Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomash
They do 
If they didn't, all the cars You see on european streets would be small city-driving oriented Fiats, Peugeots, Renaults etc.
Man, I live in Poland - a country in Eastern Europe with average salary somewhere around half the average salary in France/UK. Big Audi A8 is not a rare sight, SUVs are common. And there're already a few new Mustangs to be spotted on the streets.
And here in Europe the prices of gasoline are something people from the US wouldn't even believe 
You don't have to be born on your side of the big water in order to feel the spirit |
I agree with Tomash completely. I should clarify my other post. There is a bias against American cars evident on the show because the UK is more part of the European car community than the American car community. It is necessary to compare the top tier of American cars with the top tier of European cars to show why: America's top cars are generally less luxurious and slower than the top tier of European cars; there are more European brands than American brands; American brands tend to flaunt V8 power that is entirely unnecessary for most Europeans.
I'm not saying that XLRs aren't nice and fast or that Chevrolet doesn't advertise the Aveo for efficiency like Smart advertises the fortwo. I am just analyzing the general trend that American car companies and European car companies prioritize different market segments that Top Gear watchers might not see entertaining in the same way that they might find the cars that do end up on the show. Sure, the Camaro will make a great impression as a stylish, even flashy muscle car, but European flashy involves a certain level of glamor—see the Phantom, the F430, the Gallardo—that nothing GM makes can match.
(This post in no way intends to offend fellow American car enthusiasts. This only seeks to identify some of the rifts between cars in Europe and cars in America. More clarification may be necessary in my next post.)