It’s a brave new world out there, though not the one Aldus Huxley envisioned. Technology is all-pervading in more ways than we actually realize.
While browsing the web you always come across headlines with celebs touting the latest and greatest. Whether it’s a reality star, a Hollywood A-lister or a singer, everyone knows what they’re doing, where they are, what they’re wearing – oh, and what they are driving.
The paparazzi will soon be a thing of the past. Celebrities use social media themselves to promote…, well, themselves. How does 34 million Instagram followers of Ms. Kylie Jenner sound to you?
To automotive company executives, it sounds like a golden opportunity. “There’s a lot of new wealth out there today”, global VP of design for Daimler AG, Gorden Wagener, points out. “People are looking for good places to invest their money and we are asking ‘What more can we do to fulfill that desire for luxury?’””
Give them what they want, that’s the answer. Why not entice them with the Mercedes-Maybach, essentially a posh S-Class that goes for twice the price?
Everyone is getting on the game. “We are attracting a new customer”, says Gerry Spahn, Rolls-Royce North America spokesman. “We’re seeing a change in our customer profile, from people in their 60s to people in their 40s. They want something new from us: New interiors and more vibrant colors.”
Of course they do; the restrained options remind them of their parents’ or grandparents’ cars. Paint my Roller red, pal – I want to stand out, not be discreet.
A chrome Bentley or Rolls may cause loyal customers a heart attack, but in the end it’s only business. The same goes for the premium SUVs like the Bentayga. No matter how capable it is, it will never get its shiny alloys dirty, but if that’s what it takes to increase sales, then so be it – and to hell with tradition.
Eric Lawrence, director of specialty products for Black Book, oversees publication of its Collectible Vehicle Value Guide. “We’re in a new era,” he says. “It’s not Frank Sinatra in 1965 with a gorgeous Cadillac — it’s the new-money guys. It’s the athletes. The guys in the entertainment business, the Wall Street people, the tech company people who are suddenly worth $300 million. They’ve suddenly made a lot of money, and they want to spend it suddenly.”
He calls it “The Instagram Effect”. Owning a stunning car is not enough, they want to show it off to the rest of the world: “You’ve got to put it on Instagram or Tweet it. Look at me. Here’s a selfie of me in my garage with my two new Lamborghinis.”
Make no mistake: Gordon Gecko was right. Double-breasted suits may be out but the “Greed is Good” mantra is more alive and kicking than ever.
Story Reference: Autonews
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