Quote:
Originally Posted by blk96gt
People pay too much money to bring cars from all over the world to America as well. It has nothing to do with "American qualities" and everything to do with the fact that maybe they just like the damn car. Many people buy cars because of what they look like, not because of who makes them.
Are there brand loyal people? Absolutely. Many of them are on this forum. There are also plenty of people who never owned or even liked Camaro's before the 5th Gen that bought them and are now on this site. There are also many folks who previously owned M3's, S4's, Accords, Mustangs, and every other kind of car that now own 5th Gens. On the other hand, I know of many hardcore 1st-4th Gen Camaro fans that don't like the current Camaro. There are also many muscle/pony car enthusiasts that don't care for them.
Basically all that above just means people like different things. You seem to be upset with the fact that the Mustang isn't built to your ideal definition of an "American car." I'm one of many that can't stand all the chrome. I can't stand all the chrome on my Chevy truck, but it pretty much comes standard now. Many of the younger car enthusiasts don't like a bunch of chrome bling either. Luckily many cars are starting to get away from that trend, so hopefully in the next few years it will become less prolific across all brands.
Wait a minute. You like something I don't? Holy shit, stop the presses. Luckily there are lots of different options for cars and not all Americans have to like your definition of what a pony car should be.
Ultimately Ford is out to make money. They make more money by selling more cars. To sell more cars, you have to appeal to a broader audience while still appealing to current owners. This is a tough line to straddle, and you're going to lose some customers along the way, but the hope is you brought in more customers by changing to a more globally appealing look.
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This is good. We have different opinions on this, and I'm glad we disagree. I gave chrome as an example of something pretty typical for an American product. That doesn't mean I'm going to chrome out my Camaro. It just seems that there's a lot more chrome available on American products than international ones. Look at our trucks, for instance.
Of course Ford is out to make money, and they're doing it the wrong way. People overseas are buying cars, not because they look like they were built locally but instead because they were built uniquely.
For example, people aren't buying a BMW for being a brute muscle car. They buy BMWs for that BMW design. Do you think BMW changes their product for each market just a little? Of course they do! If they didn't try to look at the demographics of each market, they'd be fools, but a 3-series still looks like a 3-series in Japan.
The idea here is that a Mustang should retain what makes a Mustang when it sells overseas or globally. If it doesn't retain Mustang-like characteristics, they lost their way.
In conclusion, I don't like the new Mustang. I was never going to buy one, especially considering I got my Camaro SS less than a week ago, but I don't like it. I don't like it because it doesn't look like a Mustang. I want to recognize a Mustang and know that my most popular competitor is faring well. It reassures me that my car has a future. Without competition, there might not be a market for the Camaro at all.