US manufacturers can't attract young buyers from Toyota and Honda because of their 1990s obsession with building SUV, American car industry experts have told Detroit's Big Three brands.
"Too many young adults were driven to school in the back of an Accord or Camry," says one commentator. "To them Ford or Chevrolet is a foreign car."
It is thought that relatively expensive SUVs and 'trucks' with high running costs deterred young metropolitan Americans.
Once young buyers have had a good first-car experience with a foreign brand, the marketing experts analysis said, it's very hard to recover the potential business.
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Re: Young buyers avoid Big Three
Maybe the big three will listen now - but is it too late? I think it may be for Chrysler
Re: Young buyers avoid Big Three
Sorry, should have put that one in context. It wasn't the quality of the pick up truck I was commenting on, it was more about having to sit on the rear deck in the rain and elements.
Thought came to me last night when I was watching "My Name is Earl" (and yes, before anyone says I know the truck in question was a Subaru and on the whole US trucks have crew cabs - it was meant to be light hearted).
Re: Young buyers avoid Big Three
I have read a few of your posts on here and usually always agree but I have little niggle on this one. You see the trucks over here are very good. That is where our misguided auto makers spent all the money. The trucks, although by your standards not good, by our standards very good. Full on refreshes of late, every couple years. They ride well, are very quite, and lots of kit. If they had put this much care into the saloons they would be in alot less trouble. But you are totally correct when you say most kids would rather drive a hopped up ricer. The domestics have nothing compareable. All of the makers over here, Harley Davidson included, would rather relive the glory days instead of innovating. As boring as Honda's and Toyota's are they are still generally more appealing and dynamic than the big three's offerings. If folks in the U.K. could see the tripe Ford has been giving us, you would prob be stunned. I do think they are starting to figure that out though. I wonder if they are smart enough to bring to Focus RS.