Interesting input guys, but I'm really with you mmm. Whilst the American market has obviously unduly influenced the type of cars that we drive in Europe, the Asia Pacific markets are becoming increasingly relevant and according to J.D.Power Asia Pacific: "Apart from the U.S., these two (China and India) are the defining markets for global success".
Obviously the market in this region will be for smaller cars and whilst cars like the Fiesta, for example, have been regarded as cheap and cheerful in the developed world, it has to come loaded with extras for the Chinese/Indian markets as the Chinese car buyer in particular wants their small cars to be really neat.
In India, Ford has just launched the
Ford Figo a smaller trendy car (see the peach-coloured dashboard) designed for a hypothetical Indian named Sandeep. He works in IT, finance or other service industry (call-centre
) and tools around on a motorcycle. This will be his first car costing roughly $8,400 and 70% of the cars sold in India are in the same size and price range. Chevy have the new
Beat which is slightly cheaper ($7,600) and it is also quite loaded and stylish, especially considering the price point.
Both cars are also due to be launched in China and the Asia Pacific markets now account for some 25% of GM's total sales. VW, the market leader in China, intends investing $5.4 billion there in the next 3-years and launch seven locally-produced models this year alone.
Going forward therefore and in the age of the GBP6.00 gallon in Europe, these two disparate influences will no doubt have an effect on the cars that we drive, the downward pressure on car size from the models produced in large numbers in the Far East and the increasing use of hybrids and advanced aerodynamics to maximise fuel consumption in the 1st World.
Luckily Morgan seem to have a strategy in place for this going forward, as the LifeCar showed that they can produce cars incorporating cutting edge technology; and it's much narrower than any Morgan currently in production.
