"MegaSuper" (megasuper)
04/11/2015 at 06:52 • Filed to: None
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"MegaSuper" (megasuper)
04/11/2015 at 06:52 • Filed to: None | 1
| 7 |
(Also including some other countries here; didn't all fit in the title.)
Just kind of curious about this one. The UK has a lot of marques, Spain has SEAT, Sweden has Volvo, Koenigsegg, and SAAB (RIP...kinda? Right? They still are made for the Swedish Domestic Market, right?)
So why hasn't at least one company popped up in the Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Finland, or Norway? (I guess I could mention Denmark, but I'll give them a pass because Zenvo.)
In the cases of the Republic of Ireland and Portugal, is it due to smaller population/less territory than their neighboring country? So it just makes sense to buy their cars next door instead of making their own?
If so, then what's the deal with Norway and Finland? I mean yes, they do border Sweden, but they're more or less just as prosperous, filled with natural resources, filled with educated citizens, etc. I would quite like to see a Norwegian or Finnish car, just to see if they end up modeling their cars after the Swedish trio, or do something completely different.
Oh yeah, and one more: Australia and New Zealand? Why is there Holden and Ford Australia but nothing NZ-centric?
Thanks Oppo!
Cé hé sin
> MegaSuper
04/11/2015 at 06:59 |
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Norway has had Think electric cars but no mainstream ones. It used to be a relatively poor backwater before oil and gas and didn't have an industrial tradition. Sweden on the other hand had iron ore and developed industry from that so there was a tradition of making things even before cars and trucks came along. I guess something along the same lines applied to Finland.
MultiplaOrgasms
> MegaSuper
04/11/2015 at 07:01 |
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Most definetely there have been car manufacturers in those countries (DeLorean was irish btw), but most of them probably during the early years of individual motoring some 110+ years ago and quickly forgotten.
Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready
> MegaSuper
04/11/2015 at 07:25 |
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Cé hé sin describes it well.
And I don't think any Saabs are currently being built, Swedish Domestic Market or otherwise.
pip bip - choose Corrour
> MegaSuper
04/11/2015 at 07:59 |
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Finland has Valmet (sort of car maker)
Norway has Buddy EV formerly known as Kewet
Ireland had TMC , Shamrock
NZ years ago had the Trekka (Skoda based)
Portugal had Bravia , Edfor , Entreposto , Marlei , Portaro , UMM and Vinci , Opel has/had a plant there that made the Combo van
hopefully that helps.
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Cé hé sin
> pip bip - choose Corrour
04/11/2015 at 08:19 |
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Portugal still makes the VW Scirocco and Sharan but what they don't have is an indigenous car industry. The other countries haven't had anything significant either for the same kind of reasons - they have bigger neighbours who have or have had their own car industries and were too big to compete with.
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pip bip - choose Corrour
> Cé hé sin
04/11/2015 at 08:32 |
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didn't know VW had a factory there.
also didn't realise Ford have a factory there too.
but sadly yes the small players are / have been squeezed out.
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MegaSuper
> pip bip - choose Corrour
04/11/2015 at 08:47 |
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That does, but are any of those manufacturers large enough such that if you actually went to one of those countries, you'd see their products on the roads as common as a Volvo in Sweden, for example? I'm just not aware of anything on the same level.