The car trudges. In Europe less than in Italy; for luxury brands, sales figures hold more. But changing cars less often seems to be an increasingly widespread trend. And given that the price of fuels (either due to high oil prices, or due to crazed taxation like in Italy) promises everything except falling within reasonable limits, car manufacturers try new paths.
One is that of promise emissions and moderate consumption, sometimes even absurdly optimistic compared to real values. The other is that of customisations: a phenomenon with a rapidly increasing commercial value and which is changing many balances in the automotive world.
The 2012 on four wheels opens with an effervescence of novelties in this direction. At the Geneva Motor Show, second week of March, the stands will be a flourishing of new proposals, aesthetics and equipment, even on cars with a long history. Just to give an example, Mercedes will present the B-Class (car not of great appeal in Italy, but very sold in Central Europe) toned by the grit and additional performance of the famous Brabus tuner.
But the latest in customization goes deeper: the goal is to entice the customer for a car that is his car. And this thanks to the choice of one of the possible hundreds of combinations between external look and internal fittings; between materials and colors for the steering wheel, rims, mirrors, roof. A thousand personal touches today no longer offered by trainers and stylists, but directly from Car manufacturers that aim to cultivate a special customer in each client. And so, perhaps, being able to afford longer times to present a completely new model, therefore diluting the times of very expensive industrial operations (new platforms, new assembly lines) which are the real major cost to be amortized.
This is the case of the Renault Twingo: car that is anything but young (first version: late 80s), but presented today with unprecedented and numerous customization possibilities that wink at art, style and design. And especially ai young people, who are the real targets to bring back to the concept of the car, less and less of interest for the latest generations. In Italy, for example, it is possible to unleash one's creativity on the nuovatwingo.it site and compete with one's own version in a community vote to win trips or study courses offered by Renault.
Personalize to leverage new emotions, in short. Even Fiat is not exempt from this increasingly aggressive dynamic today. At the Chicago Motor Show (February 11-19) a unedited 500 in the Stinger version, made by Mopar which is the official tuner of the Chrysler group. Oversized rims, highly strengthened performance, design details and above all a sensational bright yellow livery with black chrome finishes are its aesthetic and technical passport.
Plenty of customizations also for the new 500L: four-door version of the small Fiat, also available in the 4×4 version from late summer. The 500L mimics the recent rampant trend of small SUVs, aspiring to the very pretentious role of potential adversary of another super-fashionable little one: the Mini crossover, an even more muscular (and large) version of a car that has invented a new mini concept.
But the real novelty from Fiat in terms of personalization is the New Punto. Six generations from 1993 to today, over 8 million cars sold and for ten years steadily record sales in Italy: the 2012 Punto burst onto the market on the strength of great progress in terms of performance, fuel consumption and emissions. But above all, between the diversity of aesthetics, interior fittings and engines, promises something like 1700 possible variations. An almost infinite range of customizations. With an eye, of course, on the very young: with 54,3 kW/ton, the TwinAir turbo petrol version offers super performance while remaining within the maximum legal limit (55 kW/ton) for novice drivers.
