Badges? They Don’t Need ...

Why bash the Yanks? There's no evidence that your explanation has any validity or data to back it up.
The other explanation could just as easily be that the Europeans who do debadge are the ones who buy the 118i or 320i's and want to pass them off as 128i or 335i's.
And btw, I'm not a Yank, but don't like to see my buds south of the border getting kicked around by some ahole who doesn't know what wtf he's talking about.

Yeah thats not right to generalize I will say though that while everyone doesnt think like that clearly the Auto companies believe they do. There are no 6 cylinder high end versions of cars despite the fact they are in 2009 and beyond adequate ie 740i, CLS350 etc. Or the fact that everyone thought Hyundai would fail with the Genesis because of its "badges," or the fact Toyota had to introduce Lexus in order to sell its high end car so on and so forth.

— 204E60:

> Europeans, particularly well-heeled ones, are far more discreet
> than people with money in the States.

Almost each and every over the top ostentatious car belonging to:
- supercars
- overpowered normal cars (like a 600HP Audi estate car, 600HP+ Mercedes AMG sedans)
- pointless due to price vehicles (like the Bugatti Veyron, McLaren F1)
comes from Europe.

Probably the only wealthy nation not eaten by the conspicuous consumption disease are Japanese. They can own a Kei car and be satisfied with that.


> As an S Class, for example, can be had with a small
> Diesel motor or small V6 as well as the ostentatious V12,

The only reason for this is that Europeans can neither afford a V12 Mercedes nor they can afford refueling it. Simple as that.

In terms of power, USA starts where Europe ends.

See this in a BMW example. In Europe, BMW 3 series are almost entirely sold with economy class, underpowered four pot diesel slow burners. At the same time, USA portfolio starts with a BMW trademark straight six - an engine that already lays above the purchase barrier for some 90% of European BMW 3er buyers.


> removing the badge keeps the vehicle in a relatively low-key status

Removing the badge only decreases the probability of the car being stolen.

And it also hides the fact that you buy, say, a large, luxury car with a Mickey Mouse engine (because you can't afford fuel). It's quite comfortable from the psychological perspective.


> Seems people in the States want to shout about how much
> they spent and like to flaunt it at every opportunity.

Just like they do it in Europe all the time. Visit some bigger capitals to see my point as clearly as possible.

Oh... I thought those with de-badged cars just got their badges stolen. lol

Downtoretardness,

What a bunch of crap in your post.


"Probably the only wealthy nation not eaten by the conspicuous consumption disease are Japanese. They can own a Kei car and be satisfied with that."


Give me a fucking break.

You talk about Europeans not being able to afford a luxury car with a big engine when the reality is that most people who buy a luxury car in Europe feel that the entry-level engines are completely ADEQUATE TO THEIR NEEDS. I drive a BMW 118i and I love it. It's quick, it's fun and it satisfies my needs. Why the hell should I buy a 130i which is limited to the same speeds on public roads or highways as my 118i and uses more fuel? Oh wait, it is quicker to 100 km/h! Who friggin cares!?

Aside from this we have a lot of vehicle taxes here. These taxes have ensured that we have stayed realistic with out car purchasing habits. People here don't think that a 0-100 km/h time of 9-10 seconds is "slow".

Oh, and just because you're wealthy doesn't mean you want to flaunt your wealth by buying an S600 instead of an S320. I personally know many well-off people that could easily afford a luxury car with a bigger engine - but these guys bought a luxury car with a smaller engine instead for their own reasons. Near my little of Mühldorf in southern Germany is a castle and its ground owned by a wealthy baroness. She's filthy rich - and she drives an early 2000 Volkswagen Golf SDI which is a naturally aspirated (slowest) diesel offering from that Golf generation. Clearly, she buys cars with her HEAD. She's old, she doesn't drive much - this car obviously suited her needs.

It's funny how you claim that the Japanese are not affected by this. Have you ever been to Japan? My guess is not. You can get an Audi, BMW or Mercedes there with a 4-cylinder engine. Big deal. You can get a Toyota Crown with a 2.0 engine as well - and the Crown is a premium car.


Your obsession with 0-100 km/h times and big engines indicates to me that you're some dysfunctional kid who doesn't understand shit.

Wimmer

Idiots like downtoearth have probably never stepped foot outside the USA so trying to have a sensible debate with him is a total waste of time.

agent orange:
it's the opposite. europeans buying the TOP models are the one most likely to de-badge the car. it's a matter of discretion. not flaunting wealth.

There are at least a dozen Audis in my small Midwest town that are debadged. It is the "euro" thing to do. They all seem to be modified a bit. To me, it makes the car a bit more timeless, as the comparable models with badges look older to me for some reason.

The badges we really don't need are BMW Sdrive3.5igtxmd. Good God BMW put a collar on your marketing weasels.

Sorry, AgentOrange, but you are wrong. Especially the the high-end models like 335d/i, M3, 760, C63, RS6 etc. are driving w/o badges in Germany, as mentioned in the linked article.

Even if that were true in Europe, one could not therefore conclude that Yanks don't debadge because they "want to shout about how much they spent and like to flaunt it at every opportunity".

"Dechroming", as the British call it, is quite common for the reverse reason. Why let the neighbours know you just bought the bottom-of-the-barrel 518i? Is it warranted? I don't think so, really. The truth is that even an untrained eye doesn't need a badge to be able to tell what's going on under the skin. Wheel-covers are the first clue to that 518i and buzzy sound of the engine when it gets staretd tells it's not the inline 6 that's under the bonnet.

where is the rest of the article? There is substance to the post.

Audiworld members have been debadging their cars for years. I debadged my B6 A4 2.0T. I wouldn't say I was hiding the fact that its the smallest engine in the line up. I would have done the same if I had an S4. I like the clean look of not having the badges. I even took the quattro badge off too. Just leave the rings! Looks clean, just like the debadged cars in europe.

some cars look good debadged...FACT

Most manufactures don't offer badge delete in the states, so why would I waste my time with a knife prying it off?

Why do you think I said "MOST MANUFACTURES"

Please do not use a knife to remove your badges you will scratch the hell out of your car. Fishing line or dental floss get badges off likity split without damaging the paint.

Having a model designation "badge" isn't a bad thing. If someone spent $120K on a S600, why not have the badge on the car? Big deal.

What's far worse and ludicrous is people sticking additional badges on their cars. The worst offenders, IMO, are AMG badges on Mercedes-Benz's that are not AMG and/or don't even have any AMG modifications. Next, the M badge on BMW's.

I took the rear badges off my G8 GT; replaced with the appropriate Holden badges. When I get passed by automotive enthusiasts, I know, as they look back at the front of the car to verify what it is. The rear badges consist of the Holden "lion" and the "v" badge associated with the Commodore SSV. The front of the car has the Pontiac bumper/arrowhead.