Have Young Buyers Stopped Buying The Germans Bread-and-butter Vehicles?

Have Young Buyers Stopped Buying The Germans Bread-and-butter Vehicles?
Around here we like to take a step back and look at macro trends in the automotive space. While we don't always have data, we make sure to take a look around once and a while.

One thing we've been starting to notice is a shift of buyers and interest, particularly from more youthful buyers. Think about the 18-32 year old demographic.

Cars like the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class just aren't lighting their fire anymore. From what we've seen, on an anecdotal basis, is that these buyers are shifting to similarly equipped sport-utility vehicles from more mainstream automakers of the domestic or Japanese variety. Or, if they're in-market for an A4, 3-Series or C-Class, they go for the Tesla Model 3 instead.

Having said that we've got to ask, Spies: Have young buyers stopped buying the Germans bread-and-butter vehicles?


ggrcrashggrcrash - 9/19/2019 1:36:22 AM
0 Boost
No, they just aren't making enough, to buy them anymore...


cidflekkencidflekken - 9/19/2019 1:52:21 AM
+9 Boost
Kind of a redundant question to the numerous articles posted here highlighting the demise of the sedan and the rise of the SUV. Sure, the A4/3/C aren't selling like they used to, but the Q5/X3/GLC all consistently sell between 5k-6k+ units per month. Also, based on the strong sales of the A5 and 4 Series, buyers are opting for the more practical Sportback/Gran Coupe variants. It's too bad Mercedes is missing out on the 1k+ sales by not having one to offer.


TomMTomM - 9/19/2019 5:41:04 AM
-3 Boost
THe economy is still not adding high paying jobs at the entry level - even though employment is nearly full. As a result - a lot of these people are stuck with HIGH Student Loans - but with Jobs that are paying lower wages - so the younger people cannot afford the German cars they once could.

As long as the Middle class and Lower Middle classes have had NO real earnings increases(after inflation) - now for several decades - inflation is eating up any spendable income they have - so they are doing a lot of things that once we would not have thought of. I know personally that a lot of them are still at home long after they otherwise would have left for their own places. Meanwhile - some companies are having real problems filling openings because there are no TRAINED people to fill them. Car Mechanics are in short supply because it is no longer just a wrench turning occupation - and requires computer and electrical knowledge that older mechanics have not always developed. Meanwhile companies have reduced their Administration staffs - which means the MBA students cannot get the big money they once did.


PUGPROUDPUGPROUD - 9/19/2019 5:49:26 AM
+3 Boost
The times they are a changing. The station wagon is dead. Sedans are next. Each generation looks at automobiles differently from the last. The newest preteen generation will likely be all in on electric, the generation after them all in on alternative transportation modes and the one after that not even know how to drive.


wilfredwilfred - 9/19/2019 9:10:14 AM
+11 Boost
No they have not stopped, they just have a lot more choices. Take BMW for example, when I was young, there was only a 3 series available. X3 was not out yet. Nowadays, you have 1234 series and X1234 to choose from.

As far as making Tesla relevant into every topic, quite a few people I know that bought Tesla were all previous Prius owners. But I can certainly see previous BMW owners now buying Tesla based on how they drive zip in and out of traffic cutting people off...

So no, the world does not revolve around Tesla.


TruthyTruthy - 9/19/2019 10:03:17 AM
+7 Boost
They also have A220, 2 Series, A3, etc.


TruthyTruthy - 9/19/2019 10:04:19 AM
+7 Boost
This article was nothing more than an attempt to mention the Model 3 again.


mre30mre30 - 9/19/2019 9:54:07 PM
+1 Boost
The young adults who came of age during the Obama administration have very limited career options and have had minimal career development.

This "young people don't WANT to buy things" is a huge fallacy...they just don't have the money. Its Obama's fault and to a lesser extent George W Bush's fault (who set the whole thing up).
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