People Prefer Angry-Faced Cars 473
fatalfury writes "Researchers from the University of Vienna asked 20 males and 20 females to rank vehicles based on their appearance. The list of traits included arrogant, afraid, agreeable, disgusted, extroverted, sad, and others. Cars with 'meaner' traits (such as BMW) ranked higher, whereas cars with 'nicer' traits (such as Toyota's Prius) ranked lower. With billions spent on developing new products in the automobile industry, this could spur a trend in meaner-looking cars and perhaps explain why sales of the Prius and other green cars are slow to take off with average consumers."
Re:As a non-driver (Score:5, Interesting)
Also when a BMW tries to cut in to your lane you are much more likely to perceive it as an aggressive deliberate move and block them than a "nice" looking car, where you tend to think "oh, someone's not paying attention!", let them in and then shake your head dismissively.
Angry test subjects. (Score:5, Interesting)
I'd be angry too if I wasted my time being part of a "study" that includes only 40 people.
Excuse me? (Score:5, Interesting)
and perhaps explain why sales of the Prius and other green cars are slow to take off with average consumers
Uhmm, last time I was in the US (CA), a 2nd-hand Prius with low mileage was actually _more expensive_ than a new one, because everyone wants to have one but Toyota can't keep up with the demand.
Calling Prius sales 'slow to take off' sounds a bit like... Opposite reality?
Re:Yes you're right (Score:2, Interesting)
Well, we recently had a survey of 20 people make the national newspaper with findings about racism and integration issues regarding the Muslim community.
I suppose a slow news day combined with slowing sales might help.
Emotional Responses (Score:3, Interesting)
why all the Prius hate? (Score:3, Interesting)
Now the Fiat Multipla posted above, that's one ugly vehicle. :x
Re:As a non-driver (Score:3, Interesting)
You obviously have never encountered a Chrysler PT Cruiser or a Fiat Multipla, if you think the Prius looks bad...
Seriously though, you've got time to look at the drivers? I try not getting into accidents... that takes most of my concentration ;).
I can't say I'm more weary of BMW or Mercedes drivers than I am of drivers of other makes... I'm trying to keep an eye out for 'Stupid Behavior'. The make just determines whether or how much I'm surprised afterwards.
Re:The angriest-looking car in the world... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Emotional Responses (Score:1, Interesting)
"WHAT?"
Hmm land of the enslaved and home of the frightened.
What about a flex-faced car? (Score:5, Interesting)
Hmmmm. Not hard to imagine some simple ways to alter the "expression" on the car. Compressed air components acting like face muscles, lights, rotating panels.
Heading to the beach? Happy face. Heading to work? Angry face. On a date? Depends what you are into. Heading in for service? Sad face. Heck. Why not have mood horns as well? Okay, maybe not. Let's not get too crazy.
Things must have changed... (Score:4, Interesting)
I distinctly remember seeing a TV program way back (perhaps 10 years ago) where the Japanese carried out a study just like this. They wanted to know why a new car would not sell, and discovered entirely the opposite - The car was unpopular because of its not-smiley face - Which is why a large number of Japanese manufactured vehicles have a smiley face on them. I have noticed this quite regularly ever since.
It could be that drivers have changed in 10 years, it could be that Japanese drivers are just "nicer" and prefer a smiley car, or perhaps it is saying something about how the world is changing as a whole.
On the other hand, perhaps it is just so much statistical bullsh*t... You choose :)
Re:Fiat Multipla - does not look bad (Score:1, Interesting)
Maybe because Alfas are actually great cars, and above all, beautiful. And come with a pedigree.
Proud owner of a 1992 Spider and a 2007 Brera.
Tell me this isn't drop dead gorgeous: http://www.gokertuning.com/autodelta-alfa-romeo-brera-j5-3-2-c-2007.htm [gokertuning.com]
anti greenpower (Score:2, Interesting)
"Expains why...?" (Score:2, Interesting)
"perhaps explain why sales of the Prius and other green cars are slow to take off"
Yeah, I'm sure the high price, low performance, econobox look, not to mention high maintenance and exaggerated claims of savings (which are actually negative compared to a comparably sized compact gas powered vehicle), has nothing to do with it. It's the fact that it has a sweet face that nobody will buy it. Yeah, that's it....
Reminds of parents telling their nasty fat child that they have no friends because other kids are stupid....
Re:As a non-driver (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, there are two kinds of people in the US who buy BMWs: those who love driving and scrape every last dime together to buy one, and those who have a lot of money and buy one because they are owned by other rich people. I think the rich drivers tend to be the bad drivers. In general, it seems that people with money tend to have more arrogance, and that extends throughout their social life, including driving.
In some of the most affluent suburbs around here (especially the ones noted for 'old money'), I've noticed the drivers are exceptionally bad, regardless of make. They are driven as if they were the only driver on the road.
The exception seems to be Volvo drivers. They are the most timid creatures on the road, and seem to be able to happily sit waiting to make a right hand turn until the entire rush hour is over. I believe the whole "Volvo is the safest car" idea to be a self-fulfilling prophecy: Volvos have a reputation for safety, so the overly cautious drivers flock to them and enhance that reputation. The problem is that the traffic around them is less safe because of their penchant for delay.
Re:As a non-driver (Score:1, Interesting)
It is a stupid thing to do when you think about it logically, but I too no longer extend any courtesy to BMW drivers on the road. Too many thousands of miles of being pushed about have ended any idea I had they are 'one of us'.
Re:Excuse me? (Score:3, Interesting)
Besides the fact you can get about 45-49 mpg in "real world" driving on the current Prius, don't forget that the car itself sports an amazing amount of interior space (the roomy back seating especially) and the fact you can fold down the back seats to get a big cargo area.
It will be very interesting to see what Toyota does with the 2010 model, the third-generation of this ground-breaking car. We do know that Toyota wants improved performance and even better fuel economy, probably by going to a more powerful electric motor and an improved gasoline engine.
Re:A to B (Score:3, Interesting)
I read about a study on the psychology of car selection, road rage, etc... Basically the outcome was that most people see their cars as an extension of their personal space. And many people care deeply about how the looks and comforts of personal space. Interestingly, they found that there is a direct correlation between the importance someone places in the looks of their car and the amount of bumper stickers, nodding dogs, furry dice etc they add, and the likelyhood of that person feeling anger at someone else's mistake in traffic. Someone cutting them off in traffic is felt as an invasion of their personal space.
I think there is something to that notion. When I leave the office and get on the train home, I feel like I am still working, right until I leave the train (even when I'm just reading a book instead of doing actual work). But when I leave the office and get in my car, it feels like the work day is already done... because at that moment I am entering my personal space.
By the way, Americans have absolutely no business buying used cars, at prevailing prices in the USA. Here in the Netherlands we usually pay around twice the US sticker price... mostly because we've a 45% special tax on new cars, and the 20% VAT comes on top of that.
Re:As a non-driver (Score:4, Interesting)
No, he's mad because he perceives those drivers as having a sense of entitlement, despite not having the right of way!
The people already on the highway have the right of way. It is the responsibility of the people merging from the on-ramp to wait until there's a gap and then merge safely. If they try to shove themselves in, and get forced off the road as a result, I have no sympathy!
Re:As a non-driver (Score:5, Interesting)
At least in the US, kids are encouraged to anthropomorphize cars from the earliest stages of cognition.
Now, I had the ultimate "angry" car. A 1959 Chevy Impala. The back of the car looked like an animal face with chrome and steel whiskers and evil looking eyes :-) The front had four-foot long chrome harpoons that ran along the front fenders. The hubcaps when in motion, had an effect of spinning chrome abbatoir blades complete with red and black paint. This car was a real can opener and no matter what you drive, it was a *can* by comparison.
I parted with that car when I couldn't afford $1.80/gal gasoline in a 1950s car, but I have different standards now for what I think looks "mean and angry" in a car.
Here is some advice for those who are getting cut off and tailgated: Drive a car that looks like a complete piece of crap. Make sure it looks like there is no possible way you have insurance or brakes. Nobody who actually cares about their vehicle will get anywhere near you. "Rusty old truck" effect is fun.
Re:As a non-driver (Score:3, Interesting)
And you instead discover that it's driven by a somewhat butch, middle-aged woman, right? :) That's the stereotypical PT Cruiser driver around these parts.
Out of curiosity, would you say that this car [flickr.com] (Aptera Typ-1) looks angry or happy? It's got a bit of a smile line, but the headlights and "nostrils" look kind of devious to me and almost make the smile look like an evil grin.
Re:As a non-driver (Score:3, Interesting)
Try driving an '08 MX5 Miata. I get all kinds of mixed responses. People that tell me it's a nice looking car when I stop at places (like the gas station, drive through, or the cop that pulled me over for not having a front plate, etc.) and people that feel the need to scream out their window that I'm some kind of "faggot" or "homo" for driving it while they speed off or pass by. I'm not sure what exactly inspires them to do so, but the record is currently 10 compliments vs. 3 people with some kind of brain trauma.
Re:As a non-driver (Score:4, Interesting)
No, this study changes nothing. It's not about the car, it's about the class of people who typically drive them. Different types of cars attract different types of people.
I am from Alabama, and if I see a rusted out, primered up '72 Nova with Confederate flag and "Fear This" stickers driving down the road, I would be pretty surprised if I saw a corporate exec in a business suit driving it. If I saw a brand new BMW rolling down the street then I would be surprising to see a mulleted, tattooed redneck behind the wheel.
I guarantee you that a typical good ole boy redneck gettin 'er done in his rusted out POS does not drive in the exact same manner as a snobbish corporate exec who thinks he is hot shit in his $3,000 suit and brand new BMW. The driving society as a whole comes to understand that certain types of people tend to drive certain vehicles, so when you see that vehicle out on the road your mind automatically makes certain assumptions about the person driving it. It's an assumption, yes, but a pretty good one that is borne out by real experience.
Some cars have stronger stereotypes than others. For example, BMW, Corvette, and (new) Beetle all have certain images associated with them that some people seek out and others avoid. Mustangs (my favorite) and Camaros are the same way, but not as strong. A Camry, Accord, or something like that really doesn't have much of an image, it's more of a bland family car. Nobody sees a Camry cut someone off and thinks "yet another stupid Camry driver", but if a guy in a BMW does the same thing it just reinforces the stereotype. If you look closely, you can see a pattern here. The more expensive the car, the more likely it is to have a certain "image" associated with it. I would say that BMWs as a particular example tend to attract a lot of assholes, because it it just nice and expensive enough to be exclusive but not expensive enough to be unaffordable to the typical young hot shot exec--or those who want to be like him. I'd also bet that the typical BMW driver in Europe is not the same as in the States, because BMWs are cheaper to purchase over there.
No guy, at least here in the South, would be caught dead driving a Prius because everything about the car just screams homosexual. Sneer and jeer all you want about how this fact proves your culture (wherever it may be--California, Europe, whatever) is superior to everyone else, but the fact remains. The truth is, if the automakers want hybrids to be more widely accepted, they need to design and market them to Joe Average American and not to So.Cal. metrosexual Starbucks-inhabiting elitists. Build a hybrid with a top speed of 140+ MPH, 100+ MPH trap speed in the quarter, aggressive looks, 40+ MPG, and reasonable cost, and it will sell like crazy. Otherwise, don't be pissed when most people aren't interested.
Re:why all the Prius hate? (Score:1, Interesting)
Eh. Let's be brutally honest here: the prius is just average. There are much, MUCH uglier cars out there.
A bit of quick googling yielded this list here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/picturegalleries/2754146/The-100-ugliest-cars.html [telegraph.co.uk]
Not all the pics in there are actually horrible, but just a few clicks in from the bottom and already I see uglier cars than I ever imagined, like that Fiat Doblo. And of course, I do remember the Aztec - I still see one on the road every now and then and marvel at its concentration of raw ugly. In comparison to most cars on the road, the prius just kinda... blends in. There are a lot of them out there, but I don't notice them unless I'm specifically looking for them. Can't miss things like the PT Cruiser though; the wrongness just draws the eye in...
Re:Excuse me? (Score:3, Interesting)
There is another twist to the Prius thing: some used Priuses have a HOV sticker attached to them that allows them to be driven in the HOV lane by a single occupant. There's a quota on those stickers which has been reached, so you can grab about 5K extra if you're selling a Prius with one of those stickers.
Re:As a non-driver (Score:3, Interesting)
I wish I had mod points. There is so much truth to this. I have the same experiences as the GP, and I do live in a red state (Nashville, TN). It's the idea that the wealthy folks are royalty, and the average folks are their peasants or serfs. I hear a lot of people here go on about "entitlement" programs, but in my experience, it's usually only the rich ones that really feel entitled to anything. I used to work in an expensive salon in the Green Hills area, and those clients were so overbearing. I ultimately quit because they really weren't worth dealing with.
I mean, there are very very few "wealth-neutral" systems that people engage in. The highway system is one of them. Generally, people with more money get "better" everything -- but put them on the road and they're just another person trying to get from points A to point B.
Re:It's too bad that aerodynamics... (Score:3, Interesting)
Alas, anything that has low drag is going to end up looking more or less like a Prius.
Sorry, no. Both a Prius and a Lexus LS have a .26 coefficient of drag. The Prius design is largely to create a unique look since its market value is mostly as a fashion accessory.