Americans don't have chauffeurs. Maybe at the hedge-fund-billionaire level, sure, but the Audi-owning bourgeoisie drives itself. Strange, then, that the U.S. fleet of long- wheelbase models just keeps expanding, with a stretched Infiniti Q70, Porsche Panamera Executive, and the new Range Rover Long Wheelbase (above) joining the Audi A8 L, Lexus LS 460 L, Jaguar XJL, and BMW 750Li. What gives? Why would an American Range Rover owner want an extra 7 inches of legroom in the back, or an Audi A8 customer give a back-seat passenger control over the right front seat? (Out of the way, knave!)
These cars aren't selling in small numbers, either. Long-wheelbase models tend to be the most popular version of luxury sedans. BMW says that since the current 7 Series' introduction in 2009, two-thirds of its U.S. customers have opted for the stretched version. Likewise, the long-wheelbase Jaguar XJ is the default choice, with 75 percent of American XJ buyers going for the lengthier sedan. "The size of the long-wheelbase Jaguar XJ is sort of the de facto standard in the segment in the U.S.," says Stuart Schorr, a spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover North America. "Around the rest of the world, where cars tend to be a little more compact than in the U.S., there's stronger demand for standard-wheelbase XJs." In other words, Americans just have a grander idea of what constitutes a luxury vehicle.
Ironically, the old-school American formula of sprawling rear-wheel-drive sedans has been embraced not by Cadillac or Lincoln but by the Japanese and European companies. Mercedes-Benz is the only major player that doesn't offer a stand-alone long-wheelbase sedan—but that's only because we get the long one by default. "We offered a short-wheelbase S-Class for one year," says Rob Moran, a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz USA. "It was the 2006 S350 short-wheelbase with a V-6. And people kept buying the long ones with the V-8s." After Mercedes ended that experiment, we've had nothing but long-wheelbase S-Classes. A short S-Class, it seems, was perceived as an entry-level S-Class, and nobody wants to be stuck with that stigma.
These cars aren't selling in small numbers, either. Long-wheelbase models tend to be the most popular version of luxury sedans. BMW says that since the current 7 Series' introduction in 2009, two-thirds of its U.S. customers have opted for the stretched version. Likewise, the long-wheelbase Jaguar XJ is the default choice, with 75 percent of American XJ buyers going for the lengthier sedan. "The size of the long-wheelbase Jaguar XJ is sort of the de facto standard in the segment in the U.S.," says Stuart Schorr, a spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover North America. "Around the rest of the world, where cars tend to be a little more compact than in the U.S., there's stronger demand for standard-wheelbase XJs." In other words, Americans just have a grander idea of what constitutes a luxury vehicle.
Ironically, the old-school American formula of sprawling rear-wheel-drive sedans has been embraced not by Cadillac or Lincoln but by the Japanese and European companies. Mercedes-Benz is the only major player that doesn't offer a stand-alone long-wheelbase sedan—but that's only because we get the long one by default. "We offered a short-wheelbase S-Class for one year," says Rob Moran, a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz USA. "It was the 2006 S350 short-wheelbase with a V-6. And people kept buying the long ones with the V-8s." After Mercedes ended that experiment, we've had nothing but long-wheelbase S-Classes. A short S-Class, it seems, was perceived as an entry-level S-Class, and nobody wants to be stuck with that stigma.
No comments:
Post a Comment