European Cars

By the subject of this post, I'm not referring to "cars produced by European makes", but instead, "those makes and models of cars driven by people living in Europe."

Cars in Europe are small. Perhaps it's in response to the narrowness of the roads, or perhaps driven solely by the economic pressures of high fuel prices. The VW Golf TDI that we rented drove 831km on the first 43L of fuel. Granted that the Golf is basically a five-door, and that you're expected to fold the rear seats down when carrying large loads, we were still unable to fit all of our luggage in the back. Mom's two bags took up the trunk, and then my bag had to go in the back seat.

When the majority of cars that you see are what we could consider "compact" or "economy" cars, the larger American makes really stand out. The first time you see an American-made minivan, or Jeep Cherokee, you almost have to do a double-take because of the size of it, relative to the other cars on the road.

The economic realities of those higher fuel prices (over $7/gal in Switzerland, accounting for the exchange rate) prompt even luxury makes to produce smaller vehicles. In addition to mini cars like the Smart, you can find "economy" sized Mercedes and Audis. You'd never find those models here in the States, because those manufacturers rightly surmise that they wouldn't sell. The niche markets of smaller more "eco-aware" cities wouldn't generate enough sales to merit the market expansion or export costs.