Will the Obese Save the American Auto Industry

There is a feeling in the rest of the world that “Everything is bigger in America”. There is a certain amount of stereotyping involved that is obvious to all, however there is also a feeling of “there’s no smoke without fire” and the announcement by the Volkswagen Group of America’s CEO Stefan Jacoby that the Volkswagen Polo is still too small for the American market and therefore will be specifically tailored for it, will do nothing but fan the flames of the fire.

Now surely this cannot be down to the relative size of an Americans posterior. Are they really that big that they can’t fit into a European specification car? Even here in Britain (often referred to as the sick man of Europe) with obesity rates of 23%, we can still mange to shoe horn our way into the smallest of European cars. The Fiat 500, the MINI, the Renault Twingo, all small cars that we don’t have to have optional patio doors fitted too in order to get in them. So why does the American market need cars designed specifically for the American consumer? And is this yet another reason why the American auto industry finds itself in the position it is in today? After all America only makes up just over 4.5% of the worlds population.

Just by looking at the U.S. versions of car manufacturers websites it’s hard for a lot of Europeans to recognise many of the vehicles on sale. It would appear, on the face of it that America builds big cars and sells big cars for the American market. Any other worldwide sales are just a bonus. Why not – and this may seem crazy – make cars that the rest of the world want to buy and any sales in the U.S. are a bonus. Surely the global marketplace is where the future of the automotive industry lays, design cars for the world, not just for Americans and there may be a chance America has an automotive industry going into the next decade.

The Volkswagen Polo is a small economical car that has seen phenomenal success throughout Europe, indeed the Bluemotion model achieves a staggering 74.3 mpg (62 mpg US) on the combined cycle. What impact will supersizing the Polo have on its economy figures? And that’s assuming the Bluemotion model even makes it over the pond. An aversion to diesel technology and the fact that it would have to be built in Mexico to be priced viably will no doubt mean the average American looks upon the Polo with a certain amount of disdain, so why bother? Surely a fat Polo is just a Golf (Rabbit).

So does America need cars designed for Americans? The answer must surely be no, that is, unless it is true and they have become so huge they physically can’t fit into a average European size car and if that is the case the American car industry may be saved anyway, as us portly Brits are going to need all the Lincoln Navigators we can lay our hands on.