CARTOPIA- How people perceive us

I uploaded a podcast called Captopia, how people perceive us. This is a weekly car talk show, discussing the auto industry. The episode uploaded discusses a more personal topic towards cars. Does the car we drive impact the way people perceive us. It was nice to look towards the comments left to this podcast which showed how people engage with this topic. One of the comments said ‘Personally, I do judge people by their cars as you wouldn’t see someone from I guess a lower class driving a Mercedes, or you wouldn’t see a rich businessman driving a Fiat 500. I mean you might do. But when you see someone in a classy car you’ll expect them to be from more from a professional career.’ Which I appreciate the honesty. As I feel like most of the people I talked to said they do not judge people, as this makes them out to be a less judgemental person.

On the other hand another comment read ‘I don’t really care about what car you drive, as long as it works it’s good.’ I like how short and to the point this response is. It shows how functionalistic they may be, as in their mind as long as the car works it’s all that matters. I really enjoyed gathering up the interviews for this topic. I went into many different car dealerships asking this question.

It was important for me to go into a range of dealerships to see if there’s a difference from a premium car company to a more family oriented dealership. I visited Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Arnold Clark and BMW. It’s interesting to see people have different options, which shows this topic is very engaging. I especially found it interesting to hear what all the sales consultants in the interviews were saying. For example the salesman in Mercedes-Benz said that he does form opinions as he deals with people who are financially wealthy and can afford to spend a lot. However an employee of Arnold Clark told me that they now refer to themselves as consultants, as they’re not there to sell cars to people but to help people find a vehicle which is best suited to them. A car doesn’t necessarily impact someone’s life but can change how people are viewed. However, Some people do not see a car itself and see if as a form of transport from point a to b. They do not care for amenities such as sat nav, heated seats, cruise controls and so on. While others see cars as an extension of themselves or a reflect of their personalities. For example rappers drive expensive cars. Rick Ross, an American rapper, is such a big fan of the Mercedes Mayback that he started a whole record label called Mayback music.

In conclusion I think this podcast helps open up a dialogue, which people can discuss their opinions about.