Cars are more like iPhones to the new car buying generation

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Funny how things come to mind, after watching the Grand Prix it suddenly dawned on me that it was probably the first one I had ever watched from start to finish. It was also, or so I am told, one of the most exciting ones due to the constant overtaking and lack of the usual procession. I was also struck by the fact that only one car failed to finish, and even that was because of an error in the pit lane and not due to any mechanical failure.

Perhaps it is a general reflection of how far cars have come in terms of their reliability and durability. But it also begs the question why do we need to change our cars so regularly if they are lasting so much longer?

The change cycle if anything is getting shorter and not longer, there are so many viable options with virtually all car makers producing quality models which people actually want to buy and the models themselves are being upgraded and face-lifted on a more regular basis than perhaps at any time before.

Is this trend then a reflection of the society we now lie in, where there appears to be a constant need for quicker, bigger, more attractive and perhaps most notably “latest thing”.

The slick marketing campaigns and new technology make us feel that we should keep upgrading and the fact that a lot more motorists now ‘rent’ cars like our American cousins through PCP’s means that just because we don’t need to change we do simply because we can. The next generation of car buyers are far less likely to view cars as an asset to be meticulously cared for and tinkered with on a Sunday and much more likely to view them in the same way they view smart phones, constantly craving the next model and upgrading as soon as their contract allows them.

The ironic thing is that in the quest for manufacturers to produce the “next big thing” in terms of cars – and if we look at examples like MINI, Fiat 500, Qashqai, Tiguan, Audi r8 etc. – we are definitely buying cars with mass appeal. However you only need look at our top 10 iconic cars to wonder if many of the current batch are ever likely to make it on to that list. Time, I suppose, will probably be the judge of that one.

Happy trouble free motoring is on the cards until then I guess.