How to make a car that people want to buy

From Unfocusgroup.org

The prosperity of the car industry is seen as an indicator of the health of the economy. When people stop buying cars, it is taken as a sign that people have no money and need some form of financial stimulus in order to buy cars.

This may be true to some extent, but I think that a bigger problem with the car industry is that they no longer make cars that people want to buy. They are now generally identikit lumps of metal that are indistinguishable from each other. Cars no longer seem to have any character: they don't even look good anymore.

One could argue that cars are far more aerodynamic, reliable and safe than ever before. This is true in one sense, but there are many flaws with modern cars:

• Cars tend to be sold on features. Extra features require extra parts. The combined failure rate of these parts make the cars less reliable in the long run.
• They keep changing the shapes of cars, and making models obsolete. This makes cars very costly to service.
• Everything seems to be covered by a facia or a panel, even the stuff under the bonnet. Half of this stuff is redundant, and the other half seems to clip together instead of being held together with useful things like screws. This makes the car far less user-serviceable.

There is a gap in the market for a reliable car that can be easily serviced, is reliable and basic and cheap. One where the manufacturer commits to ensuring the availability of cheap replacement parts, and to never change the shape. One where the manufacturer releases updates rather than new models.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility. It's possible to make a basic, well-made, mass-produced engine that lasts for years and can be replaced. And when a more efficient engine is designed, it can be made to retro-fit into existing models. There is no need to make people buy entire new models.

People like their cars. Many people would be happier to constantly buy upgrades and new parts for their cars, rather than to scrap their car every few years and buy a new model.

You'd also get more money out of people in the long run. People would start with a basic model, then upgrade gradually over the years. There is less need to get into debt to be able to afford a car, but you would still get a bit of money off everyone every year. You could even offer a "full restoration" service for people who want to restore their car to a nearly-new condition. Cars would not depreciate as much if this scheme was adopted.

The Land Rover is one car that is designed for robustness, longevity and serviceability. In addition, they rarely bring out new models, and continue to ensure the availability of parts for old models. It even bolts together, though of course this method of construction lends itself better to chassis-based vehicles rather than the safer monocoque design. However, the Land Rover is not a very practical everyday car.

The car parts industry should be opened up, and manufacturers should list the prices of each part on their website. Then you will not get ripped off when you take your car to be serviced.

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