Dumb Question: Europeans like cars, right?

[Ottobon]

I know this might sound dumb, but since i don't really want to bore foreigners i meet in public with too much car talk i'd like to get this out of the way here. Is it that most Europeans like cars, and just happen to live in countries with strong politics against cars? I was reading a article about climate change policies and it stated that "Americans are attached to their cars to a greater degree than Europeans" but i don't buy into this for a second. Sure we like big cars a bit, but i think the underlying issue is that we hate being bossed around by our government. Every time i talk to a Brit stateside they always mention that "no we love cars" and that its just mainly political stuff that gets in the way. Furthermore i usually get better or at least more intellectual conversations about cars from visiting foreigners then i do most Americans i visit.

Anyways, so for the most part do Europeans love their cars? Because if you scrape away the green none-sense it seems like you guys do, but when i read articles like this it makes it sound as though you could all care less, but i suppose that such would be a necessity if you were a green journalist to discredit any link between cars and emotion.

[jetsetter]

A substantial portion of the United States was built around the car. I believe that fact alone gives as a slightly different relationship with our autos.

[Ottobon]

are you European? no, so be quiet and let them talk

[jetsetter]

You didn't expressly ask for just Europeans to answer.

[hansvonaxion]

Im not European, or American...
but, this statement, "Americans are attached to their cars to a greater degree than Europeans", doesn't mention emotions. I think they are generally more attached to their cars because they have to be.

[Elmo187]

Originally Posted by jetsetter

You didn't expressly ask for just Europeans to answer.

if you would of read the whole OP, then you would understand that he did.

[Gman333-X-ferrari]

What a stupid question. Of course Europeans like cars. They're ordinary people like you or I, aren't they? I can understand why you have your doubts, the whole "green movement" and carbon emission laws etc. (basically the governments) have made is seem as if the Europeans don't like cars.

However, it just so happens that most European countries/governments have signed the Kyoto Protocol, and thus they must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by a set limit. [Note the fact that America hasn't signed the treaty.] And the car is an obvious/easy target to impose these emission policies upon.

I would even say that they LOVE their cars, more than any other continent.

Oh, and another thing:

+ YouTube Video

"Europeans like cars, right?"

[Elmo187]

first of all Gman....

you're not European. he was asking Europeans in general.

secondly, your post was pointless since you were bashing him in most of it. don't attack him when he has a perfectly good reason to ask that question.

yes, its a stupid question. he even admitted it in the thread title. but thanx for pointing it out.

[MXM]

I'm from Europe. I like cars.

[IVIaster]

I think the american infrastructure is more heavily dependent on the car.

[Duell]

Off course we Europeans like cars. We are humans too

But about the green movement;
Although i personally think it is getting overrated by many people. (for a example mister Eco friendly himself : Al Gore )
It's not bad to be concerned about the welfare of our planet.

But also America is getting greener. Even though they haven't signed the Kyoto treaty. They are planning to get rid of all fuel powerd yellow cabs in NY. And the emission restrictions in Florida are the toughest of the entire world.

[Zuhaib]

I am not European, but I do think i understand the situation a bit. There is a difference between liking cars, and NEEDING cars. Europeans have a passion for cars, we see them with so many automakers from there and shows like Top Gear are able to be produced and draw a large audience. I know a lot from there that share that point of view that they love the car.
But when you look at the car in Europe, people dont see it as the #1 mode of the transportation, that is public transit. If you see the way public transportation is ran in Europe it make the systems in the US look like the stone age. I mean when i went backpacking around in Europe all we used was public transportation.

Then when you look in the US, the car is the #1 way to get about. It is pretty much the only way to get around easily.
Also I think the passion for cars in America is less then Europe because of the fact that a lot in the states view it more as a tool, less then passion for most. Just look at what people here drive, the SUVs and etc. So we want to protect the car from stricter rules because of our addiction to cars as our way to move around, and also that our car companies have addicted themselves to SUVs and large cars, vs Europe car companies that have invested in smaller more fuel effect cars.
Also politics is weird in Europe with the popularity of Green party, so while they have gone around yelling crazy little tid bits, it does not represent the actually view of people.

[Lilleput]

Europeans are from the same species as Americans so we like cars just as much. In most cases we're not as Dependant on cars because Europe has cities with proper public transport and the countries are not as large.

[-Cpt. J.-]

I am not European, but I do think i understand the situation a bit. There is a difference between liking cars, and NEEDING cars. Europeans have a passion for cars, we see them with so many automakers from there and shows like Top Gear are able to be produced and draw a large audience. I know a lot from there that share that point of view that they love the car.
But when you look at the car in Europe, people dont see it as the #1 mode of the transportation, that is public transit. If you see the way public transportation is ran in Europe it make the systems in the US look like the stone age. I mean when i went backpacking around in Europe all we used was public transportation.

Then when you look in the US, the car is the #1 way to get about. It is pretty much the only way to get around easily.
Also I think the passion for cars in America is less then Europe because of the fact that a lot in the states view it more as a tool, less then passion for most. Just look at what people here drive, the SUVs and etc. So we want to protect the car from stricter rules because of our addiction to cars as our way to move around, and also that our car companies have addicted themselves to SUVs and large cars, vs Europe car companies that have invested in smaller more fuel effect cars.
Also politics is weird in Europe with the popularity of Green party, so while they have gone around yelling crazy little tid bits, it does not represent the actually view of people.

I agree with you completely.
I think the American public is more dependant on the car.
Americans buy boring cars. Prius, SUVs... and trucks if they need to haul something heavy once a year...

Europeans buy Diesels, hatchbacks because they looks different... oh and 90% of sportscars are european. Also I think that the reason public transport works better is that many governments over here prefer to make a good public transport grid while damaging personal transport.

[Lemmy]

In Sweden, the green party only get about 5% of the votes. They should, therefore, not have very much power. But... they do ! In past years Sweden's largest party, the social democrats, have had to form coalition governments with the greens and the lefts (basically communists) to gain majority. As the greens aren't really a left party, they could form a government with the right-wing parties (who would get majority with the extra 4.5%).

Therefore they can make demands (such as raising fuel taxes, or giving Stockholm congestion charges) that the social democrats have to agree on in order to get majority.

So, only ~5% of the voting electorate hate cars, but because of the system, they still get the power to fuck things up for the rest of us.

[Ricksa]

I cars , but in my case everything I need to go to is so close to me I might as well walk there which is what I do. In other cases I just use public transportation which is what almost everyone does here in Madeira,Portugal. Still if I could I´d buy a car just because I want one and I will probably need one in years to come but not in the next 4 to 6 years at least.

[GraemeH]

You're making the mistake of connecting what people generally want and what the government does. They do whatever they want because we have no real alternative choice; our conservative party are only conservative by relatives and are still left of centre and liberal, talking of introducing greater taxes on travel, so what choice do we have.

I'm talking about the situation in Britain but I think it'll be roughly similar throughout Europe.

[ahpadt]

Originally Posted by MXM

I'm from Europe. I like cars.

[janstett]

I'm American but I've worked with a large number of Europeans (and Asians) in my career, travelled overseas a few times.

(1) In general Europe/Asia have better public transport so you don't "need" a car as much. In the US let's take for example the Northeast Corridor -- Washington D.C. to Boston. There is some rail infrastructure and some commuter plane businesses, but for the most part the lifeblood is the I95 highway. Whereas in Tokyo for example there are high speed trains and infrastructure to get you almost anywhere by train. I had access to almost anything by the Tokyo subway. Now of course Japan is small by comparison.

(2) Asian and European metro areas choke out the automobile -- due to being congested, and long predating the automobile and designed for foot and animal traffic. Narrow streets, et al. You've seen this on Top Gear, any of James' races against the hoodies on BMX bikes. I've been to Tokyo two times, and it really is a luxury to keep a car there. There are very few places in the US that are similarly congested and car-hostile (Manhattan would be one, but I can get a car in there when I need to). My colleagues and hosts in Japan knew I liked cars (as I was busy photgraphing the JDM models) and enjoyed talking about them. My coworker kept a Miata for racing but saved it for weekend trips a few times a year outside Tokyo. He loves that car but can't keep it with him in Tokyo. It's a luxury. To an American, think about keeping a horse, that's what it's like.


(3) Depending on your lifestyle, where you live, etc., young Europeans seem to gravitate towards the metropolitan areas where they can rely on public transportation entirely and thus don't keep a car at all. There are limited occurrences of this in the US (Manhattan, San Francisco, Boston, etc.) but it's the exception not the rule. Even the most die-hard Manhattanite needs a car every now and then.

In the US we tend to gravitate more towards the suburbs. I know I couldn't live my life without a car. There is no way for me to get to work without a car. I might be able to get into NYC on a commuter train but even then it's about 5-7 miles to the train station with only a highway between.

Over the past two years or so at work we've had colleagues from urban areas in India where motorized transport of any sort is a luxury (Hyderabad, Bangalore) come and visit us for a few weeks at a time. For the most part they have to rely on public transport in the Princeton, NJ and Allentown, PA areas, and it's largely pathetic and inconvenient. This country is not set up to travel without a car.

[MadCow809]

Originally Posted by MXM

I'm from Europe. I like cars.

You are Finnish, you should like scandinavian flicks and rally