You missed all the critical points. Regardless of what you want to believe the C-XF was developed both at Whitely but also on Orange County and the production version was then adapted from that design.

You missed the significant point about why US (domestic) cars don't sell in Europe. It's very obvious: they weren't designed to be sold in Europe. Ford and GM both have divisions in Europe that did that job for them. Quite simply until recently the market dynamics have meant that European designed and built small cars were too expensive for the US market and too small.

It's the reason the US Focus was crap - because Americans were not prepared to spend more money on a small car when they could buy a bigger and better car for the same money. In the case of the Focus this had nothing to do with taste or style or good or bad design, as both cars came from the same design and were adapted for local markets.

Europe and US markets are now getting next generation cars (Fiesta, Focus, Astra, Insignia that are designed in competition between design centers around the globe and adapted to local market needs; so the notion of one country being superior is now an outdated belief.

The assumption that any buyer anywhere around the globe, whether here or any other country, does not value good design is a complete fallacy and smacks of plain old arrogance and prejudice. IKEA sells low cost good modern design furniture wherever it puts up a store. And H&M does the same for clothes.

Sadly it seems you can neither accept that other people around the globe have just as much right to appreciate good design as you do, regardless of their economic status. Most car companies understand that good design is not elitist, or the property of any one culture, but egalitarian and global: even if that's a concept you seem not to be able to accept or understand it's the reality in today's world.

 

US cars aren't designed to sell anywhere, they are almost uniformly hopeless designs and very poorly built. You are correct when you say that US buyers won't buy small cars when they can buy a bigger car for similar money. You are wrong to suggest that such bigger cars are better, they are not, they are engineering jokes.

US designed and built cars do not sell in Europe because the European buyer demands more from their car manufacturer than US manufacturers are prepared to deliver. US buyers have low expectations amply fulfilled by the US manufacturers. To say that the cars are especially designed for US tastes is simply an admission that US buyers have low standards. Heck even the Japanese manufacturers lower their design and manufacturing standards when selling in the US. Buy a Toyota designed and built for any market except US and see the difference. Toyota actually builds drivers cars everywhere except in the US.

Why are YOU driving a Jaguar?

 

For any of your who are trying to figure out what Jagular's point here is...let me sum it up for you. Jagular does not like Americans. He feels we are inferior, low-expectation having simpletons, as emblematic of the way our cars are designed, and our expectations for our own goods. For demonstration purposes, even the bottom-dwelling Japanese lower their standards for us peasants who don't know any better.

 

Here is my perspective as someone who designs products for a living:

1. As far as the auto market goes, US designed cars sell well in the US, European cars sell well in Europe (more specifically German cars sell better in Germany, French cars in France etc etc) and Japanese cars sell well in Japan. The one exception to this is probably VW, where the Golf seems to sell well in multiple countries. Otherwise, most car markets are essentially local.

2. So how does that explain Japanese cars that sell well in Japan, Europe and US? It's because Toyota and Honda localize all their cars. So Honda has a Japanese Accord, a European Accord and a US Accord. The US accord is designed in the US etc etc. So even car companies recognize that they need to cater to local tastes. GM and Ford do the same thing. They localize their products. Kinda like Procter and Gamble!

3. OK. So what about BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Jag? In the grand scheme of things these a low volume niche products. The total number of cars sold by BMW and Mercedes in the US is less than Honda Accords or Civics sold. In fact BMW sells fewer cars in the US than Subaru, which in itself is a niche product. So these are niche products by and large. Not only that, but the US market is very important to them - particularly to BMW. The US is their largest market outside of Germany. So they do in fact explicitly design products for the US that are larger than their European ones and don't sell all their European models here either. Personally, I don't think the 1 series is a good looking car. It was designed for the European buyer, they brought it to the US and it failed or failed so far. They built an X6 SUV for the US market and that has failed too. So not everything they touch is gold either.

4. Are VW's better styled than Ford or Chevy cars in the US? While the Hyundai, honda and toyota cars sold here are US cars - styled and built here, VW has tried to bring their European styles here. Personally. I don't see how a Jetta or Passat looks better than a Sonata or a Ford Fusion. They are definitely in the same league...Golf or GTI? Aesthetically they are quite run of the mill designs. Pretty conventional any way you slice and dice it

5. What about quality? While the perception is that US cars are lower quality than European imports ( note I say imports because I am excluding cars built in the US), the data year after year show that US cars are more reliable and have higher satisfaction or equal to European built cars. Whether it is consumer reports or JD Power. just take a look.

6. OK what about the high end market? Buicks, Lincoln, Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Cadillac...the US styled products v. The BMW, Jags, Mercedes and Audi. If you look across the spectrum of cars that are designed in the US specially for US markets v. The European ones you'll see that the US consumer prefers to buy a wider variety of products. The US tastes are more broadly expressed. Americans are much less nationalistic in their buying behavior than say French or German people are so the market here is much more competitive. Personally, I find ALL the US designed luxury cars from Lexus to Buick to be bland or ugly. But that's just my preference. I am sure the US market has a huge bearing on how even Mercedes or BMW design their cars in Germany.

7. There is ONE area where the US car companies don't seem interested in and that is the exotics. I think the Dodge Viper and Ford GT were well designed cars. But the Maserati or Ferarri's or Lamborghinis or Aston Martins are in another league design wise! In fact my favorite designed small cars from Europe are the Alfa Romeos. But outside of Italy I am sure no one buys them. But from pure design an Alfa kicks any VW to the curb ( my opinion of course and digression).

8. Are US designed cars unpopular outside of the US? In Europes? Yes. American car companies don't design small cars in the US and that's what sells well in Europe. But Buicks and Cadillacs are popular luxury brands in many Asian markets. Also, like P&G, US car companies are multiple nationals and sell cars in different companies using local brands they have built or purchased and share commmon components with their US models. GM and Ford for instance do way better then European companies in Asia.

The US market is easily the most competitive auto market. The reason is that the US consumer will buy based on the car they want v. National brands. The biggest difference is that most Europeans are much more likely to support their national brands over imports. Why? Because ALL tastes are local in the end!

Also, a major flaw in Jagulars thinking is that because US preferences are different, they must be worse. Well. We prefer iPhones, Europeans prefer Nokia smart phones. Americans prefer jeans...OK now everyone else prefers them too

 

OK, that's it .This thread goes nowhere but personal attacks and this thread now turns out to be a US cars vs rest of world .