Comment by conductr
1 day ago
This. I think the entire argument and comparison is a fallacy because you can't just compare vehicles on utilitarian factors when many (most?) people are buying primarily based on fashion/aesthetics. Through my American eyes that C15 is dog shit ugly and I don't even care to read through how it measures up on utility because it's style is already a dealbreaker.
Personally-I know I don't need a big truck, and don't have farm/ranch/heavy duty requirements, but SUVs are quite useful for normal city life in most of the US. Several times a month I am fully loaded for some reason or another. May as well be fashionable and handle well too since this is also the vehicle I commute in and valet at a fancy restaurant occasionally.
I noticed that people often treat cars as they treat clothes. It's their largest and most expensive costumes.
This means that fashion and looks start to play a major role, utility be damned. This also means that relatively minor details, like the exact shape of headlights, become a major stylistic and thus market niche differentiator.
I don't think it's a new problem with cars. But it maybe relatively new in the utility / light truck space.
Not new at all in the US. Trucks are and have been some of the most frequent recipients of after market customization. It’s so common I can think of a dozen or so sub/niches. I’d say it’s only second to Jeep Wrangler.
But yes you’re absolutely right, in our car dominated cities people certainly see the car you drive as a fashion choice, a signal of your personality, and social status/net worth so it does get complicated. I like driving nice cars on occasion but am rather modest and practical with my daily driver.
I’m in a social circle with several dads who probably have similar net worths and generally have a lot in common. There’s a lot of chest pounding, bragging, and one upping going on. Not negatively, but in a sense of “you need to try this ridiculously priced thing” (whiskey and wine and travel are all common topics). I tend to be the contrarian of the group (I don’t drink alcohol at all, don’t watch sports, drive a clunker car). Anyway They’ve been all getting Rivian SUVs and geek out on them. Trying to talk me into getting one next. I just can’t see why I want to spend 6 figures on it when other very similar and decent looking alternatives exist for half the price. I don’t find anything it offers interesting enough. However, its overall utility of being a SUV of that size is very appealing to me so I’m not really questioning that part.