespread belief that Japanese and Korean cars are more reliable than US made ones. Thus the Toyota (any Toyota) is the most favored car in Thailand and Cambodia and in many many other countries.

Simplistic ideas of what motivates people are rarely accurate.

The fuel price is just the club used in Europe to force people to buy small cars. You are making a totally unsubstantiated claim that people "want" fuel efficient cars. They want cars they can afford and the govt has tried to make larger cars unaffordable.

The China example is outdated and misleading. It was from back before China went capitalist and the only people who could get cars were wealthy party officials...they weren't paying so it didn't matter what the price of fuel was. Current sales are heavily skewed toward tiny cars because you have people making $8-10k/yr wanting to buy cars.

Speaking of Thailand and the original comment about are people smaller...just went there last October and yes, they are smaller. I felt like a giant walking around Bangkok. Also there average income is around $400USD per month...back when we were living in a house and commuting, we spent that much just on gas...we have no idea if they "want" a Buick. The issue is they can't afford a Buick.

I am sorry but I don't know how much time you have spent in Asia or China or Europe but you really have some things just inaccurate.

I lived in SE Asia for more than 7 years, I have also lived in Europe. I have been in every major city in China and did business there for years.

My example is from a time when there were MILLIONS of cars in Beijing alone and only a small share driven by party officials. A time when in cities that most Americans didnt know exist had Prada stores, Ferrari dealerships and Average working folks were able to buy houses and apartments. Most Americans ideas of China are dated and frankly not in line with reality. (My time in China? 2000 thru to just this past year)

Just this summer I spent 4 months in Europe mostly driving. Large sedans especially the big Audis are insanely popular as are Station Wagons. All European car makers make large cars and they sell very well. All European models (except RR, Bentley and of course cars like Ferrari) get VASTLY better fuel mileage than similar sized US cars so they are cheaper to operate there than here in the US.

But you are correct that for some, perhaps many the price of gas is a factor...But so is the almost complete lack of PARKING and finding a space to park a Smart Car is a lot easier than the MB station wagon if you live in one of Europes larger towns or cities.

As for Thailand I am afraid you have a tourists view of it. This is from the World Bank:

"Over the last four decades, Thailand has made remarkable progress in social and economic development, moving from a low-income country to an upper-income country in less than a generation. As such, Thailand has been one of the widely cited development success stories, with sustained strong growth and impressive poverty reduction, particularly in the 1980s."

And this:

"Poverty declined substantially over the last 30 years from 67% in 1986 to 7.1% in 2015 during periods of high growth and rising agricultural prices."

What this means is that Thailand has a healthy, educated middle class that has money to spend and there are Millions of them. It is true that 80% of the country's poor live in rural areas but they are not nearly as poor as they were ten years ago..

Another thing helping Thailand is the movement of factories from China looking to decrease labor costs. Thus increasing employment, reducing poverty and creating economic growth. (This is what I did in China helping set up companies with new locations in other countries)

Also while American cars are generally not widely appreciated in Asia the FCA Jeep line is popular. However the tariffs on US cars is steeper than some. But they are the same for European cars there too.

So I am sorry but I still see most of what you relate as simplistic and not really in line with the facts. My experience tells me a different story.