Wednesday, May 05, 2021
Random auto export thought
Stirred by seeing a Packard limo of the Clipper era in an Egyptian movie:
These limos were never seen here. Packard exported most of them.
"Thinking" more, I realized that Cadillacs are never seen in foreign pictures. This applies to movies, and also to old street shots from various places. In every country without its own carmakers, US cars were common in the 30s and 40s. But the luxury end of the US range was NOT Caddy. Buicks were the top GM car in most countries, and Packards were also more common than here.
Why Buick? One possible explanation is the Canadian McLaughlin Buick company. McLaughlin made its own cars at first, then allied with Buick, then became a GM division. Because of Canada's close ties to England, McLaughlin took care of GM's exports to England and other RHD countries. British royalty chose Buicks, and the rest followed.
Asia was RHD following British colonial tradition. China and Korea switched to LHD, but the rest of Asia is still mainly RHD. So a ruler or rich asshole in those countries was more likely to buy Buicks.
Footnote for clarity: GM had its own divisions in England and Germany, but those plants didn't make US brands. They made Vauxhalls and Opels, which were completely different from US cars until very recently.
¶ 7:20 AM 
These limos were never seen here. Packard exported most of them.
"Thinking" more, I realized that Cadillacs are never seen in foreign pictures. This applies to movies, and also to old street shots from various places. In every country without its own carmakers, US cars were common in the 30s and 40s. But the luxury end of the US range was NOT Caddy. Buicks were the top GM car in most countries, and Packards were also more common than here.
Why Buick? One possible explanation is the Canadian McLaughlin Buick company. McLaughlin made its own cars at first, then allied with Buick, then became a GM division. Because of Canada's close ties to England, McLaughlin took care of GM's exports to England and other RHD countries. British royalty chose Buicks, and the rest followed.
Asia was RHD following British colonial tradition. China and Korea switched to LHD, but the rest of Asia is still mainly RHD. So a ruler or rich asshole in those countries was more likely to buy Buicks.
Footnote for clarity: GM had its own divisions in England and Germany, but those plants didn't make US brands. They made Vauxhalls and Opels, which were completely different from US cars until very recently.
¶ 7:20 AM
