Are flashy-expensive cars a thing of the past?

Any man worth his salt will not think twice if offered the keys of a Bugatti Veyron. They would grab them without a word and try and crack the 200mph barrier at the first opportunity. But you will be hard-pressed to find anyone, even those who seem to be swimming in money, saving to buy the $2.25 million car. While

everyone dreams of owning a flashy car; if not a Veyron a Rolls Royce Phantom or an AMG Mercedes, people are not exactly trooping into showrooms and placing orders for them. In fact, even celebrities are opting for less glamorous vehicles for a variety of reasons. And wonder of wonders, even the hip-hop stars who seem to live for all things flashy appear to want to tone down their garages.

For some stars, it is simply a case of wanting to become less conspicuous. A renowned hip-hop artist gave away one of his prized cars to avoid being spotted. Others have embraced the green cause and no longer want to drive or be driven in guzzlers. Of the guests interviewed by Jeremy Clarkson on the popular Top Gear TV series, a surprising number of them admit to owning a Toyota Prius or Nissan Leaf, both of which use hybrid technology to curb CO₂ emissions. Some Hollywood and TV stars even cycle around despite having the ability to purchase any super car of their choice. Apart from the greenhouse gas issue, they find using bicycles a faster way to travel in cities such as London where traffic snarl-ups are the order of the day.

Then there is the question of the practicality of some of these sports cars. The manufacturers of Lamborghinis, Porsche 911s, Ferraris and other such sports cars build them with only two main objectives: speed and sex appeal. They don’t bother with details such as storage or seating space as these are not cars made for school runs or weekly shopping. Heck, some of these speed demons don’t even have a car stereo or air-conditioning, as these will add to the weight of the vehicle and bring down its top speed. For the average working family with kids, which is the majority of car owners, it makes absolutely no sense to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on such a car.

But having said all this, don’t hold your breath for the day carmakers will stop producing flashy, pricey cars as the market for them is still there. In fact China and other emerging economies are providing a burgeoning market.