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Automotive writers and magazines love to bestow awards on cars, but the best reward is that from the sales charts. Manufacturers would like to see their cars vindicated and appreciated by the people who matter the most—the buyers. Tastes and needs vary across boundaries; one nation’s econobox is another’s luxury car. Which particular model makes its way to the number one spot in each country can tell us something about their citizens’ motoring habits, their economic capability, and even their mindset. We play armchair auto-anthropologist and attempt to decipher a country’s culture through its choice of cars.
Philippines When the Toyota Innova started rolling off the assembly line in 2005, company officials seemed unfazed that they were just about to kill off a lucrative nameplate with something completely untried. Just months later, their confidence proved to be justified. Despite losing the de facto “Mega-Taxi” franchise, the replacement for the Toyota Tamaraw became even more popular. More than 14,000 Innovas leave the showrooms every year, claiming nearly a fifth of commercial vehicle sales. Innova presumably stands for innovative, and there’s no better adjective for a car that single-handedly made the AUV category obsolete. The Toyota’s modern powertrains, interior, and driving dynamics decimated the competition—and at reasonable prices, too. Even the single-box exterior design looked upmarket, particularly with the right set of alloy wheels. The Innova carries up to eight passengers, or just one and a truckload of balikbayan boxes. For Filipinos who love to travel as an extended family, this was the ideal solution. Tough body-on-frame construction and decent floodwater-fording capability provide a measure of security. Simply put, there is no better family car for the money, and since family reigns supreme in the Philippines, this is the vehicle of choice for most of us.
Thailand Thailand has been touted as the Detroit of Asia, and indeed it manufactures the most vehicles in the region. The country loves its pickups, selling more than half a million of them to all parts of the world. It’s not because they idolize George W. Bush. The government focused on the pickup segment as the one to compete in, orienting the tax structure to favor these light trucks. The king of the heap is the Isuzu D-MAX, introduced in 2004. If you thought the Innova was dominant, just look at the D-MAX’s share; more than one in three commercial vehicles sold bears that brand name. Thais use their pickups to do double-duty as passenger cars, and the D-MAX’s spacious, comfortable cabin is a huge advantage. Its rugged frame and frugal diesel engine are the icing on the Pad Thai.
U.S.A. America’s wide open spaces, long distances, and generously proportioned citizens favor large vehicles. One of the largest still reigns supreme as far as most Americans are concerned: the Ford F-150 pickup. Ford, the company that started to put the world on wheels, may be in the doldrums in the passenger car segment, where it’s been overtaken by Toyota, but in trucks, the Blue Oval is still number one. It’s a similar story as Thailand’s, only on a bigger scale. The F-150, reworked from the ground up in 2003, sells nearly a million copies every year. It has a cavernous interior, trim worthy of an executive car, and the most number of variants and options. As a lot of Americans use their pickup to transport fertilizer, corn, or plumbing supplies, then later drive off to the movies or Starbucks. The F-150 feels equally adept at either task. That’s why Americans, from farmer Sam to George W. himself, are behind the wheel of one of these trucks. When gasoline was still cheap, the F-150’s standard V8 engine was its main asset, allowing the truck to haul and tow up to several tons of cargo. Now that the gas prices are skyrocketing, the writing may be on the wall for this entire segment. Perhaps a diesel transplant from the Everest might be in order. |
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