Supply and demand could certainly manage that, but the market for Japanese style luxury really isn’t that large, even globally. I know of very few 1%ers with drivers in the US and these are really, first and foremost, designed for chauffeurs. 

Since the emperor is the living incarnation of the sun god, wouldn’t that be “muffle solar winds”?

To be fair, they have a differently violent culture and the emperor is off limits for even the most heinous criminals.

For most of the US, their benefits didn’t outweigh their problems. In Europe, where street parking is often more “freestyle” than it is in the US, the Smart’s very short length opened up some interesting opportunities. With no such benefit allowed in the US and other vehicles with as good or better efficiency, many…

Browser glitch. Didn’t notice until it was too late to fix. 

Having also worked at a car dealership (in my case, a dealership Cadillac, Audi, Infiniti, Subaru, Saab, Hummer, Porsche), yes, all of those restrictions are in place. And still, at the end of the day, anybody that showed up with cash or good credit walked away with a car.

I’ve driven one of these. It’s not particularly fast and, because it’s nose heavy, its handling is decidedly inferior to the 9000 (an example of which I owned).

The “Norwegian” was the Norway built Ford Th!nk. I actually had one of those on order (in California) for a time, but Ford pulled the plug (no pun intended) before ours was delivered.

I mean, they’re better than the old flush handles, but...

Generally speaking, if a couple shares an online account, it’s because one of them was caught cheating or they’re really, really old.

Last time I special ordered a car, a Saab, was 2002 and I only did that because I was combining a GM employee discount and a European delivery.

It’s the favorite Mercedes of pirates, naturally. 

Saw one in a parking lot in Boulder, CO this morning (which surprised me, as I wasn’t aware that they were on sale yet). The grill is large, but not as horrendous in person as it seems in photos. Also, quite small, all things considered. I had to do a double take, as I’d initially thought it was just another X5.

To appeal to who, exactly? It’s enough for the stalwart BMW folks to tow their track car and it’s enough to tow a horse trailer or Chris-Craft.

This was a VW thing that all the vehicles on this chassis (Toureg, Q7, Carenne) shared, regardless of drivetrain. VW thought their vehicle dynamics software, which had a very specific towing mode, could overcome basic physics.

Actually, the Grand Cherokee and GL450 are rated for 7200 and 7500 lbs, respectively. If you’re serious about towing, get a large SUV (Suburban, Expedition) or, better, a truck. My 2017 Titan is rated from 9000 lbs and even with my light(ish) 6900 lb (wet and loaded) travel trailer, I find myself wishing for more…

US tow limits are less than in Europe. Want to tow more than 5400 lbs, buy a longer vehicle. Europeans can tow more with an X7 because:

Let’s not forget that, beyond the collapse of both the economy and the credit market, old GM went bankrupt because they tried to be all things to all people all the time, continuing to try to compete in arenas where margins were slim, competition intense, and their product either inferior, too costly, or just boring.

The country where GM, especially, was successful in selling American cars was Switzerland. I recall seeing a lot of Jimmies, Suburbans, Caprices, and Vanduras there in the 70s. I imagine GM’s weird factory there, that made Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevys, and Pontiacs, as well as Opels and Vauxhauls, started them down that…