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What do Europeans think of American cars (specifically pickup trucks? Now I know that SUV's and Pickups are not driven because of small streets, high gas prices, road taxes, among other things.
But that aside, I'm just curious what the perception of a typical large American auto is to Europeans in general.
I've always heard they think we are ignorant and stupid for driving such big cars! Admittedly, there are far too many on the roads today that are used for transportation. But suppose Europe did not have all those constraints, would pickups be more popular as general recreation, daily driver vehicles?
There are SUVs in Europe, too, and they are sometimes just as big as mid-size American SUVs. Take the Volvo XC90, for example. I even saw a Ford Excursion in Madrid, as well as a HUMMER dealership. The reason they are not as common over there probably has as much to do with the cost of gasoline as well as the added taxes (many countries tax cars based on their engine displacement, for example) as it does with the narrower roads or different consumer preferences. Also, the latter vary from country to country; Norwegian preferences for cars are probably different than French tastes.
SUVs became popular in the United States in the 1990s. I would hypothesize that they really became popular when parents (mainly mothers) began to prefer them to minivans for hauling their kids around (and before they used minivans, they used station wagons). Many American children are engaged in multiple extracurricular activities that require lugging around lots of equipment (e.g. hockey), so the added space is a huge bonus, if not a necessity. The added towing capacity of SUVs provides an advantage over smaller vehicles for many Americans, who are (probably) much more likely than Europeans to use this feature to tow boats, horse trailers, all-terrain vehicles, etc. Another major perceived advantage of these vehicles is the sense of security they provide on roads. When you have huge semi-trucks going 70 mph (about 110 km/h) and much of the rest of the passenger fleet consists of large SUVs and pick-up trucks, the advantage of a large vehicle on the perception of safety probably increases.
Pick-up trucks seem to appeal to considerably different segments of the population than do SUVs. You see plenty of SUVs in Manhattan, for example, but pick-up trucks are few and far in between. Pick-up trucks are decidedly masculine (although there are many female drivers and admirers) and have an association with cowboys, country music, rednecks (which many Americans take pride in being called) and rural life in general. You also see this theme in other countries: Canada, Mexico, maybe South Africa, etc. Many Americans have a "do-it-yourself" ethic and the hauling capacity of pick-up trucks' beds seems to accommodate this. Also, pick-up trucks are even better than SUVs for towing large trailers: huge campers, sailboats, etc.
Those huge American cars wouldn't even fit on some European streets.
What's the appeal of SUV's to Americans, anyway? How did the auto industry convince Americans they need to own trucks?
I've noticed this is a common theme in your posts. You think that corporate forces wield enormous amounts of power over the credulous American public, seemingly to the point of determining their decisions for them. This may be true in part, but Americans still have free will, and consumers more often dictate what they want to the corporations rather than the other way around. The American (and European) economies are based on the free market, after all. Let me provide you an example:
Let's say that I am the married father of three children, school-age, and looking for a vehicle. I want them to have ample room, even if they decide to bring a friend or two along. My oldest is also into youth hockey, and my middle daughter is beginning softball, and my wife is responsible for transporting food, beverages, and party favors to practices and events. I also have a motorized fishing boat, which I tow to various lakes. What am I going to choose? A Ford Escort (rated the UK's top family car)? Or a Chevy Suburban or Ford Expedition?
I know quite a few people here who are fans of old american muscle cars, pickups, jeeps. These are mostly hobby cars and not daily drivers. In Holland I see lots of cool classic american cars.
Plenty of SUVs but more euro models than american. Modern american cars are not so popular and seem to have a bad reputation.
I do not understand the comment that people in Europe don´t tow as much stuff- Boats, Horse trailers... are as much on the road as in the US - and we all know the dutch don´t go anywhere without the camping trailer :-). I cant say for the scandinavian countrys but this seems to apply for Germany, Netherlands, France Italy and Spain to a lesser extent.
To me American cars seem a bit silly here, with gas at 1.50 + for the liter.
Nobody needs a pickup when you can use a Transit,Sprinter,Crafter.... thing for less $ and much better milage.
See a lot of classic muscle cars/pick ups etc in my time in Scotland, also get a lot in Spain especially in the Marbella area close to where I am. Pick up trucks, yes you see them but the majority of these people have businesses like tree surgeons, turf layers, farmers, construction firms etc. SUV's on the other hand are more popular and seem to be popular where I live, it is mountainous and good for the country roads, especially the rocky back roads.
I like pick ups, I had one when living in the US - is pretty much a fashion statement for most Americans, but there were some who genuinely used them for the purpose in which they were designed for. However there is no real use for those 5Ls. Unless you are towing a very large boat and have plenty of euros to burn, which doesn't seem to be a problem in Marbella/surrounding area.
Taxation and petrol isn't as expensive in Spain (isn't even number 10 on the list for most expensive European countries for petrol) compared to Scandinavian countries and the rest.
For design and built quality I prefer German or Japanese vehicles.
Except opinion that american cars are bigger, there is also question of security.
Many regulations in Europe demands more security gear in cars, so I would say that european cars are way more safer than american.
The bad side of extra security, if we can called that way, is that the same car in Europe cost more than the same car in Usa.
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