China And The US Have Very Different Stereotypes For The Same Cars

The Shanghai Auto Show is in full swing this week, and automakers from around the world are showing off their latest products.

The Chinese auto market is a young one, but it is already the world's biggest, and a key region for an industry that is still recovering in the U.S., and collapsing in Europe.

But to sell cars there, it's more than a question of translating manuals and opening a few dealerships.

Over the last 30 years, according to the New York Times, the Chinese public has also formed some very strong opinions as to who drives a particular make and model and why — and those views are often at odds with how brands are perceived in the U.S.

For non-Chinese automakers, understanding those perceptions is key to putting more cars on the road.

Audi in America: The new luxury.

While other luxury makers carry a stigma of old money and old age, Audi is quietly becoming synonymous with younger age and "new luxury." 

Fast fact: In England, the perception is quite different. Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson told 60 Minuteshe believes Audi drivers are "psychologically unfit to drive anything more powerful than an electric razor."

Audi in China: For the government elite.

In China, Audi's are seen as the car of the government and elite.

They are the choice of the power class, Beijing taxi driver Wang Zhi told the New York Times: “It’s always best to yield to an Audi — you never know who you’re messing with, but chances are it’s someone self-important.”

Fast fact: Audi gained access to the Chinese market nearly 15 years before BMW, thanks to a shrewd partnership parent company VW made with Chinese automaker Yiqi.

BMW in America: The cars are great, their drivers are aggressive.

In America, BMWs are known for driving excellence. However, the buyers have often been seen as pretentious people as well as overly aggressive drivers.

Fast fact: BMW opened their first U.S. manufacturing facility in 1994 in Spartanburg, SC, to build the X5 and Z3.

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