Alan Mulally of Ford hopes to revive the Taurus, the once-popular sedan whose franchise the company abused and ran into the ground some years back. But there is no sign that Mr. Mulally, or anyone else making vehicles for the middle class, is interested in bringing back the bumper. One might as well expect the return of running boards.
That is a shame, because the assumption that buyers want style and performance to the exclusion of all else may be an error. After all, American automakers for years downplayed the importance, of gas mileage. "Small cars, small profits," was the Detroit chant, as The Big Three slid from grace. Then reality sideswiped them, and--in the case of GM this year--ran over the taxpayers, too.
Similarly, Detroit and most foreign auto-makers --and even the producers of supposedly new "green" hybrids--also seem indifferent to such practical owner costs as detailing for dents and dings that the modern parking garage and reckless drivers (including the owners themselves) inflict on automobiles. Blemishes and gouges at some point demand automotive cosmetic surgery, and sometimes it seems you could get your face lifted for less than a full auto detailing. That is why serious bumpers are so helpful on cars. Same for side-strips.
A friend's old Volvo--driven by his son-in-law--was rear ended by another car recently. The offending vehicle, with its supposedly flexible plastic buffer, suffered what must have amounted to a couple of thousand dollars of damage, while the rubber-bumpered Volvo, my friend exclaimed, just bounced. You couldn't see any damage at all.
I myself drive an old Camry and it is overdue for another appointment with the detailer's art. Part of the problem is mine, I confess, and part is that of persons unknown who opened their car doors against mine too roughly or used the lurch-and-touch system of parallel parking. So, because of that problem, as well as a desire for still better gas mileage, I decided that maybe I am due for a new car at last. Just for fun, I rode in a friend's new Ford Fusion hybrid recently. It was a delight. Hooray for Detroit. I'm interested.
But I am annoyed, too. The people at Ford (and elsewhere, of course) still must believe their marketing reports showing that buyers don't much care about protection against scratches and fender benders. The Fusion still does not do much to protect against such indignities.
Surely sophisticated marketers must realize that you have to dig deep sometimes to uncover people's real sentiments. Not every priority opens up to the marketing questionnaire--as truly intuitive politicians, by the way, know in their sales field.
For years, for example, we were told that all people cared about in airplane travel was ticket price. Surveys proved it. So seats squeezed tighter and tighter, didn't they? Legroom decreased. Meal service deteriorated and then disappeared. But making passengers increasingly miserable on their cheap ticket flights somehow didn't conduce to making them want to fly more. Some did fly more often (grandmothers on pleasure trips to see the kids), but others were turned off and now make a point of flying less (e.g., business people with discretion over their schedules).
I know how it is, because I answered an airline customer survey a few years ago in which I, too, marked ticket price as my highest priority. That was because I thought that if I didn't the airline company commissioning the survey would use the results to raise fares. Foolish me (and foolish others like me)! The company did keep the nominal fare costs low, but then started jamming me and others into intolerably close quarters and more often canceling flights on transparently flimsy grounds ("flight crew availability") when "low passenger load" was the real trouble.
Might not something similar be going on in auto marketing? Just because the public doesn't answer questionnaires in a way that puts a premium on controlling cost of maintenance of the vehicle's appearance doesn't mean the public is indifferent to the issue and is completely seduced by a car's shapely--but vulnerable--body. Maybe one time, maybe twice, but not forever. Not when money becomes scarce.
Like dating, looks do matter, but eventually wise people want more!
We are in a deep recession, carmakers. Value matters. If you won't make sensible cars that sensible people can afford to operate without constant maintenance and repairs, I'll just keep avoiding making a new commitment. And I don't think I'm unique.
But, by the way, you can make strong, bouncy bumpers that also are attractive. BMW does on some models. How about making the effort?
