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Ask HN: Why aren't there middle class cars shaped like Ferraris?

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Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there middle class cars shaped like Ferraris?

#11

Post by maxander »

As other answers have essentially already said- because Ferrari is a brand, and past a certain price point brand names often matter more than the physical object. Its the same in cars as in designer handbags.

The opposite question is equally interesting; why doesn't Ferrari produce a relatively cheap car, so that they can offer the Ferrari cachet to a broader market? Presumably as to not dilute their brand. But it means we might see such a thing if the company starts having problems (e.g., finds itself competing against superior electric vehicles or similar.)

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there middle class cars shaped like Ferraris?

#12

Post by dagw »

maxander wrote: post #11

As other answers have essentially already said- because Ferrari is a brand, and past a certain price point brand names often matter more than the physical object. Its the same in cars as in designer handbags. The opposite question is equally interesting; why doesn't Ferrari produce a relatively cheap car, so that they can offer the Ferrari cachet to a broader market? Presumably as to not dilute their brand. But it me…

Its the same in cars as in designer handbags.

But for basically any given designer handbag I can find dozens of bags at a fraction of the price which are largely indistinguishable from the original if you're standing across the street.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there middle class cars shaped like Ferraris?

#14

Post by DeBraid »

byoung2 wrote: post #5

For reasons of economics, they need to be able to share parts with other models so they can't deviate too much in terms of design. When regular car companies do build unique sports cars (e.g. Nissan GTR, Lexus LFA, Ford GT, Acura NSX), they end up being more expensive anyway, so they would have to put in the performance to match to justify the cost. Even swapping in a cheaper drive train wouldn't make the car dramati…

> For reasons of economics, they need to be able to share parts with other models so they can't deviate too much in terms of design.

Thanks for this concise answer. If this were Stack Overflow, you'd get checkmark!

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there middle class cars shaped like Ferraris?

#18

Post by Broken_Hippo »

dagw wrote: post #12
maxander wrote: post #11

As other answers have essentially already said- because Ferrari is a brand, and past a certain price point brand names often matter more than the physical object. Its the same in cars as in designer handbags. The opposite question is equally interesting; why doesn't Ferrari produce a relatively cheap car, so that they can offer the Ferrari cachet to a broader market? Presumably as to not dilute their brand. But it me…

Its the same in cars as in designer handbags. But for basically any given designer handbag I can find dozens of bags at a fraction of the price which are largely indistinguishable from the original if you're standing across the street.

The basic function and use of both purses are basically indistinguishable - the customer's needs are the same in both products.

Sporty-looking cars that are low-to-mid priced really can't afford to handle like a sports car, since it is likely to be someone's main car - or back up when a car is in the shop. The expensive car is likely to be difficult to handle, especially in city driving and on the snow/ice. In addition, some of the cars perform poorly in city landscapes with potholes and speed bumps. If you've the money for the high-end car, those thigns are likely less of an issue.

In other words, the customer's needs are different with the cars. Now, I'm not an expert, but I don't think you can get the same sort of look/feel while still making it a practical enough car for the lower end market.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there middle class cars shaped like Ferraris?

#19

Post by dver23 »

dagw wrote: post #16

Because at the end of the day the Ferrari (or Porsche or Lamborghini) design is not a very comfortable or practical design for day to day use. The (two) people I know who own Porsche sports cars also own a second car.

Well the old story I've heard is you don't buy on Ferrari, you buy two. One for the shop, one to drive.

Re: Ask HN: Why aren't there middle class cars shaped like Ferraris?

#20

Post by Zak »

andr wrote: post #15

The Toyota GT86, Mazda MX5, and Nissan 370Z are examples of that. However, looking at how many models were discontinued (Honda S2000, Toyota Supra, Toyota Celica, Mazda RX8), maybe the market opportunity is not as big.

Additional current cars in this category include the Hyundai Genisis Coupe, Nissan 370Z, Porsche Cayman/Boxster, Alfa Romeo 4C, Chevrolet Corvette and BMW Z4. (Criteria: under $60K base price, looks like either a classic sports car or an exotic in my completely subjective opinion, actually likely to appeal to enthusiast drivers, also in my completely subjective opinion)

More previous cars in this category include the Toyota MR2, the second generation of which looked extremely Ferrari-like, Pontiac Fiero, Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky/Opel Speedster, Fiat X1/9, Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi 3000GT.

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