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People Prefer Angry-Faced Cars
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."
... pop-up headlights. It looks like my car's asleep, which is fairly representative of what's going on in my driver's seat too...
Really, this car can't be described with just "angry" or "happy."
... is the Triumph Herald Vitesse.
To tell you the truth, there's been one car in the last decade that I thought looked interesting (under $50K, anyway), and I bought one, the PT Cruiser. Why can't they make decent looking cars anymore? Design by committee?
So apparently we don't only need to worry about road rage from the drivers, apparently the cars are angry too!
I intend to live forever, or die trying. - Groucho Marx
100% of the people I just asked agreed with you on that.
In Austria they only prefer BMWs because of the better 'roo-bars.
Old news ... to boost Prius sales, Toyota are giving the 2.0 a face lift. I can't find any good online reference, but spy photos report looks similar to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Honking
"Good news, everyone!"
You obviously have never encountered a Chrysler PT Cruiser
I always let a PT Cruiser go ahead of me. About five seconds later, I realize that it's actually not either the start of a funeral procession or Grandpa Munster.
I hate the new (post 2001) BMWs. Their fronts and back look like they are angry at me. Why a car's ass would be angry at me, I'll never know.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
That's still better than what others think of me.
"The car is yellow, therefore the car is a lemon, therefore the driver had lemon pie for dessert."
Wait, what?
I once felt the same way that you do... then I purchased a BMW, and it turns out, with it, you do in fact get a deed stating that you own the road.
Now excuse me, I need to go refill my latte.
Just another ignorant American.
I prefer cars that look like a college woman.
- curvy exterior
- firm
- no blemishes or rust
The government is not your daddy. Its purpose is not to raid middle-class neighbors' wallets and give it to you.
I prefer cars that look like a college woman.
- curvy exterior
- firm
- no blemishes or rust
You forgot to add
- easy to get in and out of.
The enemies of Democracy are
As an owner of a BMW, I can tell you without any doubt whatsoever that we don't think we own the road, we DO own the road. After all, we paid for it. It was part of the option pack I had to get to get the sunroof. Why do I have to pay an extra 52 million for an interstate highway just to get the sunroof?
My lights come on when they need to, because they are on automatic, just like everyone else's.
As for thanking people for being let out, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Just like everyone else. And sometimes when I do, people don't notice it. I think you just happen to notice it more from drivers of more distinctive vehicles. Just like I always look for the drivers of slow SUVs or minivans in the left lane with the "My child is an honor student at..." to be on their cell phones.
I know a number of drivers who have BMWs, Corvettes, Mercedes and other sorts of cars. Some of them are jerks, but most of them are better than average drivers. You don't spend money on a car with any sort of performance and not want to take care of it, and that includes knowing how to drive so that you don't wreck your car. Do you have any idea how much it costs to fix one of these things?
I don't regard my car as intimidating or important. I didn't buy it to be intimidating, I bought it because I like good engineering and style. There are cars significantly more intimidating looking than a BMW of any model and many of them are cheaper too.
What can I say? I know both how to configure WPA2 under linux, and unhook a bra without looking. Call me a renaissance man.
The enemies of Democracy are
I see this study as further evidence that people should not be allowed to drive.
"The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."