For most of this century, Germany racked up one economic success after another, dominating global markets for high-end products like luxury cars and industrial machinery, selling so much to the rest of the world that half the economy ran on exports.
Jobs were plentiful, the government’s financial coffers grew as other European countries drowned in debt, and books were written about what other countries could learn from Germany.
No longer. Now, Germany is the world’s worst-performing major developed economy, with both the International Monetary Fund and European Union expecting it to shrink this year.
Yes, I’m one of those people who wouldn’t mind living in Zion, eating nutritious slop and wearing unremarkable homemade textiles ;)
PS: but I understand many people need to brag to their friends or impress their clients or make themselves feel better by displaying their status in some material way.
I just don’t see any huge aesthetic differences between any of the cars for sale that would singlehandedly stop e.g. German electric cars from being sold: they all look like sleek solutions to a conditioned aerodynamics problem :D
Nothing to do with bragging or impressing people. Most people have their own tastes, just because for some reason you have no understanding of the concept of beauty doesnt make the rest of the world weird.
Sometimes it is, but even when it isn’t, “taste” by itself is not by itself what is making people stopping themselves from an adequate vehicle.
This is what I was originally replying to and I think it’s nonsense (regardless of how “refined” your taste is):
Yes it may be an overstatement that Merc and BMW would rule the market if they started making appealing EVs, thats not what you were criticizing about the comment though. What you said was along the lines of ‘why would people not buy cars they dont find appealing’ and that just doesnt make sense.