Futureshite: What defines a premium vehicle?

[Captain Slow]

Hello fellow 'Shiters,

I'd like your opinions on something. I'm a shortlisted finalist in the Sir William Lyons Award 2013, and the topic of debate is the future of premium vehicles. As premium vehicles of today could become the luxoshite of the 2020s, I'd like to hear what your views are as to what defines a premium car, and where the future of the premium sector might be. It might represent your next car. OK, the one after the one after the one after that. And then some!

I'll link to my initial article and the analysis piece I was asked to write, and I hope it stimulates a bit of debate!


What Defines a Premium Vehicle in 2013?

Premium Cars: An Analysis

Over to you - look forward to hearing your ideas! Feel free to join the debate here, on Facebook or on Twitter using the hashtag #PremCar2013

[pshome]

Any car driven by a Sir William Lyons Award winner automatically disqualifies as premium future shite!

[Partridge]

I didn't read the links on perpose-to not influence what I think.

 

For me, it must have a reason to command the "premium" price tag. These days all cars are pretty much made to the same standard, so they can't use the old build quality line.

 

But it must do something better than the average car-but most new cars do everything well. So they must be very, very, very comfortable, nice to drive, pretty and basically do everything a darn sight better than a bloody Mondeo.

 

And who cares if the maker won a race in 1955 or made a car used by royalty/evil dictators? That's dosen't justify huge buying costs, and it dosen't effect how well a car can perfrom it's duties today. But that's what Mercedes have been living off you go knows how long...

[londonm]

Mate, the Williams Lyon award is sponsored by Jaguar. The people here consider Ladas and Protons premium cars, wise up.

[pshome]

Just have a close look, premium cars are clearly labeled!

[Captain Slow]

I'm well aware of what counts as premium here, Londonm - I've been a member long enough! Shitefest was only a couple of weeks ago, I attended, and personally I was in my element.

 

That's exactly why I'm asking for Autoshite's opinions, because I want a different slant on it and few other places are going to debate the premium merits of the Talbot Solara Rapier and the Kia Optima! The award may be sponsored by Jaguar, but that doesn't mean it has to be a complete Jagfest. If you think a Proton's a premium car, say so - and tell me why it's premium in your opinion.

[vulgalour]

Premium and Autoshite don't readily go hand in hand at first.  Most of the things I'd say are Autoshite cars don't leap off the page as being a premium product, quite the opposite in fact.  But then I realised this isn't actually the case and there are quite a few examples of Premium shite on the site.

 

Talbot Tagora - a premium product in its day and much prized on this forum.  Unfortunately, all the surviving Tagoras are owned by one man, he's even bought the last surviving electric Tagora and gloated about it.

 

Jaguars - Always regarded as premium, but quite often a good Shiter's Choice for a premium product without the premium outlay.  You can feel special, looked after and a bit of a cad without spending megabucks.

 

For us, a premium car is either something that was desirable in it's day, rare, and most of all obscure.  It's the sort of car our parents and grandparents would have loved to have owned when new but could never afford but which is now in bargain basement territory.

 

Other things quantify a car for being premium, a thing that it excels at that makes it desirable beyond any other faults.

 

Supreme comfort

BL Princess and Ambassador. Citroen CX, BX and XM

 

Longevity, Solidness & Reliability

Volvo 140, 240, 740

 

Veg Power

Peugeot 106, 205, 405

 

Obscurity

Volvo 262c, Tatra, VW Brasilia

 

Premium for us isn't always about fit, finish and toys. It can be about how desirable a vehicle is to our wants/needs.

[Barry Cade]

Hmmm, "Premium" to me means you can spot them outside school gates, wine bars and football pitches- usually with black windows and black, or chrome wheels. Quality motors on the other hand, are usually only spotted by folks in the know and are debadged, especially stealthy versions of Alpina and AMG.

[londonm]

So, basically, a vegetable oil powered Allegro Vanden Plas is premium here.

[Junkman]

Eventually you might even arrive at the top - and buy a Rover P6.

[Lord Sterling]

We all know about Autoshites opinion of what constitues a premium car. But futureshite? I don't honestly know. A "premium" vehicle will always be one that is the most popular brand if the decade, the kind of vehicle driven by salesman, highly paid office workers and those who want to appear to be successful and loaded.

 

The Germans with BMW, VW and even Mercedes have strived so hard in the marketing world selling the ideas that thier cars are made of premium-brand high-quality materials that should never break, even in a Nuclear war. They themselves have even admitted that, but the British car buyer is still so gullible, happy to sign up to a xxx-year finance package just to have the latest toy, what for? So they can show off in the office or to thier friends/family.

 

Mercedes seem to be thinking ahead here. Of course potential buyers are going to be bowled over by any new technology but Mercedes, like BMW and VW are still held dearly in the hearts of premium-brand lovers, or at least that will be until a popular* newspaper/popular online news* outlet tells them otherwise.

 

Please accept my apologies if I have written a load of drivel here, I seem to be half-falling asleep.

[warren t claim]

Easy!

[Partridge]

In we're using the word "premium" to define the image attached to a car, rather than the product itself then I'd say its all about the image. Or rather the glossy marketing rubbish.

[Barry Cade]

[forddeliveryboy]

There's a load of bollocks written and energy wasted on this subject - rather than attempting to artificially engineer proper class, it is possibly easier to reach the holy grail the honest way, with good old fashioned integrity. Easier to start out with this ethos than trying to reverse-engineer it.

[Barry Cade]

There's a load of bollocks written and energy wasted on this subject - rather than attempting to artificially engineer proper class, it is possibly easier to reach the holy grail the honest way, with good old fashioned integrity. Easier to start out with this ethos than trying to reverse-engineer it.

Ah, The old W124 versus Audi Q1/2/3/4/5/6/7 argument. I'll put my specs on the end of my nose and await the discussion.

[Junkman]

it is possibly easier to reach the holy grail the honest way, with good old fashioned integrity.

 

Unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. Honesty and good old fashioned integrity get you absolutely fugg-all-where nowadays, just look at me for proof. If you want to achieve anything in this time and age, you gotta be a massive snake oil salesman and crook, look around you.

[warren t claim]

I occasionally drive a Renault Premium artic.

 

Do I win £5?

[Barry Cade]

I occasionally drive a Renault Premium artic.

 

Do I win £5?

 

Get back in the queue, I've got a Robin Reliant and a Premium Bond.

[forddeliveryboy]

Starting out with integrity doesn't mean you apply it at every turn. That would be the route to financial disaster for any maker of that lowest, most cynical form of engineering - the motor car. Instead you apply it with intelligence.

[Barry Cade]

Starting out with integrity doesn't mean you apply it at every turn. That would be the route to financial disaster for any maker of that lowest, most cynical form of engineering - the motor car. Instead you apply it with intelligence.

Mercedes did it with the early W124's and 190's. Saab did it pre GM. Merc saw the error of their ways and accountants nearly killed the company. Saab started building Cavaliers whilst spitting in the GM bods tea. Merc was a strong enough brand to survive, Saab went all Swedish and thought giving the 9-5 a pair of specs would sort everything.

[rml2345]

What is a "premium" car? I was going to say one that feels nicer than an "ordinary" car but those are very good these days.

Or so I'm told.

I think for a car to be truly premium it has to be better than a normal car and feel a bit special. The Honda Legend for example is a very very good car but doesn't feel special in the way that, say a Jag does.

I might be drivelling though.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I used to think anything with hydraulic struts on the bonnet defined a premium car,probably just my age, my grandad would have said anything with a heater. My spoilt brat kids ,sulked when we used a 2004 Merc e220 with cloth seats to go on holiday this year, 'People will think we're gypsies ,it hasn't even got sat-nav' they mocked. It's the pittance I make selling things like this to people who think they're getting a premium motor and worth spending an extra £500 over an Astra that means we can go on holiday in the first place.

I think premium is now the baseline with Jags,Audi's,Mercs etc just another company car and people will want personalised cars like the DS3 and Adam but across all sizes.

[Sigmund Fraud]

In we're using the word "premium" to define the image attached to a car, rather than the product itself then I'd say its all about the image. Or rather the glossy marketing rubbish.

 

Agreed ! Nowadays, it's the marketing people that decide what is 'premium' and what is not.

 

The reason that engineering, quality, longevity etc. don't sell cars anymore is that the vast majority of the car buying public know far too little about cars and care far too much about the image they project to other people.

 

Nobody cares if their Audi (or equivalent) is full of poorly designed, cheaply made components. What they care about is that buying the overpriced piece of junk will make their family/friends/neighbours/co-workers think that they are 'successful' and that they earn far more than they do. Some of them will even try to appear knowledgeable, by memorising the raving reviews of their car by the impartial* automotive press, who ab-so-lute-ly loved the car when they drove it during a fully paid-for holiday in some exotic destination.

 

Oh, the humanity...

[Mr_Bo11ox]

 

 

For me, it must have a reason to command the "premium" price tag.

 

Brilliant insight there, loving it

[Partridge]

Brilliant insight there, loving it

Well, think about it.

What reason do Mercedes have to charge more for their hatchbacks than say Kia, when Mercedes are no better than Kia, or if not worse?

[Captain Slow]

This is good stuff, keep it coming! Mo's hit the nail on the head with the comment about cars which people drive in order to appear successful in terms of image, and I really like forddeliveryboy's thoughts as to quality being engineered in. We all see old Mercs, Volvos and SAABs as premium, and this is part of the reason why.

 

NorfolkNWeigh: You think personalised cars are the future? That's a great one to think about, and it would be good to see it applied across the board. For an Autoshite personalised car of course, we need look no further than the MG Rover Monogram range, which offered buyers the option to have their 75 trimmed in liver red and painted in Kermit-extract green. Could this be the way forward for the Ford Vignale range?

 

Who longs for the days when a vinyl roof and metallic paint were enough to put one ahead of the Joneses?

 

[Lacquer Peel]

WGAS?

[HMC]

Over recent years the very coining of the phrase 'premium brand' and the aspirations of most mainstream manufacturers has skewed things somewhat. Dynamics and build vary less now than they ever used to between manufacturers, so its more often the brand or its values- what it means to that individual that new car buyers 'buy' into. Thats where the money lies now, and why the whole obsession with brands seems far important the the actual product these days.

[oman5]

I occasionally drive a Renault Premium artic.

 

Do I win £5?

If it were up to me yes you would win £5 for putting up with such a piece of awfulness