Whether consumers are consciously aware of it or not, car manufacturers have always relied heavily on their provenance and countries of origin to sell their cars. National identity is a contentious subject in political circles, but it can be an absolute dream for marketers, who are known to be fond of using less harmful national stereotypes to present their cars as products of their nation’s individual cultures - whether that's timeless Italian style, innovative Japanese technology, or efficient German engineering. But the question remains - how much does this really factor into individual buying decisions, especially when people are looking at used, seized or salvage cars in online vehicle auctions like the ones we host here at RAW2K?
It’s all about location, location, location
Even if you don’t drive, you’ll probably still know all about the public images that various manufacturers cultivate for themselves, often by incorporating the national traits we’ve mentioned above. For example, the marketing for Honda’s cars often makes references to the pioneering Japanese company’s advances in the field of robotics, and ASIMO has even made appearances in its adverts. Meanwhile, BMW’s slogan of The Ultimate Driving Machine is supposed to draw attention to the quality of its engineering, reinforcing that well-trodden idea of German efficiency. Meanwhile, Jaguar trades heavily on its British roots, and has dedicated itself to - in its own words - “preserving Britain’s incredible automotive heritage".
Arguably, this has become increasingly important to many people here in the UK in the past few years, with the ever-more significant matter of Brexit on the horizon. On the whole, the public are paying much closer attention to which manufacturers actually produce cars here in the UK.
As of now, the list of manufacturers operating in the UK includes Toyota, Nissan, Vauxhall, Jaguar, Mini, Bentley, Lotus, Honda, Aston Martin and Rolls Royce. Now, there are some undeniably major players in that list (and you’ll find vehicles from some of them right here in our salvage car auctions here at RAW2K). However in light of Brexit, some of them are looking to move their operations abroad, with Nissan being one of the most prominent in recent headlines.
The question is - will that ultimately stop people from buying their cars?
Proudly made in Britain - but does it really matter?
When it comes right down to it, probably not. There are a fair amount of people who would prefer to buy British over anything else, but most official evidence indicates that people prefer to make their car choices based on practicality, logistics and convenience rather than national pride. We actually went into a reasonably in-depth list in one of our recent posts - it includes aspects like reliability, fuel efficiency, and price.
Though some customers might find themselves naturally gravitating towards French brands like Peugeot or Renault, or those manufactured in Britain like Toyota or Nissan, on the whole they’ll probably find that their choices aren’t influenced by loyalty to a particular country, but more by how the brands in question perform on these other key issues. Toyotas are more likely to be favoured because of their reliability rather than because they’re made in Britain - and funnily enough, despite their British heritage, Land Rovers are more likely to be shunned because of their poor reputation for electronics in their vehicles.
In other words, despite all the marketing collateral that highlights the provenance and history of each brand, practicality and convenience will trump culture and heritage every time.
Here at RAW2K, we’ve got a fantastic range of vehicles from a whole host of leading manufacturers, including giants like Ford, Audi and Volkswagen. These used, seized and salvage auction vehicles span a range of conditions, so whether you’re looking to fix one up and sell it on for profit, or save hundreds on your next personal motor, we’ve got options to suit you! Why not take a look around, and see what you can find?
