The Germans Have Us Cornered
The Germans Appear To Have Cornered The Blogosphere
Check out Autospies.com.
Not to be confused with autopsies.com, the site specializes in – you guessed it – spy shots submitted by viewers of tomorrow’s rides. The cars and car companies that repeatedly make the top of the “Popular List” are pretty much all German, with a spattering of Japanese and American examples.
As I write this, the number one most active post is the article, “Has The New BMW X6 Just Changed The Whole SUV Market?”
Gee, I dunno. Infiniti has already brought us the FX which is pretty similar in format. Still, nothing quite like hyperbole…
Browse over to CAR Magazine’s fresh website and the top three car manufacturers with the most submitted photos of “secret new cars” are – uh huh – BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz in that order. Ford (UK) and Jaguar trail a distant fourth and fifth.
So why the Teutonic frenzy? When did the online world capitulate to the might of Germany’s automotive kingdom? And more importantly, when will the automakers of the rest of the world carry out a convincing retaliation for the hearts and minds and wallets of online enthusiasts?
About the Author: Gunnar Heinrich is publisher of Automobiles De Luxe online and is executive producer of the Automobiles De Luxe Television series on PBS member station CPTV.
J | Dec 18, 2007 | Reply
Bloggers can be lap dogs also. Mainstream media are not the only media outlets that suck up to corporate interests, increasingly wannabes and hanger-ons are showing up in the blogosphere and parroting the corporate line.
Gunnar Heinrich | Dec 19, 2007 | Reply
Well, if you look at ADL’s content, there’s plenty of posts on the usual suspects. And as you’ll find, those are the posts that people comment most on.
steane | Dec 19, 2007 | Reply
Maybe…just maybe…the German’s are actually doing a better job and bringing more interesting cars to market.
But I also think in recent times bloggers have been just as interested in Nissan’s GT-R and Hyundai’s Genesis sedan to mention just two non-germans that have caused and are still causing a stir. At Autospies it can depend a lot on whats been in the news recently and the German brands are prolific when it comes to new models.
I can remember an article consisting of pictures of the Hyundai Genesis sedan interior being the most voted article for a number of days at A/S.
I also wouldnt be surprised if some of the bigger blogs towed the corporate line to ensure their invitations to test cars aren’t “lost in the mail”.
ADL tell it as it is and probably won’t be invited to drive the XF Jag…:-)
J | Dec 19, 2007 | Reply
ADL, is by self definintion, covering classic European motorcars and the contemporary versions. With classic being defined as products of the 70′s, 80′s & 90′s. At least that is my view, but maybe not Gunnar’s intent.
Having said that, it seems that by far most of the laudatory comments are about models long out of production and nearing the point where they are eligible for vintage license plates in many states.
The biting criticism is saved for the contemporary models. MB, BMW, Jag & Lexus are regularly savaged, so I wouldn’t go so far as putting ADL in the lap dog category.
In my mind a better target for mindless promotion of certain brands and models are the Auto Blogs of the world.