Auto-(self)Destruction

We're looking to the end of transportation? No, in fact we're looking to the reborn of it.

Hey all you cars manufacturers, people don't need your cars anymore? Nobody rushes into the shop? Well, I'm happy to hear that, though to be honest I am sympathizing with all people who will loose their jobs in the process and I am sad that we're watching to the extinction of some really good cars. Every revolution has it’s collateral damages.

All the big names in the industry, should start selling cars not ecology illusions or fake luxury for masses. Like in real estate or like in any other business when consumers are starting to pay for something that not exists will not take long until the crystal palace (aka market) will collapse and many players (industry playboys) will cut their hands and some well bleed to death. When you’re a big name, but you’re starting acting like a playboy, trying to get anyone on the market in your (show)room, just lying and acting, pretending to be someone you’re not, you’ll and up broke and lonely. You’ll loose them all.

All this companies on the market started to invent re-luxury for all people, in fact selling a regular car after a cheap to plastic surgery at the luxury price. Every year companies like VW extend their range of cars and uplifting the price of each new model. They invented car classes that not exist in real word, created to meet needs that people don’t have. They created smart commercials to create needs in people minds. And in fact they are not selling new features or practicality with the new car concepts but they just sell illusions. The basic (travel) needs of the people were covered already from ‘70-‘80 in the car industry which reached the maturity of the range of models and purposes for a vehicle at that time. Now companies are just trying to sell air, with a huge marketing effort and astronomical advertising budgets.

VW Tiguan for instance, is a totally useless car, which does not cover any need in this universe (all the practical aspects are covered better by other cars in VW range) but VW just try to sell the concept of a smaller Tuareg. It’s a car for which you pay more or the same as for a Passat but you don’t get in return nothing else that the fact that you are driving a smaller Tuareg. How much an industry can survive selling certified fakes and illusionary social rank at the quarter of the price of a studio in a big city?

In my opinion you can see the “real price” of a car on the second hand market on cars of one year old. And the quality of the car can be seen by it’s depreciation in the following 4 years. Then you’ll see how much of your money was spend on the marketing and now much on the car.

So, what I expect from this crisis, it’s a clean-up of the landscape in the car industry and a repositioning of the model range of all cars manufactures. I also expect from them changing their sales strategy from selling fake luxury to selling practicality. They should leave the luxury brands to sell luxury. With the money spend on developing the ridiculous Phaeton and Tiguan, (iconic failures) VW could easily make a really better and cheaper Golf, but instead we’re paying in the golf price the damages created by all this nonsense models.
So, I just can say that I hope this crisis will bring something good with it, because after it reaches it’s bottom, a new car age will arise.