Nonsense.
Every car I've ever owned had its own enthusiast base and within that group, there is always a sizable portion (sometimes a majority, sometimes a minority, but always present) that wouldn't have even considered a rival product because of the owner base. Right off the top of my head:
- BMW 3 series vs. Infiniti G35/G37 vs. Mustang/Camaro drivers;
- Corvette vs. Porsche 911/Cayman/Boxster owners;
- Jeep Wrangler vs. Toyota 4Runner/Taco owners;
- Land Rover vs. Land Cruiser owners;
- WRX/STi/EVO vs. Mustang/Camaro owners
To be sure, despite these vehicles sharing many of the same capabilities within their respective markets, there are plenty of people that made their purchasing decisions by omission; namely, they omitted a brand or vehicle simply because it wasn't "who they were". Inevitably, when asked why someone didn't purchase a [insert car] instead of what they have, they'll eventually say something that has nothing to do with the car itself, but the owner base.
After the 2008 recession and GM and Chrysler bailouts, I knew tons of people that swore off Silverados and Rams because they were "welfare recipients". This had nothing to do with the quality of the product, but everything to do with the brand image and the negative perceived image of being a prospective buyer of such cars. I had family members that served in WWII that wouldn't buy a "Jap" or "Kraut" car because of the obvious negative connotations. Again, nothing to do with the core characteristics of the cars themselves, but everything to do with the origin and ownership of those companies.
Hell, I'm big enough of a man to admit this myself. In my youth, I didn't consider the G35 coupe when shopping for a sporty compact coupe because the vape-smoking, Black-Ice-Air-Freshener-smelling, 22-year-old-with-his-first-real-car-despite-being-delinquent-on-child-support-payments with trashy, Olde English font tattoos vibe was just too strong for me. Similarly, I've known many people that would've liked a Camaro or Challenger, but didn't like the hillbilly, mullet stigma that is so pervasive. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "I'd really love a [specific car], but I just can't see myself driving one because I'm not a "[specific car] guy", you know? Sad? Maybe. But true, nonetheless.
This is a key principle that product planners and marketers understand well. It's not just about the product itself, it's about getting the consumer to see themselves as the type of person who buys that particular product. That's why luxury car manufactures spend billions a year on advertising their cars a very particular way. Their ads are carefully crafted to present the driver of their car to look and sound a particular way, to live in a particular neighborhood, to be surrounded by similar looking people, and all of it to be set to the type of music their protective buyer enjoys most. In other words, it's about presenting the car to be the choice of a person belonging to a very specific, inevitably desirable group. Marketing a car is
all about developing a very particular owner base. Doing so makes it easier for a prospective buyer to choose a product in a market that may not have very noticeable product differences otherwise.
Like it or not, vehicles present a message about you to society. The vast majority of people are aware of this and consciously or subconsciously consider this when buying a car, just like pretty much any other consumer good. Sadly, we do live in a civilization where consumerism is the name of the game and a big part of that game is melding a consumer good to one's identity.
Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead in a Tesla because of Elon himself. I can afford to buy anything he sells and despite liking the whole "Plaid" product implementation, that's far outweighed by the man himself, the poor manufacturing and engineering of the cars themselves, and finally, yes, the cult-like mouth weirdos that support the brand. And, I know I'm not the only person who has sworn off Tesla for exactly these reasons. This is a common refrain from all sorts of buyers on many other enthusiast forums.
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