Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 76

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74 AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
The car for the
USA
Practical, safe, large –
these are the key attrib-
utes for many Americans
when they buy a car. The
continuing trend towards
the unstintingly popular
SUV is, however, being
boosted by such aspects
as its individuality and
comprehensive equip-
ment. The sport utility
vehicle is moreover the
ideal family car that often
clocks up hundreds of
kilometres on a weekend
excursion. For many
Americans, the choice
is an obvious one: the
bigger, the better!
Right: Western
brands and a
Western lifestyle
are highly valued
in China.
Out in the wilder-
ness with all the
family: Americans
swear by their
SUVs.
USA: freedom XXL
Howard Walker, editor of MotorUK, the
leading motoring magazine based in London,
on the relationship between Americans and
their cars.
Watch any old American Wild West movie and
the imagery is always the same; a rugged terrain
with a horse-drawn covered wagon carrying Ma,
Pa and the three kids “Out West”.
Now digitally substitute that rickety covered
wagon for a modern-day sport utility vehicle, and
right there is much of the reason for America’s
enduring love affair with the SUV.
Ever since those pioneering Wild West days,
Americans have cherished personal freedom,
mobility, rugged individualism and a little adven-
ture.
Even today, American families don’t think twice
about loading up their SUV with a mountain of
camping gear, hooking a boat trailer to its tow
hitch, and taking an 800 km “road trip” to some
remote camp ground. For a weekend.
And from Monday to Friday, only a vehicle the
size of a hulking, seven-seat SUV can cope with
the daily frenzy of ferrying kids to school, to
baseball practise, to football games, running to
the grocery store or the shopping mall.
Remember that unlike Europe, America was
designed around the car rather than the horse.
Its roads are wider, its parking spaces bigger.
And in the pursuit of the American Dream of a
bigger house and more space, Americans much
prefer the suburbs to the city where the SUV’s
size never looks out of place.
SUVs also fit-in perfectly with the American
“drive-through” culture, where drivers can do
everything from picking-up lunch, to ordering a
decaf mocha latte, to collecting dry cleaning and
extracting cash from an ATM. All without leaving
the leather-lined, air conditioned, 14 cupholder
cocoon of their sport ute.
And who wouldn’t want to drive a vehicle that
provides the best safety and security for their
loved ones inside?
You can bet that if John Wayne were alive to-
day, he’d be driving an SUV. And the bigger the
better.