How Do You Appeal to the Youth Market?

JohnBM01 · Oct 12, 2004

GTPlanet, let's have a special discussion on how to appeal automobiles to people like myself, the youth market. I may be 21 years of age, and usually I've heard of all the different people around my age who take a car, screw it up for better or for worse, and make it a personalized and wicked machine. And if you ask me, Scion has done the best at the youth market. The highly overrated arm of Toyota has their cars complete with aftermarket tuning parts for those who want to make an impression. People hate the Xb, I don't like the Xa. The Xb is more of a pimp-like minivan/SUV deal. The tC is perhaps my favorite Scion because it's the most powerful and it's the most appealing Scion. And based on reviews I read and heard, it's not just for "kids." But when it comes to companies like Cadillac and Buick, they want to appeal to the youth market. The only machine that may appeal to the youth is the Cadillac Escalade because it's been shown off by all the rap stars. And I'm sorry. Name me someone 18 or 19 years old who'd want a Buick. But GTPlanet, I'll discuss later what I probably think should be done to appeal to youth. Until then, how do you appeal to the youth market if you're the head or representative of a well-recognized car company? Reply on, GTPlanet.

Now as a quick warning, don't resort to talking about "ugly tuner cars," or "all-show-no-go rear wings and bodykits," or "put Tila Nguyen on the hood/bonnet of the car and it will sell." I'm sure we can talk about it without being anti-tuner. So, what do you think about this issue?

TheCracker · Oct 12, 2004

In the UK, Citroen pulled a master stroke as far as 'appealing to the youth market' goes. They noted that the biggest stumbling block for youngsters trying to get their first 'wheels' wasn't the cost of the cars, it was the cost of insurance (we are a overpopulated small island with a lot of vehicles crammed together). So Citroen offered free insurance for the first year of ownership on all new Saxos. In turn Saxos have become very popular in the UK with our youth, they have a very bouyent secondhand market and are very popular with the 'ricer' element. This has lead to some very ugly cars on our roads, but has probably helped loads of new companies start-up and produce 'tuning' for all these cars.

Race Idiot · Oct 12, 2004

Aformentioned Saxos also get an awesome 1 star rating in the NCAP crash tests! I've noticed the Corsa SXi comes pre riced to a point with window tint, fancy exaust, fancy filler cap etc. It's a shame that they didn't remove the 1.2 badge on the rear. To be honest I don't think there should be any extra appeal to the youth market, 90% of it will be bought by parents and then thrashed or crashed.

TheCracker · Oct 12, 2004

Companies have tried 'youth appeal' cars before - Toyota Rav4, Honda HRV (Joy Machine) etc, but these cars were pretty much slated in the press for being the cynical half assed cars they were.

Race Idiot · Oct 12, 2004

TheCracker
Companies have tried 'youth appeal' cars before - Toyota Rav4, Honda HRV (Joy Machine) etc, but these cars were pretty much slated in the press for being the cynical half assed cars they were.

God the HRV is a horrible car, well at least I think it is. Although in the UK both of those cars were marketed at 20 somethings. Or err, more boring responsible drivers so say late 20's. Youth appeal is more marketable in the states with the younger driving age I suppose.

TheCracker · Oct 12, 2004

Yup, i bet cars are cheeper new over there as well. At the end of the day, no matter where you live, the chances of a 16/17/18 year old having the money to buy any new car are very slim. Those who do drive new cars are probably bought by Mummy & Daddy anyway.

Joey D · Oct 12, 2004

You want to appeal to the youth market you make cars that are small and fast (ala Neon SRT-4). You also make it affordable. And you make things like the Xtreme package on the s-trucks. Its lowered and looks good.

Most of the youth wants something that looks good. So I can't see why the Scions ever took off. They look like S#@T and they can't be fast. Who wants to drive a box unless you are one of those stupid Japanese fan boys.

retsmah · Oct 12, 2004

I guess I am still considered part of this youth market... I look for something that's at least a little quick, manual, fun to drive, nice looking... and $2000 or under.

I don't have any friends that can afford a new car

ExigeEvan · Oct 12, 2004

Anyone think the citroen C2 will have as much of an impact as the saxo? I have seen quite a few, but nothing major.

Quick_Nick · Oct 12, 2004

What would appeal to me is a car that can go from 0-60 in less than 6 second, handles & looks great while costing less than $16,000 & being reliable.

JohnBM01 · Oct 13, 2004

I guess I'd have to say that you have to appeal to the certain audience in any way you can. I know I'm going to get flamed on for saying this, but you kind of have to appeal to the youth in any way possible, even if you have to pull off "Fast and Furious" type deals. As I said before, what person within the 15 to 20-year old demographic would want a Cadillac or Buick? These two American companies wanted to perhaps lure in some younger folks, but I don't think it's really working. The cars (especially Cadillac) just look more futuristic.

The aftermarket isn't just good to the tuner crowd, but I heard it's also been good to most muscle car fans. When you have someone make parts for a certain application, you can just get the magazine or catalog, call them up, order, and boom. You can mod your car. To me, Scion has kind of shown me something. As I heard or read, Scion makes the cars and then has aftermarket parts at the ready. So if you wanted to mess up your Scion in a good way, you have a chance to. For example, I heard the tC could be equipped with a special TRD turbo kit that boosts output from 160-ish, to 200. You can also opt for lighter wheels, neons, and stuff like that. And judging by what I've seen out there, Scion seems to be working.

My question to you is, WHY do you think Scion is successful at luring the youth market? What makes young people get into such cars? Where's the appeal? Come on. Hit me up.

McLaren'sAngel · Oct 13, 2004

Hiya!

Meow! (='.'=)

I dont got much to say on this one, but I think it is the "looks" of the car that draws the youths attention. PRICE also is one of the main factor. :embarrassed:

I just find and been looking around to see that these days...a lot of youths REALLY do care about just looking good in their car at all times. That is why I think many of them today put on body kits to make their car look good and get people to look at them. It seems to work quite often all the time :odd:

P.S> But to some young serious tuning fan, the body kits brings BAD attention from them

TheCracker · Oct 13, 2004

McLaren'sAngel
Hiya! Meow! (='.'=)

I dont got much to say on this one, but I think it is the "looks" of the car that draws the youths attention. PRICE also is one of the main factor. I just find and been looking around to see that these days...a lot of youths REALLY do care about just looking good in their car at all times. That is why I think many of them today put on body kits to make their car look good and get people to look at them. It seems to work quite often all the time

This is very true, most kids would prefere their cars to look good rather than anything else. They prefere to modify their cars cosmetically because the only cars they can afford to buy or run are generally quite boring 'shopping trollies' They have small amounts of disposable income, and buying new wheels or a rear spoiler are relatively cheep ways of making their cars look more 'individual'

I personally hate this kind of modification and don't really see it as being individual, since about 85% of all saxos, corsas, novas and earlyer civics all run the same cheap, ugly bodykits anyway.

McLaren'sAngel · Oct 14, 2004

TheCracker
This is very true, most kids would prefere their cars to look good rather than anything else. They prefere to modify their cars cosmetically because the only cars they can afford to buy or run are generally quite boring 'shopping trollies' They have small amounts of disposable income, and buying new wheels or a rear spoiler are relatively cheep ways of making their cars look more 'individual'

I personally hate this kind of modification and don't really see it as being individual, since about 85% of all saxos, corsas, novas and earlyer civics all run the same cheap, ugly bodykits anyway.

Hiya!

Meow! (='.'=)

Well I just want to add on and give some compliment on what you said. Yea, it is very common for youths these day to care about "looks" than whats really on the inside: Under the hood. It is very similar too of how high school have those "look" peer pressure. Many students get pressured by wanting to look good in front of everyone so they can fit in the crowd and get attention.

I personally feel sad sometimes when I see a youth pay SO much attention to the look of his/her car and spend all his/her money for body kits and stuff JUST to get attention. And I admit, it does attract attention, BUT not very well. He/she can park it in the school lot and have people look at it, but if a STOCK Toyota Supra :embarrassed:

or 67' Camaro :embarrassed:

drives by....ALL EYES OFF his/her/ car. This also brings up John's topic of "Why Bother?" You spend all that much to get cheap attention... :odd:

If you are doing these body kit modification because you really want to for your own desire, I dont mind. If you are doing it because you want attention and to look cool and attract girls, then I believe you have LOW SELF-ESTEEM! :mad:

I really think youths that go hardcore in the "look" scheme of cars need to stop paying attention to their car so much and do good in school. I do also find it interesting how even just CARS can lure youths concentration in schooling to go down to the ground. :mad:

It is just like how peer pressure can do the same thing.

animateria · Oct 14, 2004

JohnBM01
My question to you is, WHY do you think Scion is successful at luring the youth market? What makes young people get into such cars? Where's the appeal? Come on. Hit me up.

Is Scion successful at luring the youth? After the release of the tC I've only seen two so far (One silver, one Black). Although I have seen a couple of a's and b's they are also lacking in number compared to other cars (The new Civics, Accords, seem to be everywhere... And not to mention the lower versions of Lancers, and Imprezas.. are pretty common..) I have noticed a explosion of new Accords at my school especially... I don't think Scion is prominent yet to anybody including the youth... Since Honda is still living with its hype (Hey not bashing em I have a 96 Accord)... And Lancers and Imprezas gaining a strong appeal... Well not to mention Mustangs in some demographics... I don't think Scion is doing as well as they were intending to... It really didn't get the backing of Lexus either (I see a ton of ISs among young people)

I guess I should admit though, that the other cars came way ahead of the tC (timewise~)...

Also those Scion commercials also seem to make Scion a silly toy, rather than a full fledged car... I think the tC is a good choice for a new car... But it really isn't getting a big appeal yet...

animateria · Oct 14, 2004

McLaren'sAngel
Hiya! Meow! (='.'=)

If you are doing these body kit modification because you really want to for your own desire, I dont mind. If you are doing it because you want attention and to look cool and attract girls, then I believe you have LOW SELF-ESTEEM!

I really think youths that go hardcore in the "look" scheme of cars need to stop paying attention to their car so much and do good in school. I do also find it interesting how even just CARS can lure youths concentration in schooling to go down to the ground. It is just like how peer pressure can do the same thing.

Hey, this kids don't think of the cost of money they waste on their car because they aren't usually paying for it... If desire was all I've needed without worrying about money... I would do a few tweaks to my car cosmetically... They have their parents to pay for the crap so they buy whatever they think they (or those dumb car mags) look good on their car.... Low Self- Esteem? I would disagree with that... They are cocky than anything... They think they are invincible... They have this cool looking (piece of junk) car... They wouldn't give a damn about school cause their parents take care of everything anyways... Car or no car that doesn't change...

TheCracker · Oct 15, 2004

animateria
Hey, this kids don't think of the cost of money they waste on their car because they aren't usually paying for it... If desire was all I've needed without worrying about money... I would do a few tweaks to my car cosmetically... They have their parents to pay for the crap so they buy whatever they think they (or those dumb car mags) look good on their car.... Low Self- Esteem? I would disagree with that... They are cocky than anything... They think they are invincible... They have this cool looking (piece of junk) car... They wouldn't give a damn about school cause their parents take care of everything anyways... Car or no car that doesn't change...

I don't think this is the same in the UK, the kids with modified cars over here pay for their mods from their own pockets, usually (trying not to resort to stereotypes here :sly:

) from working in McDonalds/KFC/Kwik-Fit etc etc. I don't think any parents would give their kids money for having some ugly monstrosity :yuck:

on their own driveways!

kungpowchicken · Oct 16, 2004

What kids are driving at my school now are Mustangs

ShobThaBob · Oct 16, 2004

kungpowchicken
What kids are driving at my school now are Mustangs

That's because they get very good power for the amount of money they cost...both new and used...and they look cool (to most).

animateria · Oct 18, 2004

I saw my 3rd tC today.... Gun metal grey one(or not... it was at night...) parked at the Target I work at..... It had that moon roof option too...

It does look different from any other car... It looks like its own brand rather than a generic mold... I think the xB and the tC have a different flavor from many cars (at least in the U.S.)...
But I still think the front looks like a Skyline R34 (or R33) rendered smooth and round... (I just get that feeling or some reason... Probably just me... I'm an idiot :dunce:

)

skip0110 · Oct 18, 2004

animateria
But I still think the front looks like a Skyline R34 (or R33) rendered smooth and round... (I just get that feeling or some reason... Probably just me... I'm an idiot )

I think so too. Its the squared grille that does it for me. Maybe we're both idiots

ND4SPD · Oct 18, 2004

skip0110
I think so too. Its the squared grille that does it for me. Maybe we're both idiots

Count me as an idiot too.

Back on topic though, I think Mazda Has done good to appeal to the youth market. They used to have a boring line up with even more boring styling which bascially only appealed to old people, but Mazda has recently stepped up in there stying department, with edgier and more aggressive styling which totally appeals to the younger group now. 👍

animateria · Oct 19, 2004

ND4SPD
Count me as an idiot too.

Back on topic though, I think Mazda Has done good to appeal to the youth market. They used to have a boring line up with even more boring styling which bascially only appealed to old people, but Mazda has recently stepped up in there stying department, with edgier and more aggressive styling which totally appeals to the younger group now. 👍

Heh.. I'm a little bit relieved... I'm not the only idiot to think so~ :dopey:

I agree that Mazda has stepped up... I mean the Mazda Miata looks really dated compared to the new ones out there... Compared to the bland looks of the Miata... The new Mazdas have that fresh look. I just hope they bring out the next Miata that looks like it would be a great buy (I like the current miata but it has utterly bland styling to appeal to the market)

PublicSecrecy · Oct 19, 2004

Its the lights. Definitely the lights, a poll once showed that ppls interests sparked on head/rear lights the most...unless you'r driving an Elise Exige which then gives everyone wiplash just by rolling by. Mazda has awesome lights and has played the game well by offering well produced cars with fresh styling at a moderate price...look at the RX8 for example, although any real car fan (im guessing) would take an RX7 though. thats just my 2 cents tho.

JohnBM01 · Oct 19, 2004

Last week, I seen a Scion tC while my mother took me to school. I only saw the back of it. I believe it was black, and as I say several times, if you don't like Scion in general, you MIGHT like the tC. I think I heard that the Scion tC is supposed to be...

"a car that you can go out and race with." -ESPN's "Road to the Auto Show" coverage (?)

In ways, the front looks a bit like an R34 Skyline. After all, Toyota's biggest rival has to be Nissan. Just ask the JGTC teams who battle it out in that championship series. But back to the tC. This car has really shown me something. While Scion is more of a youth-oriented brand, I think the tC can be appreciated by many people. Not just youth, many people. Don't like it's horsepower? You can tune it to abou 200hp. But in terms of a performance car, it has one weakness- about 2900 lbs. The Xa and Xb are below 2600 lbs. The only other car I know in its class that weighs as much as the tC is the Honda Accord. I still have yet to see a modified tC. It would make one hell of a touring car. It would be great for club racing.

To change the subject, here's a special scenario. Let's say that Mitsubishi decides to release the next-gen Eclipse with specs from its Concept-E model. Read on for more info:

You know, I was just looking into the Houston Chronicle and seen pictures of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Concept-E. And thanks to a gasoline motor coupled with an electric motor, output is told to be 470hp (270 for the gas motor, and an extra 200 from the 15kW electric motor called "E-boost"). This hybrid has 4WD and actually looks pretty nice. To me, it's a BIGTIME improvement lookwise over the latest Eclipse since 2000-ish. It is also a bit more reminiscent of the late 1990s Mitsu Eclipse that many of us know and "love." I quoted "love" because I know that a not of people like the Eclipse.

How do you think the youth would like this in their driveways? Is it ONLY for youths? What do you think?

Zhukov · Oct 19, 2004

The concept Eclipse, although the production model will be scalled down in design, I thought looked nice (relizing that it wont be all "flashy" and have the akward opeining doors). I'm sure a younger generation will be attracted to the Eclipse, as well as older folks.

Me? I like the current Eclipse as solid reliable vehicels, but not as sports cars. I hate its popularity though; it does however have a good amount of aftermarket support, but that dreaded FWD.

I don't know, the Scions I see around here are owned by people in there 30s and older. It could be that the car is new, and not to many youths get new cars; I wouldn't be surprised if that is what they would pick if they hade the money.

McLaren'sAngel · Oct 20, 2004

Hiya!

Meow! (='.'=)

I really like the Scion tC over the other two scions. It have a more present look to it that many people wouldn't mind buying. I think the Scion xB is just too "boxy" and doesnt appeal to youngsters, but only in a funny way to do something like this:

"AHAHAHA! You got beat by a BOX!" :lol:

And actually, I seriously think that the Scion xB should have a nickname of "EconoBOX!" I mean look at IT! :embarrassed:

its great for the economy and its that shape of a BOX, or rather a very boxy shape! :embarrassed:

Move over Honda Civics! This Scion xB is the REAL "EconoBOX!" :embarrassed:

How Do You Appeal to the Youth Market?

JohnBM01

21 years!

TheCracker

Nothing to see here...

Race Idiot

TheCracker

Nothing to see here...

Race Idiot

TheCracker

Nothing to see here...

Joey D

retsmah

ExigeEvan

Quick_Nick

JohnBM01

21 years!

McLaren'sAngel

TheCracker

Nothing to see here...

McLaren'sAngel

animateria

animateria

TheCracker

Nothing to see here...

kungpowchicken

ShobThaBob

animateria

skip0110

ND4SPD

animateria

PublicSecrecy

JohnBM01

21 years!

Zhukov

McLaren'sAngel

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