Where has the universal value of American luxury cars gone?

In the automotive field, the American dream is no match for the golden mean of globalization.

In the last century, the innovative thinking of the three major companies in the United States made the world feel a new American model. But in the present and the future, will the universal dream of American luxury be carried by Tesla? Already?

Under the Statue of Liberty in New York, USA, these words are engraved -

"Give them all to me, and give them to the tired and poor people who long to breathe freely. All living things, the poor people on the noisy seashore, are here, the homeless and displaced people. I hold a bright light high beside the Golden Gate."

This is a typical American "universal value. ”. People all over the world pursue their dreams regardless of nationality or race. Ultimately, they want to live in harmony while reserving differences.

But the minds of the whole world are full of confusion. How difficult it is to encompass everything with one idea or one object.

Apart from anything else, some pioneering and innovative companies in the United States have indeed set examples in this regard. For example, the iPhone, Coca-Cola, and even Hollywood and the NBA are all trying to satisfy all users with one "product", ranging from princes and nobles to ordinary people.

But in the automotive field, such American luxury cars seem to have never appeared. In the development history of the past nearly a hundred years, American luxury cars have never had the upper hand in the years-long competition with German and Japanese cars.

Compared with the sophistication and sophistication of German and Japanese luxury cars, American luxury is always presented in a more rugged and pragmatic way, similar to American hamburgers and steaks. Therefore, whether in the United States or in the Chinese market, American luxury has not been very popular.

Cadillac, which frequently appears in black American rap, has always been a symbol of the rich, but in the Chinese market it has become the target of ridicule due to frequent price cuts; Ford in China flaunts its super-luxury Taurus and other models , but it lives like a joke. More luxury-carrying points are still supported by tough guys such as Raptor; a luxury brand under Chrysler? If you look at the price range, perhaps in the Chinese market what everyone can think of is the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon or Jeep...

But Lincoln, which has always appeared in public as a presidential car, seems to be a little bit different from Traditional American luxury is distinguished.

Someone asked on Zhihu, "What is American luxury?" Some people said that a strong aura, the perfect combination of muscle and elegance is authentic American luxury.

To be honest, American luxury cars have always been very good at aura. Whether it's a Ford Raptor, Mustang, Cadillac Enclave, or Lincoln Navigator, they are all huge, muscular, and very "Uncle Sam." But when it comes to "elegance", I'm afraid there is no American car that can match this word yet.

Of course, the formation of these styles has a lot to do with the American car-using environment and American-style car research and development concepts, and will not be discussed in depth here. But in an international market, American luxury needs to accept the torture of global consumers in its own style - where is the universal value of American products?

Just a while ago, Lincoln’s second domestically produced SUV model, the Aviator, became really popular. Although the premise of this "hot" is still the traditional "large size" and "standard V6 in all series". Another more significant change is that the Aviator, or the entire Lincoln brand, has indeed not set itself high in terms of price in the domestic market.

From German luxury to American luxury, Lincoln China President Mao Jingbo understands the Lincoln brand this way - "At Lincoln, we believe that there has never been one standard that can define all luxury. True luxury, It’s your character, taste, preferences and expressions, and understanding what you want instead of blindly following other people’s choices.”

Although this sentence is very official, it reflects Lincoln and others to a certain extent. The reality of American luxury cars in the Chinese market.

Just imagine, if we were still working for our last employer, Mercedes-Benz, I guess Mr. Mao would definitely think that the standard of luxury is Mercedes-Benz.

But one thing you have to admit is that since Lincoln was localized, the Lincoln Way that it has been strengthening is indeed gradually showing up with keywords such as "leapfrog, experience, differentiation". With sales starting from 500,000 yuan, and the "sincerity" of the 355-horsepower 3.0 twin-turbocharged engine as standard in all series, Aviator has no reason not to become popular in the luxury car market controlled by BBA.

Many years ago, American luxury was the "American Dream" to a certain extent. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been fighting for a long time in North America, and the three major Japanese brands have independently created luxury brands for the American market.

If Lincoln still retains a trace of American luxury style so far (for example, it has stopped producing sedans and focuses on luxury SUVs), then Cadillac is actually a global luxury brand—— We are increasingly strengthening the golden mean in our products.

Officially because of this change in brand positioning, if we talk about American luxury brands alone, Cadillac's current development seems to be the smoothest. But in the Chinese market, Cadillac cannot be said to be able to compete with BBA, or even with Lexus, Volvo, etc.

Lincoln’s road to localization was the first step in a long march of thousands of miles. And more American luxury has not yet fully entered the discerning eyes of Chinese consumers.

In the last century, the innovative thinking of the three major American companies (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) made the world feel a new American model. But in the present and the future, is the universal dream of American luxury not possible? Do you want Tesla to carry it?

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.