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JBKrang, under the topic "General Car Editorials...Good Stories" in this "General Car Talk" section, dealt a cogent set of remarks on the premises behind which people choose to purchase a car in today's age.  Now, whether one may agree with the post or not, and I do agree with it, it is hard to ignore the profound impact of the post itself.  The post leans toward the notion that consumers in today's world of continuous conspicuous consumption purchase a vehicle for some reason other than the car's, arguably, most important feature: The extent of the vehicle's actual funcionality and appropriateness within the world of the consumer.  

It is no novelty to say that modern culture has, and continues to have, a powerful influence upon the automotive industry.  I know female friends at my university, for example, that stopped and practically drooled over a particular car, the Range Rover, simply because they say “that guy…Ryan from ‘The OC’ drives that car!”  Yet these same girls completely overlooked a fine Infiniti M45, dressed in black, which was parked right alongside the admittedly sublime Range Rover.  Why is this I asked myself?  Could it seriously be that the average consumer who purchases a vehicle considers “Ryan from ‘The OC’” as a reference of primary importance?  The answer, of course, is no.  For the average, hard-working, consumer takes into account a myriad of variables upon purchasing a vehicle.  Some consumers care most about price or fuel efficiency, others about reliability, power, interior volume, and so on.  However, I think that it would be foolish to completely disregard the idea that consumers consider what is “fashionable” upon their subsequent purchase of a new automobile.  Unfortunately, it is my view that some struggling automobile companies, including those at GM, have indeed almost completely ignored one of the most important aspects, by my estimation, of selling a car in today’s market of continuous conspicuous consumption.  That is, they have ignored that guy “Ryan from ‘The OC,’” what he drives, and how he impacts the market.

The Pontiac Solstice is a fine car.  Yes, there are conflicting arguments, like the 50 grade on Consumer Reports, that would deem my claim rather pompous at face value.  Moreover, there are other concerns about the reliability, resale value, and general practicality of the car itself.  But, let’s slow down a second.  The Mazda MX-5, for instance, while it is a super driver’s car, it is also unpractical by any measure.  Nor is the MX-5 especially reliable, as C.R. reports “first-year reliability has been average” (autos.msn.com).  In addition, the MX-5 is also a bit ungainly as the seating position is akin to one deciding to drive a bathtub.  Given this approach, why then does the MX-5 sell and the Solstice, while initially selling quite well relative to other GM automobiles, is seen less and less, at least where I live?  From where I stand, the defining selling point dividing these two competitors is the way in which these cars are portrayed in the marketplace.  The MX-5 is a small, almost Z3-like BMW that likes to corner, accelerate, and have fun.  That is what the “Zoom Zoom” ads convey to me.  The Solstice, on the other hand, is a Pontiac.  And Pontiac made a roadster to expand its market and to capture some additional revenue.  In other words, the Solstice belongs to a rental car brand that belongs to a corporation which is failing in the market.  The former, MX-5, description simply sounds more enticing, aye?  This description, obviously, does no justice to GM, to Pontiac, nor to the superb little Solstice.  Yet I would go so far as to say that the mainstream consumer, given all of the rhetoric concerning GM, sees it at least partly in the way that I have described the situation surrounding the Solstice.  It cannot be any wonder, then, why the entry-level roadster market, nor any specific automobile market save for the demand for trucks (which has also been capitulated by foreign auto producers) are not, nor will be, captured or re-captured by the Solstice or any other GM product in the immediate future.  My summary lies in one simple principle: Listen to that guy “Ryan from ‘The OC.’”