$7.20 per gallon (currently at my local gas station - between $7 and $8 during the year, but it's always been drastically more expensive than in the US - used to be more or less triple of the US retail price, but since gas-prices went up in the US it's a bit more than double...) ($3.23 US average retail price today)
I drive V8 Camaro here in EU. Fuel price is not issue as it's fuel consumption is sane as average 2l i4 European car. Parking however can be painful especially due to giantic doors.
Well Germany exports more cars to the USA than the other way around. Which really upset Drump. Chancellor Merkel's answer: "Just build better cars!"🤷♂️
My respons change the tax system. I'm not an German but no one can afford a F150 in Finland because of the ridiculous tax system on such a car configuration. It's fine if it's a two seater, but then useless as both a utility and family car. Utility cars that has a proper back seat is taxed out to oblivion here. Which means families where they also have utility cars needs to buy two different cars for different purposes. Also using your business car for family activities can result in penalties both for the business and the family.
Teslas für den Europäischen Markt werden (ab 2021) in Brandenburg hergestellt ;) die meisten Teslas die in DE rumfahren sind jedoch von Amerikanischen Manufaktur
Opel is a German brand that has belonged to GM since the 1920s. GM did not want any competition in the USA. That's probably why you don't know the brand. A few years ago GM sold Opel to Stellantis (Fiat, Peugeot, Chrysler, Dodge...)
@@Gamer55100There even was a Buick Opel, which was based on the Opel Kadett. Also, it is not restricted to Buick, but many other brands around the globe. Though even combined and pretending to be "one Opel" it wouldnt be as big as VW on its own, without all their acquisations.
Golf isn´t inspired by the game golf but by the seastream like the golf of mexico, also is the passat and scirocco. it implements a natural force moving people to their place of destination. VW did that also for the Jetta, Santana and Bora
@@hansmeiser32 So the golf ball shift knob happened by accident, I guess? The name Polo does not stem from the polar winds but from the sport as well. All names have something to do with motion. But not all stem from winds and streams.
The Mini is predominantly assembled in the UK and is part of the BMW Group. Škoda is predominantly assembled in the Czech Republic and is part of the Volkswagen Group. Opel is a convoluted story between General Motors (USA) and Stellantis (France/Italy). Depending on country and model, the brands are Opel, Vauxhall, Buick, Chevrolet, Holden, ...
I will never understand why SUV's are so popular here in Germany. I love cars, that look a little bit more like small, oldfashioned sport cars or roadsters, flat, slim, elegant. Sometimes I have the feeling, everyone else wants to be a busdriver here in Germany
Overview of traffic, safety and seating position are much superior in an SUV. An aging population does tend to favor this type of car. The number of Germans with health problems regarding their back is also large and growing. Try to sit in a normal car, in a low-ish kind of seating position and compare that with an SUV, when you have back problems. You will see a difference.
@@dnocturn84 Overview of traffic is minimal with all the big struts where you don't see much. You generally don't have that much space for load. There are other car types with higher seating position (I prefer that for comfort when entering the car). My last station wagon had that and my new "Hochdachkombi", too. I was in fear that there are only SUVs left for what I need, but luckily there are alternatives.
@@dnocturn84 And yet, my grandma with a artificial hip etc. had less issues entering/exiting my KIA Ceed (JD) GT - which is the sport version of a smaller hatchback like a VW Golf, thus it's lower and had sport seats - compared to the SUV from my mum.. Also, I'm 1,88m (6'2) and for whatever reason, I don't like entering/exiting SUVs, but I'm fine with smaller/lower cars.. Also, you actually see less in a SUV, thus it's actually more dangerous for older people.
@@dnocturn84Thats just bullshit. Safety in a SUV doesnt increase when another SUV is invovled, it stays the same as when 2 hatchbacks crash into each other, but the weakers are now put in more danger thanks to the SUV. Also elderly people wont be prefering SUVs for being easier to get in and out of, but because these people are easier to convince this would actually be the case. In fact, it is easier to get into a car that is below your kitchen chair height and not any more difficult to pull your own weight up again, also for caretakers a lower car is easier to handle when they are the ones manouvering the eldery into or out of the seat.
I already thought it a lot of times: you need a German based co-host who can provide you with some background information. This would increase the value of your videos a lot.
"Opel Corsa" -> Wonder why they dont export to the USA. You can find many Opels with a different badge (and often name), like Vauxhall, Buick, Chevrolet, Holden, as many are using Opel technology center innovations and the same plattform. That being said Opel is the reason GM is as big as it is ;)
If I remember correctly, trucks are successful in the USA because of a law that wanted to achieve exactly the opposite. The law was intended to force car manufacturers to make their cars more efficient. However, there were exemptions for trucks so as not to harm companies. Instead of the automakers making their cars more efficient, they simply made them bigger to pass as trucks.
The EU did something similar with the CO2 regulations, it scales with car weight. A 2 ton SUV is easier to keep within specification than a 1100 kg hatchback. So the manufacturers all added multiple heavy SUVs to their offered models, to increase the allowed average fleet CO2 emissions.
@@Psi-StormSomething like this happens, when things are put into relation instead of setting strict limits. Sure, strict limits would create some anger among those who want to drive bigger cars instead of just doing it because it is so cheap, but when there are strict limits, then it would have been more succesful and you can always create excemptions for those who can provide evidence of necessity, like maybe farmers or whomever would need a pickup over a more sensibly sized car.
@@Psi-StormThats not what happened in The Netherlands. A pickup truck, like the Dodge RAM 1500 can almost only be bought as a company car (grey license plate) and on LPG instead of petrol. If not, it would cost about €350,000 which includes the environmental sales tax of €250,000 because it is based on the combination of weight and exhaust fumes particles. Monthly provincial car tax will also skyrocket because it is based on the weight of the car. And the amount of fuel you need is immense, and fuel is very expensive, as stated in earlier comments, it’s about €8-9 a gallon here. When you pick up your truck at the dealer, you’ll be bankrupt before you reach a gas station.
Way worse is that my small Volkswagen Beetle Turbo costs way more insurance than a Ford F-150 would cost me. Even the insurance industry favors trucks to small fast cars.
You can think of the VW Polo as the "little brother" of the Golf. And is it a "fast car"? Well... that would depend on your view of what is "fast". I own a Polo, with the smallest engine variant. It still can get to 180 km/h, with a bit of pushing, and has no problems cruising at 150 to 160 km/h. That's not in the regions of the upper class limousines that regularely can go 220. Or even close to the 300 km/h sports cars. But even my little bugger would break most American speed limits. Does that count as "fast"? "Škoda" is an orignal Czech car and engine manufacturer. Today, it is part of the VW group. "Opel" is another original german brand. Today, it is part of the "Stellaris" group, and had as that previously been part of GM, I think. As part of being an international group, their cars aren't sold under that brand name in the USA, but under the "Buick" label.
Fun story from the Autobahn a couple years back: We were cruising in the right lane, and an old VW Polo II (similar to this it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Polo_II#/media/File:VW_Polo_II_Coupe_rear_20090418.jpg) was overtaking in front of us on the left lane, not overly fast, and not looking like much. Along comes one of these bigger, shinier cars, could have been an Audi or a BMW, from behind, flashing its headlights at the Polo to get out of the way. That's when a mechanical sign popped up in the Polo's rear view mirror reading something to the effect of "You are now left standing by 160hp", and off went the little car, leaving the other one looking silly.
Pickup trucks in the US do not have to meet the same high quality standards as regular cars (thanks to lobbying by manual workers that needed them for work). They're also taxed cheaper than regular cars. That's why the US industry pushed the sales of pickup trucks, tried to make them even more attractive for regular folks with smaller pickup areas and more passenger space and pushed patriotic, manly marketing (A strong American drives a pickup truck): Huge profit margins. Reversing this trend is probably not possible in the short to medium term. Unfortunately, a pickup truck and a regular car are not crash compatible. So even if the incentives would change, people would probably -for their own safety - still opt for buying trucks as long as there are that many trucks on the road... and thus there will never be less trucks. What's sorta funny is, that one aspect of quality standards that pickup trucks do not have to meet to the same extend as regular cars is passenger safety. Thus, while a truck vs. car crash will end up in favor of the truck, a truck vs. truck crash is worse for the passengers than a car vs. car crash would've been.
The Golf name doesnt have anything to do with the sport where you hit a ball with a long stick and tell a caddy look for it. The VW naming scheme of that time was (mainly) to name their cars after global winds or ocean currents. Golf = Gulf stream Passat = Passat winds Polo = Polar stream Jetta (VW Rabbit I believe) = Jet stream Scirocco = Arabic and Italian for "warm wind"
@@Dennis-Hinz Fact is: VW never stated or confirmed that the Golf was named after the stream, but they created a gear shift knob especially for this car that looks like a golf ball. Still people think they know better.
Yo, most Opel cars are sold under the Chevy branding in the US. I found out randomly when looking for EVs, and the Chevy Bolt is essentially the Opel Ampera. PSA has different branches in every major country, in Australia or the UK they got a different name once again, but the cars are, for all intents and purposes, identical
Skoda is from the Czech Republic and part of the VW family. Opel used to be GM, now part of Peugeot, and was barred from the US market to prevent in-brand competition.
Never hearing of Opel in the USA would be pretty common since i think Opel is called Holden or Vauxhall in the US. Also the newer Buick generations are based on some opel models (Buick Regal from 2018 is based on the Opel Insignia)
You protect your car industry by inflicting high import tariffs on anything that’s good to drive I.e. anything not classified as a tractor (truck) SUV NSW in Oz
trucks in the US are so common, because of US laws. pickups are "work vehicles" (sorry soccer moms), and therefore dont have the same safety regulations as normal cars. therefore they are cheaper to produce and have lager profit margins compaired to a normal, similar prices car. also, they are so massive, not for "safety" (even tho they are LESS save), but because the larger the wheel base, the less fuel efficient they are allowed to be. less efficient engines are cheaper, and the oil companies obv. love them so when you see a massive trucks: its wasting fuel and build cheaply
Funfact: Opel used to be part of GM and they sold their cars mostly as Saturn. For example the Saturn Aura in the US was the Opel Vectra and the Saturn Astra was actually the Opel Astra. An exeption was the Opel Omega, which has been sold in the US as the Cadillac Catera. Now yoj know😄😄
No 9 VW Polo is a smaller version of the Golf. No 8 Mini is technically a BMW from the UK. No 6 Skoda is a VW subsidiary in the Czech Republic. Is on VW basic platform and technically VW. IWrocker from Texas is a fan of Scoda and has several videos on his channel. No. 5 Opel was former General Motors until the US company withdrew from Germany. Is now Stellantis, a merger of Fiat-Chrysler, Citroën, DS, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall. They weren't exported to the USA because it was a US company. In the US, some models would run under Chevrolet, e.g. as Cruze or Impala. No 1 Golf used to be called “Rabbit” in the US. VW models are all named after wind, air flows. Gulfstream, Scirocco, Passat, Vento, Bora, SantaAna (Santana) .... In the 2000s they stopped doing that and gave them made-up fantasy names.
@@AHVENAN I don't know, it says New Mexico on Insta, it says Illinois here on UA-cam, but as red as he always is from the sun, I'm guessing it's more of the south. But my English isn't so good that I could hear the dialect. I can distinguish US, British, London and Scottish, then it gets difficult. And his buddy, with whom he sometimes unpacks packages, also looks like he could ride a bull and not hunt bears with snowshoes. Maybe he's from Illinois and now lives in Texas or New Mexico. But USA I'm sure. Maybe he'll say it again.
The VW Passat has been a very popular family car since the 70s, we used to call it the "Pampers Bomber" 😊 Polo is the Golf's little brother. Skoda (Czech) is VW's "reasonably priced" brand, like Seat (Spanish) is the "sporty" and Audi the "fancy" one - rhey all share "platforms" (base, suspension, motors etc.; e.g. VW Golf ~ Skoda Fabia ~ Seat Ibiza ~ Audi A2) Opel is a very old german brand, never quite made it outside Germany due to sales policies of the several owners since the 70s
Skoda Fabia actually shares the platform with the VW Polo and Audi A1. Octavia is closer to Golf in terms of parts. Skoda always seems to make their versions bigger than the other VAG brands :D
Opel never made it outside of Germany? I live in Finland and I've owned two Omegas myself and seen plenty of Opels both here and in Sweden, they might not be the most popular brand but
Opel is very popular here in Poland too, my dad drives an Insignia and I owned 2 older Corsas myself. Astra and Insignia are also very popular choices alongside Skodas for company fleet cars.
no, the plattform strategy has been introduced by Piech when he had to save VW group which was on the verge of going bankrupt in the 1992 years. Back then VW workers had to work about 4 days or even less cause there were not enough order to run the plants fully. Instead of hiring VW made a deal with the unions and developed the model of a breathing assembly line and factory with an account of hours worked, a new balance where the overtime or additionals shifts with higher payments had been cut.
Skoda‘s emblem actually is the symbol of a headdress of American Natives with an arrow. The founder of this Czech car was a fan of the indigenous folks… 😀
I've always wondered what kind of prehistoric bird the Skoda logo is supposed to represent. But at least the old Dacia sign was a bottle opener, right? Please don’t disappoint me on that one too! 😏🍺
@@stefankaiser3354 sorry 🥲the logo you mean was valid 2008-2015; The first version of the badge we all can see today was introduced in 2008. It is a modern interpretation of the classic crest, executed in glossy metallic color with smooth sleek contours. The shield-like emblem featured its bottom part rounded and having a hole, repeating the shape of the badge. Above it, there is a blue “Dacia” inscription in a soft modern sans-serif. The letters have a delicate white outline, which makes them more visible on a gradient surface of the badge. Well, it looked like a bottle opener at least…. 😂
I bought a used VW Jetta TDI a number of years ago because I had never owned a car! Only pickup trucks and SUV‘s. This is now my commuter vehicle. 52MPG! Which I believe is about 4.6L/100km. It has made me a much better defensive driver as well. It was assembled in Mexico but the engine was made in Germany.🇩🇪
Opel used to be part of GM's European branch, including Vauxhall from Britain. All European brands of GM were sold to PSA (Peugeot+Citroën), which later merged with Fiat Chrysler to form Stellantis.
Well, Skoda is Czech. And was revived as a brand of the VW Group with Volkswagen technology. Opel is an old German brand. In the beginning there were bicycles, sewing machines, a rocket car and motorcycles. Owned by General Motors from 1928 -2017. The Americans never allowed sales to the USA or Asia or China. In England and Australia the cars are known as Vauxhall. Today Opel is a brand in the French PSA group. After the sale, Opel no longer uses its own technology. But French technology from its modular system.
Considering Germany has rougly a bit less than 1/3 of the US' Population on an Area smaller than texas, bigger cars makes less sense because in some regions our cities have fused into what is now basically one continous city that stretches for almost 100 miles (See Ruhrgebiet for example) so big cars dont really fit anywhere. We already have a lot of parking issues with larger SUV'S so seeing american pickup trucks is rare and happens more often in the countryside and even then the trucks that are the most common are the Volkswagen Amarok and the Mercedes-Benz X-Class. Both of which have to be (and dont quote me here im only 75% sure) imported from the USA because they are not normally sold in Germany edit: the ruhrgebiet example is a bit weird because except for berlin and hamburg that situation basically doesnt exist anyhwere else in germany i think
The first car my husband and I bought with our saved money was an Opel Corsa Combi in 1991 for German marks. The car was pratical and you could easily fit the stroller in the trunk. We were happy with it. When I was driving on the motorway recently I had a Mini Cooper in front of me with the British flag visible in the lights at the back , which I thought was great.🙂💜
@@persona_non_grata92 check out wikipedia before you talk about parallel world and there you find the word KOMBI LIMOUSINEN with 2 and 4 doors. Maybe you have a different definition in mind than she and also there had been Kadett A combi too cause such one crashed into my 500E - and before you start typing the 500E is from a different world then you have no clue about Mercedes cause that was the name of the big V8 developed and built by Porsche in the late 80s and released in 1990 or so with a tiny production volume and huge demand which caused a long waiting list. I got one due to order on day 1 and had fun till it had been hit in the back and sold it as it was for a higher price I had paid as new.
@@typxxilps UA-cam swallowed half of my comment. 😅 The facelifted version of the Corsa A was sold from 1990 as a 3-door hatchback, 5-door hatchback and as a 4-door sedan. The Sedan only outside Germany. The Corsa B was sold - I mean in 1995?! - in Italy a station wagon version. But only a handful of them. The German term “Kombilimosine” means nothing other than “Schrägheck” or as it’s called in the English-speaking world - hatchback. In English, a “Kombi” or “Kombinationsktaftwagen” is a station wagon and, in contrast to the fright hatchback, usually has a much larger trunk. 🤓
5:49 Indeed in Germany the Tiguan is driven by a lot of women - as well as the Polo, Golf, T-Roc, the Mini and the Opel Corsa. The Audi A6, Skoda Octavia and BMW 3-series are more "Men's cars" (if you can say this in a such sexistic way).
Greets to beautiful Austria from Berlin. This is for sure austrian humor - or it would be a display of envy, Germany as the annoying but far bigger neighbor... The well-known local competion, just unbalanced. I don't admire German cars but I welcome the new Nightjet sleeper trains from the ÖBB ... I have no doubt that austrian food or Mehlspeisen is way better than what you can expect from Traditional german food, but today you will find quite a few austrian restaurants and cuisine from different cultures here in Berlin and elsewhere, anyways have a good 2024 🇦🇹
@1:22 It is a sub-compact. Those numbers are skewed by company's leasing fleets anyway. New cars are not top priority amongst the Germans as far as I can tell. @1:51 Size and number of engine options. @4:03 It is a budget brand of Volkswagen-Audi Corp. @8:05 8 generations and the sales are still strong. It ticks all boxes for most people here, way above average in space, performance, safety, comfort and footprint. The jack of all traits.
The citys in germany, as in most european countrys, are natural grown. So the streets are often small and it is hard to find a parking slot. The bigger the car, the more problems you have.
@@m.m.4645 I always hate it if a SUV parks next to my car, here in the Netherlands de parking spots are quite tight usually. They are not made for American sized SUV's or pickup trucks. Cars over here have gotten wider also but the size of the parking spot didn't grow along with the size of the cars.. So most modern cars only have like 10 inch (25cm) at best on both sides to spare. That is a normal sized car, if there's a huge SUV or a Dodge RAM ( there are quite some in Holland surprisingly). No way you can open your driver's door.. You got to go in from the other side and hopefully there's not SUV on that side too.
As somebody mentioned in the comments until recently Opel did belong to GM and was sold to French PSA, which is now part of the global Stellantis Group. But you should know that some European models of Opel were sold in the US with the Buick badge (or still are). What is funny is that Opel was never considered a premium brand here in Europe, wheres Buick as far as I know is considered to be somewhat premium in the US. It this the case? Check Opel Insignia against Buick Regal for instance
When I saw this video for the first time I didn’t realize how good you pronounce the names of the car models. I gotta say that I’m kinda proud of you, being the only American able to pronounce the car models almost always perfect. Good job🎉
In case you dind't know. The brand "Opel" does exist in th USA. Opel can buyed in Europe exept in the UK. There and in the US Opel has a contract with "Vauxhall" and "General Motors".
SUVs actually aren't nearly as safe as they seem! They _appear_ safe due to the damage they cause in crashes, but many of them are actually horrible at protecting their drivers from the force of impact in favor of _the car itself_ remaining as intact as possible. The reason for them and pickups being as popular as they are, however, is car manufacturers exploiting US tax loopholes and shaping their offerings and marketing to match. NotJustBikes may have unfortunately come out as _unreasonably_ anti-American, but he did make a good video on this particular topic. (Title: These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us)
Opel was a German company that was purchased by General Motors in the 1920s. You might know the Opel Corsa as the Chevrolet Corsa. At least there was one in South America. No idea if there was a market for this little one in the USA. Many Opel models were released in the USA under American brands. This is exactly how it was done in the UK. There Opels ran under the Vauxhall brand. When GMC was struggling financially and wanted to divest itself of some car brands, they sold the Opel brand to the French car manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroen.
Hi, congrats for one (Pseudo-)American car in the top ten with Opel Corsa (Opel nowadays belongs to Stellantis)!😃 If you fancy VW you've got the choice between Volkswagen (VW), AUDI, Ducati, Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, SEAT (with CUPRA),Lamborghini, SKODA, Scania and MAN. If you are more into Daimler AG your choice is between Maybach, Mercedes and Smart. BMW have BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce in their portfolio. Brands belonging to Toyota are Toyota, Daihatsu and Lexus. Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover are belonging to Indian Company Tata Motors... and Volvo for example belongs to Chinese Company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group... 🙃
Pickups are very popular in the USA because you can drive LIGHT TRUCKS with your normal drivers license and because of their weight they dont have very strong emission laws. You couldnt drive cars in europe above 3500kg max weight with you standard class B licence. Also fuel is quite expensive. The Polo with a diesel just needs around 3,5L/100km or 67mpg. Sadly you can only buy the petrol one now.
This is not the main reason. Holder of an older driving-license still are allowed to drive up to 7,5t - and getting the additional license is not that big of a deal, when you need it. Still the US pick-ups are not practical here. In the village I live one guy owns a F150 - it is bigger, than a normal Sprinter... he is not able to take the direct route through the village-center, as the corners are too tight - so he takes the longer route also buses have to take. The car is so big - it does not fit into the parking-spot at Aldi (which has the most spacious here - outsite the village)... he always has to park in "his special corner", where he's not in the way. If you want a versatile vehicle here in Germany (most Europe) you go for a wagon like the Passat, Octavia or A6 (men, long distance drivers) or an SUV (more women or if you need to pull trailers). With our rainy / snowy seasons this also much better protects your cargo. Pickups really are for work-usage, when you need to transport dirty-cargo to a construction-site e.g. ... or to impress cheap chicks in front of a club, when you need to compensate your personal shortcomings 😉
@@K0nst4nt1n96 no - there is no such rule I'm aware of. There is a 100km/h limit for trailers - but e.g. a transporter with 5t I would be allowed to drive faster than 100km/h.
Like said before, Opel used to belong to GM for a long time. Probably that's why they didn't export to the US. The main plant near Frankfurt also didn't get bombed during WW2 by Americans for that reason. Funnily in the UK they have the exact same models, but the brand is called Vauxhall there.
Here in Germany, in addition to small cars, mid-range cars, etc., we also have the so-called Golf class. Every car manufacturer tries to offer VW competition in this class. At Opel, for example, this is the Opel Astra (formerly Opel Kadett). But Peugeot and all the others are also trying to win here. Rarely with success.
Roads are more narrow here and parking lots aswell. So even if you live in a smaller city, where finding a parking spot isn't a problem, a huge car will still be unpractical. And if you need to drive into a big city, it will become a nightmare. Also I feel like Germans value practicality a lot. That's why most of the top selling cars are either small cars for three city or family cars with huge trunk spaces. And since germans also love fast cars, those family cars often have motors, that can keep up with sports cars.
Yeah, my parents have a jeep, and while they live in a Black Forest village (where a jeep is the safer and more reliable decision, especially in winters), they visit me in Freiburg quite often. They somehow never had these problems to fit into a parking lot or navigate 90° angles in narrow medieval streets - but everytime i was in that car i got a mini heart attack on how close those house corners or other cars seemed to be. My father is a truck driver though, and often in italy and france with his truck - THAT is a whole other level, so i guess german cities are childs play for him in a jeep.
There is not that much space in germany....in the cities u are happy to get a parking place and u will never find any with a pickup. Pickups are very uncommon here. And for what reason u need one? Not everyone here is a lumberjack 😅 It is stupid enough that SUVs (SuperUselessVehicles) are more and more hyped here.
Some Models of Opel where sold in the US under other Brands. Opel was a GM Division for a long Time. For Example: Pontiac LeMans 89-93; Pontiac T1000, Buick Regal, Chevrolet Chevette
That is the sad thing - SUVs are not at all necessarily saver for the driver, but yes, if they are part of an accident, they cause way more harm to everyone else! If Germany was not that depending on the car industry, SUVs would be exactly the thing that would be banned in Germany in contrast to the US.
Mini is a subsidiary of BMW (they bought the MG Rover group in 1994 from BLMC, sold it out in 2000 because it produced only losses, but kept the Mini brand and presented in 2001 the "new MINI", a retro-styled modern and sportive car). Brexit caused BMW to consider the relocation of MINI production to Germany (or China in case of the electric model), but after substantial concessions (and subsidies) by the UK government they decided to produce the new electric model again in Oxford. MINI cars are sold by authorized BMW dealers. Skoda is a Czech brand and a subsidiary of Volkswagen (VW). Opel was the biggest car and truck brand in Germany in the 1920s, but was bought by GM during the Great Depression. In 2017 it was sold to the French PSA (Citroën, Peugeot) which merged in 2021 with FCA (Fiat & Chrysler), now called Stellantis, headquartered in Amsterdam. Opel started in 1862 as manufacturer of sewing machines; since the sons of the founder Adam Opel were racing cyclist, Opel started in 1886 also producing bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895, and in 1898 his widow Sophie began to produce cars and since 1901 also motorcycles. Midsize SUVs are also popular with German women. The slender the woman, the fatter the car... 🙃
I just want to note that those cars shown as "Skoda Octavia" were a Skoda (Edit:) Vision RS concept car and a Skoda Superb, it even says on the advertisement plate and on the back. Whoever made that video was not from Germany, because otherwise they would have known the brand, they are everywhere here
In the 60s and 70s Opel was the biggest VW competitor. My grandfather was and my father is Opel fans and my first car was from Opel: a black Opel Tigra 😍
-The Mini is a BMW 1 Series underneath -Skoda is a VW brand, the Octavia is based on the Golf -Opel was once sold in the USA as Saturn and Buick. For example the Buick Regal, funny Regal is in German shelf
The advantage of small cars like Mini, VW Polo/T-Roc/Golf is that you usually find more parking slots in the cities and in big parking areas the slots are often not as big as in the us so a pick-up like a big ford or chevrolet won't fit in one slot.
Before skoda was brought by vw. They where pretty rubbish Tbf. old skoda joke pre vw ownership,, "how do you keep your hands warm during winter? push a skoda". But vw took over and changed all that. The 1st gen skoda Octavia vrs was their first "hot" 4 door. It become so popular that it became the number 1 car to be stolen, mainly because of its engine. It came with 218HP(dosnet sound like a lot but back then it was pretty decent) as standard but with more boost and an ecu remap it easily made 300HP. Making it a highly desirable engine swap candidate. nowa days, youd be mad not to take a look at a skoda when concidering buy a new car.
Is this an attempt of "look at us, we're better than you for driving all electric"? Easy to say when you are rich from exporting oil and get most of your electricity almost for free from hydro electric power plants...
@@highks496 First, it’s not all electric and I thought it would be some kind of culture shock that could trigger interesting reactions. Isn’t it reactions this channel is about? Second, electricity is not at all cheap, but we do temporarily get subsidies if the price goes over a certain threshold. Sorry if I hurt your feelings 🙃 Edit: I’m not in a slightest way rich.
Well, the name VW Golf may not sound fast, but their sports variants with a range of 245 - 333HP definitely are fast and give you a feeling of sport. My old VW Golf V GTI ABT has 240HP an I love it. 😍
Polo is one smaller than the golf. Skoda was a Czech conglomerate and sold their car business to VW years ago, now using the same platforms. Opel is a German brand that used to belong to General Motors for a long time but was sold more recently and is now part of Stellantis (with Chrysler, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat etc). Vauxhall is Opel's mirror image, the same models with the steering wheel on the other side for the British market. And Sierra? I remember a Ford Sierra, a popular midsize car that was later replaced by the Mondeo.
Hello, we have many old towns with really narrow roads here in Germany. Most american Pickup trucks would not fit on those tiny roads. I think that is the reason for the different range of cars you will see on the roads
Opel user here, my wife has a 2006 Corsa C with almost 200k miles, and I have a 2004 Astra G with 395k miles, both problem free, reliable and simple yet comfortable cars
Wait a second... Quite accurate! My dad had a Golf, then a Tiguan (now switched to Japanese) But my Brother has a VW Polo, and a BMW 3series, my sister doesn have an Audi A6 but A3..!
Its interesting how most people think SUVs and big trucks are safe - but a lot of ppl dont even know how to handle these big cars well. (but for example women in suvs, mid-sized suvs or crossovers is quite common in germany too) I do recommend this vid about the safety of SUVs n stuff & i would love to see your reaction on this: ua-cam.com/video/jN7mSXMruEo/v-deo.htmlsi=gm3vhNVvAz-jeRyQ
Skoda was originally Czech, but has since been bought by Volkswagen, if memory serves. Opel cars are sold as "Vauxhall" in the UK, and as someone already mentioned, the brand is basically GM; they just sell mostly smaller cars here. Corsa is on par with a VW Polo, which is basically a smaller version of the Golf. The Passat came out at around the same time as the Golf; it's the family car of the line, and most common as the station wagon version for extra loading capacity. Third in the line was the Scirocco, the sporty model. All three cars were named after winds.
The thing you need to factor in is that your average wagon has a lot more usable space than your regular SUV. The unnecessarily large wheels of SUVs tend to eat up an unreasonable amount of interior space. I miss my old Passat wagon. A total rocket , infinitely better handling than SUVs, and sooo versatile. Edit: Waitwhut? You never heard of a Tiguan? They are among the most common cars here on the east coast. The Passat was also fairly common here before the Tiguan and Atlas took over.
A sporty wagon is faster and more fun to drive than an SUV with the same motor. All while using less fuel because the wagon is not an effing box on wheels like an SUV. The height of stupidity in my view is all-electric SUVs. It's like range isn't a problem at all with EVs, so let's make one that's a 5-ton square box...
Opel belonged to GM for a long time. It was a German company and was the biggest car manufacturer in Germany in 1928 with 44% market share. The company was bought by GM in 1929 and belonged to GM until some recent years. In most parts of the world the cars were sold under the brand Chevrolet , in the uk they were sold under the brand Vauxhall. Saw a lot of them in Brazil with Chevrolet logo a few years ago
Opel is a very old company, going back over 160 years, before cars even existed. Initially, they manufactured sewing machines, later bicycles, before entering into the car market just before 1900. For some time, Opel was considered a premium brand, on par with the likes of Mercedes, but ultimately couldn't compete with them any longer and was bled dry by GM.
You forgot that Opel was the worlds largest bicycle-producer in the 1920s AND that the had also produced motorcycles including the stunning Opel Motoclub 500 from 1928 that is one of the beautiful motorcycles of its era
Cars are shipped all the time via ship. Come visit the harbors in Europe. Netherlands/Belgium/Germany have daily shipments. It is great to watch How the local navigators board the big vessels to navigate them to port. But small cares are deemed unworthy of even trying to sell them in the us. Some models make it but car mentality is a difficult topic. Like religion.
Ryan, the Skoda Octavia is - more or less - a re-badged VW Golf built in Czech Republic. Though several parts (especially sheet metal) are different, most parts are out of the VW parts shelves. In Germany nearly 95 +% of Octavias are station wagons. BTW Skoda is the import brand with most units sold here (for several years, Octavias being the most numerous model). Opel is the German Ex- GM brand, now Stelantis (Fiat, Peugeot, Chrysler, Dodge).
Ryan, The VW-GOLF is a standard sized car in Germany. The PASSAT is the up-scale VW-GOLF, with a few more bells and whistles. It was sold in the USA. GM owned OPEL for years and steadily lost money until it was finally sold, and is now owned by Peugeot (STELLANTIS), and are earning money. OPELs were sold by GM in the USA as baby Cadillacs, but not very successfully. GM also owns VAUXHALL in the UK. VW also owns SKODA, SEAT, BENTLEY, BUGATTI, LAMBORGHINI, AUDI, DUCATI, PORSCHE and the Porsche and Piech families own a large share of VW.
The big reason us cars are bigger than german or EU cars is because the US just so big and the distances to travel are so much bigger ! In germany at least , if you can t load enough in your car its no biggie because everything is nearby most of the time ! But in the US thats often not an option ! Also since everything is so old in the EU the citys were build around horse carrige lanes and small walkway which only evolved into modern houses and stuff wihout gaining additional space ! So there simply isn t enough space for big cars!
After cryptic numbers as names (like K70 or 412 or 'type 3 1600') VW changed the model names to winds in the 1970s, for example Passat and Scirocco. But they also picked "sporty" names like Golf, Polo and Derby for the smaller cars. Way better then K70. :D International markets: Golf == Rabbit in the US, Derby == Ameo in India, Passat (notchback) == Santana in China. :)
1:50 the Polo is smaller than a Golf 3:57 Škoda is a Czech car manufacturer 4:12 Opel is the second oldest German car Brandt and even older than the oldest if you also count the time when they’re didn’t produced cars
Polo is the small sibling of a Golf. In the US Volkswagen sold it as Fox years ago if I'm not mistaken. Mini belongs to BMW it's a left over from taking over Rover 20 years ago. Skoda belongs to VW it's their very popular Czech branch. For over 100 years the Czech Republic is well know for quality production of vehicles, cars, tanks and arms. Opel was owned by General Motors since the 30s. However American management never understood the German and European markets. After lots of "misunderstanding" Opel became part of Stellantis a few years ago. Station wagons represent the ultimate harmonic beauty in car design
Some cars like the Opel Corsa you will never see in America. Germans tend to have smaller cars since our cities are overall way smaller and way more narrow, so because of this, our cars are also way smaller. Also the fact that the Opel Corsa for eg. are relatively cheap cars here, you might get way bigger cars in the low end segment, where people tend to look for the biggest bang for the buck. Opel was owned by GM until 2021 I think, so some models simply got rebranded. The Chevy Volt is the Opel Ampera, the Opel GT is the Saturn Sky. Overall we don't transport heavy duty items over long distances how its more common in the US. Our infrastructure is totally different thats why here is basically no demand for pick ups. However, the trend with the Mid size SUVs and even Full Size SUVs is on the rise here in Germany too.
But people buy a lot of wagons in Germany, VW Passat, Skoda Octavia, and so on, because they want to be able to put stuff in their cars from time to time. And I don't think most Americans haul heavy duty items over long distances all of the time either.
@@highks496 Yeah but a wagon is the choice for families like SUVs. The younger group buys small cars. In the US there was never a demand for these small cars. Some came into existence in the 70s because of the oil crisis, the Landyachts died out but it was only for a few years before the pickup and SUVs dominated the US domestic market. Even though not every American hauls, the possibility of being able seems to play a big role. It is similar to the question low range EVs had problems taking off. The average person may only drive 40km a day but wouldnt buy a car that only goes 300km because of the rare occasions where you need it
The German Volkswagen Group has loads of vehicle producing companies under one umbrella company, the likes of Audi, Porsche, VW, Bentley, Skoda, Seat, Cupra, Lamborghini, Ducati and Bugatti, but then the Truck builders like MAN & Scania stand under that umbrella too. There are a good few more companies in the group too. Along with the VW group the BMW group owns a fair slice of the European market with Marques like BMW cars, BMW Motorcycles, Rolls Royce cars (the jet engine RR is stilll in British hands) and of course the most German of brand, Mini. The European cars would be way to expensive against the American brands, the level of fit and finish and the safety standards are higher on European vehicles. The huge American pickups would be useless on British roads, on the motorways, main A roads they’d be ok but most of the country roads where the people who would use a pickup live, the pickup would be useless as most country roads are 1 to 1.5 car widths. The passing on the road would be a nightmare.
VW Polo is the smaller brother of the Golf but there is still a GTI. Mini is just the smallest BMW you can get. The T-Roc is the SUV version of the Polo chassis. Opel was formerly part of GM but was sold to Peugeot.
Look for Corsa OPC. These tiny pocket rockets are very quick. Mine has 252bhp at 2755pund weight. 13 inch Brembo brake in the front and a limited slip diff from the factory.
I think the reason, that everyone in america drives trucks has something to do with taxes if I remember correctly. Because pickups are classified as light trucks or something along those lines, which saves the manufacturer some taxes or fees. After the car brands realized this, the marketing aparatus kicked in and suddenly everone drove pickups. The fun thing is pick-up trucks aren't even much more safe than "normal" cars. The crumple zones are often really bad and that's not even mentioning, that the front of those trucks are often so tall, that children can stand in front of them without being visible at all. Another problmatic thing with trucks is, that they tend to make driving a smaller car way more dangerous, because ofc the truck wheighs like double the car. So in the case of an accident it's more than likely not gonna end well for the people in the smaller car.
The Polo is a Golf but one car size smaller. Skoda is a Czech manufacturer that was bought up by VW at some point. So their cars have the same base and base parts as VW cars. (VW owns directly or indirectly: Skoda, Seat, Audi, Lamborghini, Bugatti, MAN, Scania, Navistar, Ducati and Porsche(partially)) Opel is one of the oldest companies in germany that makes cars and was bought and owned by GM for many decades, sharing parts and designs with Buick, Holden, Chevrolet and some others, bringing US design ideas to Europe besides Ford. Was sold to the mother company behind Peugeot/Fiat a few years ago, after GM tried to literally choke it to death. The Corsa is one of the most common cheap small cars you will find on our streets, no matter what model generation.
The Polo is the little brother of the Golf, as both are growing it's already bigger than the original Golf. Mini is currently a BMW-brand. Skoda Octavia is a cheaper version of the Passat, usually based on its previous model. Skoda and Seat are brands of Volkswagen. For real transport we have transporters with 3 or 5 seat cabins and an open loading area. We don't have environmental exceptions for transporters so no need/incentive to build pickups to avoid environmental rules.
sry i was talking about the new models. the Mini Countryman which is build in leipzig germany. it was a huge news that starting 2023 minis start being made in germany @@marflitts
we dont use pickup trucks in germany because by law you have to secure EVERY item in the back with a belt. you can put small items into a box and secure that box.
Several VW models take their names from winds, a pattern that's more of a historical accident than a planned strategy, and many think that trend continued with Golf. But “Golf” isn't a type of wind - it's the German word for the Gulf Stream ocean current.
The VW naming is not from sports, they used to name their models after winds. The Passat and golf are from that area (gulf stream is Golf-Strom in German, and Passat winds are in the earth pole regions I think)
Can someone explain why pickup trucks are so popular in the USA? I understand the appeal of large vehicles, such as the Tahoe or Land Cruiser, since they can accommodate more passengers (ideal for families with children), transport items like bicycles, generally offer greater comfort, and can navigate obstacles like road edges. However, the popularity of pickups puzzles me. They are massive, fuel-inefficient, have poorer handling, and their cabins are neither particularly spacious nor comfortable. Why would someone choose a truck over a large SUV?
![American reacts to Posts That Prove American's Think That Only They Exist [part 2]](/img/n.gif)
smaller cars have the advantage that you can actually find a parking spot in the cities
And they are usually more efficient and since gas is so expensive here that is probably a much bigger factor than in the US
$7.20 per gallon (currently at my local gas station - between $7 and $8 during the year, but it's always been drastically more expensive than in the US - used to be more or less triple of the US retail price, but since gas-prices went up in the US it's a bit more than double...)
($3.23 US average retail price today)
@@zuckerzwerg123 And than you also have to pay more taxes depending on the capacity (Hubraum), emission and drive type of your car.
I drive V8 Camaro here in EU. Fuel price is not issue as it's fuel consumption is sane as average 2l i4 European car. Parking however can be painful especially due to giantic doors.
Or you can navigate parking garages with smaller cars.
Even with a crossover some can be really tiny
Well Germany exports more cars to the USA than the other way around. Which really upset Drump. Chancellor Merkel's answer: "Just build better cars!"🤷♂️
At the very least, do a market research. It seems Ford is the only American manufacturer that understands this.
My respons change the tax system. I'm not an German but no one can afford a F150 in Finland because of the ridiculous tax system on such a car configuration.
It's fine if it's a two seater, but then useless as both a utility and family car. Utility cars that has a proper back seat is taxed out to oblivion here. Which means families where they also have utility cars needs to buy two different cars for different purposes. Also using your business car for family activities can result in penalties both for the business and the family.
Teslas für den Europäischen Markt werden (ab 2021) in Brandenburg hergestellt ;) die meisten Teslas die in DE rumfahren sind jedoch von Amerikanischen Manufaktur
The former german economy minister Sigmar Gabriel said that.
@@dbtest117 F150 & Co. makes zero sense.🤷♂️
Opel is a German brand that has belonged to GM since the 1920s. GM did not want any competition in the USA. That's probably why you don't know the brand. A few years ago GM sold Opel to Stellantis (Fiat, Peugeot, Chrysler, Dodge...)
GM actually sold opels in the us back in late 60s and early 70s through buick dealers
Some Buicks are just rebranded Opels
@@Gamer55100There even was a Buick Opel, which was based on the Opel Kadett.
Also, it is not restricted to Buick, but many other brands around the globe. Though even combined and pretending to be "one Opel" it wouldnt be as big as VW on its own, without all their acquisations.
@@Gamer55100 thats cool, i did not know that :)
Opel Mantras were sold by Buick dealerships in the early 1970's
Golf isn´t inspired by the game golf but by the seastream like the golf of mexico, also is the passat and scirocco.
it implements a natural force moving people to their place of destination.
VW did that also for the Jetta, Santana and Bora
And then there is the polo. Which is just called polo because the other car is called golf lmao
That‘s a common misinterpretation. The shift knob on one of the Golf models (I forgot which one) even mimics a golf ball, though.
@@klarasee806 "That‘s a common misinterpretation."
Yeah, I don't think so given that most if not all cars of VW are named after winds.
@@klarasee806it's the GTI version
@@hansmeiser32 So the golf ball shift knob happened by accident, I guess?
The name Polo does not stem from the polar winds but from the sport as well.
All names have something to do with motion. But not all stem from winds and streams.
The Mini is predominantly assembled in the UK and is part of the BMW Group.
Škoda is predominantly assembled in the Czech Republic and is part of the Volkswagen Group.
Opel is a convoluted story between General Motors (USA) and Stellantis (France/Italy). Depending on country and model, the brands are Opel, Vauxhall, Buick, Chevrolet, Holden, ...
Mini wird seit November auch in Leipzig gefertigt.
@@Tuxfreak I stand corrected and will adjust the original post. Thank you for your input.
Edit: Vauxhall is Opel but just the UK/Australia variant‘s
Stellantis is Dutch.
@@KirojaFluffy Stellantis is only Dutch for tax purposes
I will never understand why SUV's are so popular here in Germany. I love cars, that look a little bit more like small, oldfashioned sport cars or roadsters, flat, slim, elegant. Sometimes I have the feeling, everyone else wants to be a busdriver here in Germany
Overview of traffic, safety and seating position are much superior in an SUV. An aging population does tend to favor this type of car. The number of Germans with health problems regarding their back is also large and growing. Try to sit in a normal car, in a low-ish kind of seating position and compare that with an SUV, when you have back problems. You will see a difference.
We are constantly told: bigger = better, people define themselves through a large car and believe they are therefore better.
@@dnocturn84 Overview of traffic is minimal with all the big struts where you don't see much. You generally don't have that much space for load. There are other car types with higher seating position (I prefer that for comfort when entering the car). My last station wagon had that and my new "Hochdachkombi", too. I was in fear that there are only SUVs left for what I need, but luckily there are alternatives.
@@dnocturn84 And yet, my grandma with a artificial hip etc. had less issues entering/exiting my KIA Ceed (JD) GT - which is the sport version of a smaller hatchback like a VW Golf, thus it's lower and had sport seats - compared to the SUV from my mum.. Also, I'm 1,88m (6'2) and for whatever reason, I don't like entering/exiting SUVs, but I'm fine with smaller/lower cars..
Also, you actually see less in a SUV, thus it's actually more dangerous for older people.
@@dnocturn84Thats just bullshit.
Safety in a SUV doesnt increase when another SUV is invovled, it stays the same as when 2 hatchbacks crash into each other, but the weakers are now put in more danger thanks to the SUV.
Also elderly people wont be prefering SUVs for being easier to get in and out of, but because these people are easier to convince this would actually be the case.
In fact, it is easier to get into a car that is below your kitchen chair height and not any more difficult to pull your own weight up again, also for caretakers a lower car is easier to handle when they are the ones manouvering the eldery into or out of the seat.
I already thought it a lot of times: you need a German based co-host who can provide you with some background information. This would increase the value of your videos a lot.
"Opel Corsa" -> Wonder why they dont export to the USA.
You can find many Opels with a different badge (and often name), like Vauxhall, Buick, Chevrolet, Holden, as many are using Opel technology center innovations and the same plattform.
That being said Opel is the reason GM is as big as it is ;)
If I remember correctly, trucks are successful in the USA because of a law that wanted to achieve exactly the opposite. The law was intended to force car manufacturers to make their cars more efficient. However, there were exemptions for trucks so as not to harm companies. Instead of the automakers making their cars more efficient, they simply made them bigger to pass as trucks.
The EU did something similar with the CO2 regulations, it scales with car weight. A 2 ton SUV is easier to keep within specification than a 1100 kg hatchback. So the manufacturers all added multiple heavy SUVs to their offered models, to increase the allowed average fleet CO2 emissions.
@@Psi-StormSomething like this happens, when things are put into relation instead of setting strict limits. Sure, strict limits would create some anger among those who want to drive bigger cars instead of just doing it because it is so cheap, but when there are strict limits, then it would have been more succesful and you can always create excemptions for those who can provide evidence of necessity, like maybe farmers or whomever would need a pickup over a more sensibly sized car.
@@Psi-StormThats not what happened in The Netherlands. A pickup truck, like the Dodge RAM 1500 can almost only be bought as a company car (grey license plate) and on LPG instead of petrol. If not, it would cost about €350,000 which includes the environmental sales tax of €250,000 because it is based on the combination of weight and exhaust fumes particles. Monthly provincial car tax will also skyrocket because it is based on the weight of the car. And the amount of fuel you need is immense, and fuel is very expensive, as stated in earlier comments, it’s about €8-9 a gallon here. When you pick up your truck at the dealer, you’ll be bankrupt before you reach a gas station.
America moment
Way worse is that my small Volkswagen Beetle Turbo costs way more insurance than a Ford F-150 would cost me. Even the insurance industry favors trucks to small fast cars.
You can think of the VW Polo as the "little brother" of the Golf. And is it a "fast car"? Well... that would depend on your view of what is "fast".
I own a Polo, with the smallest engine variant. It still can get to 180 km/h, with a bit of pushing, and has no problems cruising at 150 to 160 km/h.
That's not in the regions of the upper class limousines that regularely can go 220. Or even close to the 300 km/h sports cars.
But even my little bugger would break most American speed limits. Does that count as "fast"?
"Škoda" is an orignal Czech car and engine manufacturer. Today, it is part of the VW group.
"Opel" is another original german brand. Today, it is part of the "Stellaris" group, and had as that previously been part of GM, I think. As part of being an international group, their cars aren't sold under that brand name in the USA, but under the "Buick" label.
I'm driving a Polo GTi. 250km/h... fast enough?
Loved my 2010 Polo 1.6 TDI 105hp. It was pretty fast and nimble for a diesel, and could sip fuel if driven economical.
@@Dirk-Ulowetz The GTI has a top speed of around 235 from the factory AFAIK.
Fun story from the Autobahn a couple years back: We were cruising in the right lane, and an old VW Polo II (similar to this it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Polo_II#/media/File:VW_Polo_II_Coupe_rear_20090418.jpg) was overtaking in front of us on the left lane, not overly fast, and not looking like much. Along comes one of these bigger, shinier cars, could have been an Audi or a BMW, from behind, flashing its headlights at the Polo to get out of the way. That's when a mechanical sign popped up in the Polo's rear view mirror reading something to the effect of "You are now left standing by 160hp", and off went the little car, leaving the other one looking silly.
Pickup trucks in the US do not have to meet the same high quality standards as regular cars (thanks to lobbying by manual workers that needed them for work). They're also taxed cheaper than regular cars. That's why the US industry pushed the sales of pickup trucks, tried to make them even more attractive for regular folks with smaller pickup areas and more passenger space and pushed patriotic, manly marketing (A strong American drives a pickup truck): Huge profit margins.
Reversing this trend is probably not possible in the short to medium term. Unfortunately, a pickup truck and a regular car are not crash compatible. So even if the incentives would change, people would probably -for their own safety - still opt for buying trucks as long as there are that many trucks on the road... and thus there will never be less trucks.
What's sorta funny is, that one aspect of quality standards that pickup trucks do not have to meet to the same extend as regular cars is passenger safety. Thus, while a truck vs. car crash will end up in favor of the truck, a truck vs. truck crash is worse for the passengers than a car vs. car crash would've been.
Fascinating how your reading of german text improved.
Håłłowe and Hello
The Golf name doesnt have anything to do with the sport where you hit a ball with a long stick and tell a caddy look for it.
The VW naming scheme of that time was (mainly) to name their cars after global winds or ocean currents.
Golf = Gulf stream
Passat = Passat winds
Polo = Polar stream
Jetta (VW Rabbit I believe) = Jet stream
Scirocco = Arabic and Italian for "warm wind"
So why does the shift knob of one of the golf models resemble a golf ball?!
@@klarasee806Taking advantage of the word pun in modern times; similarly Rimac Nevera has fire extinguishers for hill climb use.
@klarasee806 sometimes people with humor work for companies, that sells cares
@@Dennis-Hinz Fact is: VW never stated or confirmed that the Golf was named after the stream, but they created a gear shift knob especially for this car that looks like a golf ball.
Still people think they know better.
Found the Hamster ;-)@@dbclass4075
Yo, most Opel cars are sold under the Chevy branding in the US. I found out randomly when looking for EVs, and the Chevy Bolt is essentially the Opel Ampera. PSA has different branches in every major country, in Australia or the UK they got a different name once again, but the cars are, for all intents and purposes, identical
arent they under GMC ?
@@noy4tek450 They were under GM until a couple years ago, until PSA bought them (they weren't making profits under GM anyway)
@@DragoCubX and now PSA have merged with FCA to form a company they called Stellantis
The opel pest has already spread so far? Blegh...
Skoda is from the Czech Republic and part of the VW family. Opel used to be GM, now part of Peugeot, and was barred from the US market to prevent in-brand competition.
The VW Tiguan is called "Hausfrauenpanzer" (housewife tank) here in Germany😂❤
BTW, all VW cars are named after mediterranian winds!
Passat = trade winds are definitely winds here in Hawaii...
Golf is a wind? What about Touareg?
@@HolgerJakobs A tribe who used to ship goods through deserts on camel. Men wear veil.
Never hearing of Opel in the USA would be pretty common since i think Opel is called Holden or Vauxhall in the US. Also the newer Buick generations are based on some opel models (Buick Regal from 2018 is based on the Opel Insignia)
6:05 That's why we call such SUVs in Germany "Hausfrauenpanzer"😂 or translated in English "housewife tanks"
You protect your car industry by inflicting high import tariffs on anything that’s good to drive I.e. anything not classified as a tractor (truck) SUV NSW in Oz
trucks in the US are so common, because of US laws. pickups are "work vehicles" (sorry soccer moms), and therefore dont have the same safety regulations as normal cars. therefore they are cheaper to produce and have lager profit margins compaired to a normal, similar prices car. also, they are so massive, not for "safety" (even tho they are LESS save), but because the larger the wheel base, the less fuel efficient they are allowed to be.
less efficient engines are cheaper, and the oil companies obv. love them
so when you see a massive trucks: its wasting fuel and build cheaply
Funfact: Opel used to be part of GM and they sold their cars mostly as Saturn. For example the Saturn Aura in the US was the Opel Vectra and the Saturn Astra was actually the Opel Astra. An exeption was the Opel Omega, which has been sold in the US as the Cadillac Catera.
Now yoj know😄😄
Insignia - Buick Regal ;)
Opel Omega - Cadillac Catera ;)
The exact same cars sold as Opel in Germany are also available under the Vauxhall brand in the UK.
No 9 VW Polo is a smaller version of the Golf.
No 8 Mini is technically a BMW from the UK.
No 6 Skoda is a VW subsidiary in the Czech Republic. Is on VW basic platform and technically VW. IWrocker from Texas is a fan of Scoda and has several videos on his channel.
No. 5 Opel was former General Motors until the US company withdrew from Germany. Is now Stellantis, a merger of Fiat-Chrysler, Citroën, DS, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall. They weren't exported to the USA because it was a US company. In the US, some models would run under Chevrolet, e.g. as Cruze or Impala.
No 1 Golf used to be called “Rabbit” in the US. VW models are all named after wind, air flows. Gulfstream, Scirocco, Passat, Vento, Bora, SantaAna (Santana) .... In the 2000s they stopped doing that and gave them made-up fantasy names.
iWrocker from Texas? Everything I've heard on his channel says he's from Illinois....
@@AHVENAN I don't know, it says New Mexico on Insta, it says Illinois here on UA-cam, but as red as he always is from the sun, I'm guessing it's more of the south. But my English isn't so good that I could hear the dialect. I can distinguish US, British, London and Scottish, then it gets difficult.
And his buddy, with whom he sometimes unpacks packages, also looks like he could ride a bull and not hunt bears with snowshoes. Maybe he's from Illinois and now lives in Texas or New Mexico. But USA I'm sure. Maybe he'll say it again.
@@PropperNaughtyGeezer he has lived in new Mexico for a while but now he's back in Illinois, his instagram bio is not updated
The VW Passat has been a very popular family car since the 70s, we used to call it the "Pampers Bomber" 😊
Polo is the Golf's little brother.
Skoda (Czech) is VW's "reasonably priced" brand, like Seat (Spanish) is the "sporty" and Audi the "fancy" one - rhey all share "platforms" (base, suspension, motors etc.; e.g. VW Golf ~ Skoda Fabia ~ Seat Ibiza ~ Audi A2)
Opel is a very old german brand, never quite made it outside Germany due to sales policies of the several owners since the 70s
Skoda Fabia actually shares the platform with the VW Polo and Audi A1. Octavia is closer to Golf in terms of parts. Skoda always seems to make their versions bigger than the other VAG brands :D
You mean Golf - Scala - Leon - A3. Ibiza and fabia are Polo sized, A2 isn’t build since 15 years and is its own class.
Opel never made it outside of Germany? I live in Finland and I've owned two Omegas myself and seen plenty of Opels both here and in Sweden, they might not be the most popular brand but
Opel is very popular here in Poland too, my dad drives an Insignia and I owned 2 older Corsas myself. Astra and Insignia are also very popular choices alongside Skodas for company fleet cars.
no, the plattform strategy has been introduced by Piech when he had to save VW group which was on the verge of going bankrupt in the 1992 years.
Back then VW workers had to work about 4 days or even less cause there were not enough order to run the plants fully.
Instead of hiring VW made a deal with the unions and developed the model of a breathing assembly line and factory with an account of hours worked, a new balance where the overtime or additionals shifts with higher payments had been cut.
3:40 Skoda (pronounced "Shkoda") is a Czech car manufacturer within the VW group. And by the way skoda is also a czech word for damage!
Skoda‘s emblem actually is the symbol of a headdress of American Natives with an arrow. The founder of this Czech car was a fan of the indigenous folks… 😀
I've always wondered what kind of prehistoric bird the Skoda logo is supposed to represent. But at least the old Dacia sign was a bottle opener, right?
Please don’t disappoint me on that one too! 😏🍺
Leave it to the Czechs to be racists even in today's day and age 😢
@@stefankaiser3354 sorry 🥲the logo you mean was valid 2008-2015; The first version of the badge we all can see today was introduced in 2008. It is a modern interpretation of the classic crest, executed in glossy metallic color with smooth sleek contours. The shield-like emblem featured its bottom part rounded and having a hole, repeating the shape of the badge. Above it, there is a blue “Dacia” inscription in a soft modern sans-serif. The letters have a delicate white outline, which makes them more visible on a gradient surface of the badge.
Well, it looked like a bottle opener at least…. 😂
@@neznamtija8081 why, if you don‘t mind me asking? Seems pretty harmless to me.
@@losmosquitos1108
*Wow!* These designers put a lot of thought and effort into it! 🙆🏼
...just to end up with another bottle opener 🙈
🤭
I bought a used VW Jetta TDI a number of years ago because I had never owned a car! Only pickup trucks and SUV‘s. This is now my commuter vehicle. 52MPG! Which I believe is about 4.6L/100km. It has made me a much better defensive driver as well. It was assembled in Mexico but the engine was made in Germany.🇩🇪
Opel used to be part of GM's European branch, including Vauxhall from Britain. All European brands of GM were sold to PSA (Peugeot+Citroën), which later merged with Fiat Chrysler to form Stellantis.
Well, Skoda is Czech. And was revived as a brand of the VW Group with Volkswagen technology. Opel is an old German brand. In the beginning there were bicycles, sewing machines, a rocket car and motorcycles. Owned by General Motors from 1928 -2017. The Americans never allowed sales to the USA or Asia or China. In England and Australia the cars are known as Vauxhall. Today Opel is a brand in the French PSA group. After the sale, Opel no longer uses its own technology. But French technology from its modular system.
Considering Germany has rougly a bit less than 1/3 of the US' Population on an Area smaller than texas, bigger cars makes less sense because in some regions our cities have fused into what is now basically one continous city that stretches for almost 100 miles (See Ruhrgebiet for example) so big cars dont really fit anywhere. We already have a lot of parking issues with larger SUV'S so seeing american pickup trucks is rare and happens more often in the countryside and even then the trucks that are the most common are the Volkswagen Amarok and the Mercedes-Benz X-Class. Both of which have to be (and dont quote me here im only 75% sure) imported from the USA because they are not normally sold in Germany
edit: the ruhrgebiet example is a bit weird because except for berlin and hamburg that situation basically doesnt exist anyhwere else in germany i think
2023 Jan-Nov:
1. VW Golf
2. VW T-Roc
3. VW Tiguan
4. Opel Corsa
5. VW Passat
6. Tesla Y
7. Fiat 500
8. Mercedes C-Class
9. Mini
10. Skoda Octavia
11. Mercedes GLK + CLK
12. Audi A4
13. VW ID4, ID5
14. BMW X1
15. BMW 3
*according to statista website
The first car my husband and I bought with our saved money was an Opel Corsa Combi in 1991 for German marks. The car was pratical and you could easily fit the stroller in the trunk. We were happy with it. When I was driving on the motorway recently I had a Mini Cooper in front of me with the British flag visible in the lights at the back , which I thought was great.🙂💜
1991 Opel Corsa Combi? Which parallel world do you come from? 🤨
I don`t come from a parallel world our Opel Corsa wasn`t as long as a station wagon, but it had more storage space in the trunk.😏@@persona_non_grata92
@@persona_non_grata92 check out wikipedia before you talk about parallel world and there you find the word KOMBI LIMOUSINEN with 2 and 4 doors.
Maybe you have a different definition in mind than she and also there had been Kadett A combi too cause such one crashed into my 500E - and before you start typing the 500E is from a different world then you have no clue about Mercedes cause that was the name of the big V8 developed and built by Porsche in the late 80s and released in 1990 or so with a tiny production volume and huge demand which caused a long waiting list. I got one due to order on day 1 and had fun till it had been hit in the back and sold it as it was for a higher price I had paid as new.
@@typxxilps UA-cam swallowed half of my comment. 😅
The facelifted version of the Corsa A was sold from 1990 as a 3-door hatchback, 5-door hatchback and as a 4-door sedan. The Sedan only outside Germany. The Corsa B was sold - I mean in 1995?! - in Italy a station wagon version. But only a handful of them. The German term “Kombilimosine” means nothing other than “Schrägheck” or as it’s called in the English-speaking world - hatchback. In English, a “Kombi” or “Kombinationsktaftwagen” is a station wagon and, in contrast to the fright hatchback, usually has a much larger trunk. 🤓
@@persona_non_grata92 Einen richtigen Corsa B Kombi gabs soweit ich weiß nur in Südamerika. Wurde als Chevrolet Corsa wagon verkauft.
Mini is owned by BMW , that explains why it's popular in Germany.
5:49 Indeed in Germany the Tiguan is driven by a lot of women - as well as the Polo, Golf, T-Roc, the Mini and the Opel Corsa. The Audi A6, Skoda Octavia and BMW 3-series are more "Men's cars" (if you can say this in a such sexistic way).
A well-known saying here in Austria is: “It’s better to play golf than drive golf.” 🤣
Greets to beautiful Austria from Berlin. This is for sure austrian humor - or it would be a display of envy, Germany as the annoying but far bigger neighbor...
The well-known local competion, just unbalanced. I don't admire German cars but I welcome the new Nightjet sleeper trains from the ÖBB ...
I have no doubt that austrian food or Mehlspeisen is way better than what you can expect from Traditional german food, but today you will find quite a few austrian restaurants and cuisine from different cultures here in Berlin and elsewhere,
anyways have a good 2024 🇦🇹
@1:22 It is a sub-compact. Those numbers are skewed by company's leasing fleets anyway. New cars are not top priority amongst the Germans as far as I can tell.
@1:51 Size and number of engine options.
@4:03 It is a budget brand of Volkswagen-Audi Corp.
@8:05 8 generations and the sales are still strong. It ticks all boxes for most people here, way above average in space, performance, safety, comfort and footprint. The jack of all traits.
The citys in germany, as in most european countrys, are natural grown.
So the streets are often small and it is hard to find a parking slot.
The bigger the car, the more problems you have.
And that is why those SUVs often use up two parking spots 👎
@@m.m.4645 I always hate it if a SUV parks next to my car, here in the Netherlands de parking spots are quite tight usually. They are not made for American sized SUV's or pickup trucks. Cars over here have gotten wider also but the size of the parking spot didn't grow along with the size of the cars.. So most modern cars only have like 10 inch (25cm) at best on both sides to spare. That is a normal sized car, if there's a huge SUV or a Dodge RAM ( there are quite some in Holland surprisingly). No way you can open your driver's door.. You got to go in from the other side and hopefully there's not SUV on that side too.
As somebody mentioned in the comments until recently Opel did belong to GM and was sold to French PSA, which is now part of the global Stellantis Group. But you should know that some European models of Opel were sold in the US with the Buick badge (or still are). What is funny is that Opel was never considered a premium brand here in Europe, wheres Buick as far as I know is considered to be somewhat premium in the US. It this the case? Check Opel Insignia against Buick Regal for instance
When I saw this video for the first time I didn’t realize how good you pronounce the names of the car models. I gotta say that I’m kinda proud of you, being the only American able to pronounce the car models almost always perfect. Good job🎉
In case you dind't know. The brand "Opel" does exist in th USA.
Opel can buyed in Europe exept in the UK.
There and in the US Opel has a contract with "Vauxhall" and "General Motors".
SUVs actually aren't nearly as safe as they seem! They _appear_ safe due to the damage they cause in crashes, but many of them are actually horrible at protecting their drivers from the force of impact in favor of _the car itself_ remaining as intact as possible.
The reason for them and pickups being as popular as they are, however, is car manufacturers exploiting US tax loopholes and shaping their offerings and marketing to match. NotJustBikes may have unfortunately come out as _unreasonably_ anti-American, but he did make a good video on this particular topic. (Title: These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us)
Opel was a German company that was purchased by General Motors in the 1920s. You might know the Opel Corsa as the Chevrolet Corsa. At least there was one in South America. No idea if there was a market for this little one in the USA. Many Opel models were released in the USA under American brands. This is exactly how it was done in the UK. There Opels ran under the Vauxhall brand. When GMC was struggling financially and wanted to divest itself of some car brands, they sold the Opel brand to the French car manufacturer PSA Peugeot Citroen.
Hi, congrats for one (Pseudo-)American car in the top ten with Opel Corsa (Opel nowadays belongs to Stellantis)!😃 If you fancy VW you've got the choice between Volkswagen (VW), AUDI, Ducati, Bentley, Bugatti, Porsche, SEAT (with CUPRA),Lamborghini, SKODA, Scania and MAN. If you are more into Daimler AG your choice is between Maybach, Mercedes and Smart. BMW have BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce in their portfolio. Brands belonging to Toyota are Toyota, Daihatsu and Lexus. Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover are belonging to Indian Company Tata Motors... and Volvo for example belongs to Chinese Company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group... 🙃
You should look for the same types of video for other countries, you will see even more cars. The variety of European car markets remains quite high.
Pick ups are not common outside english speaking countries. They are just to big and to inconvenient.
Come and visit German farmers then. They often drive pick up trucks as well.
Pickups are very popular in the USA because you can drive LIGHT TRUCKS with your normal drivers license and because of their weight they dont have very strong emission laws. You couldnt drive cars in europe above 3500kg max weight with you standard class B licence. Also fuel is quite expensive. The Polo with a diesel just needs around 3,5L/100km or 67mpg. Sadly you can only buy the petrol one now.
3,5l/km wäre aber reichlich viel 😆
This is not the main reason. Holder of an older driving-license still are allowed to drive up to 7,5t - and getting the additional license is not that big of a deal, when you need it.
Still the US pick-ups are not practical here. In the village I live one guy owns a F150 - it is bigger, than a normal Sprinter... he is not able to take the direct route through the village-center, as the corners are too tight - so he takes the longer route also buses have to take.
The car is so big - it does not fit into the parking-spot at Aldi (which has the most spacious here - outsite the village)... he always has to park in "his special corner", where he's not in the way.
If you want a versatile vehicle here in Germany (most Europe) you go for a wagon like the Passat, Octavia or A6 (men, long distance drivers) or an SUV (more women or if you need to pull trailers). With our rainy / snowy seasons this also much better protects your cargo. Pickups really are for work-usage, when you need to transport dirty-cargo to a construction-site e.g. ... or to impress cheap chicks in front of a club, when you need to compensate your personal shortcomings 😉
@@ThorDyrdenEven for the last bit, the van can carry more of them, or the equipment to further impress them (luxury seats, fridge, etc.).
above 3,5 you are limited to 100kph@@ThorDyrden
@@K0nst4nt1n96 no - there is no such rule I'm aware of. There is a 100km/h limit for trailers - but e.g. a transporter with 5t I would be allowed to drive faster than 100km/h.
4:20 That model (sold under a different name) is actually the most popular car in the UK iirc.
Like said before, Opel used to belong to GM for a long time. Probably that's why they didn't export to the US. The main plant near Frankfurt also didn't get bombed during WW2 by Americans for that reason. Funnily in the UK they have the exact same models, but the brand is called Vauxhall there.
Here in Germany, in addition to small cars, mid-range cars, etc., we also have the so-called Golf class. Every car manufacturer tries to offer VW competition in this class. At Opel, for example, this is the Opel Astra (formerly Opel Kadett). But Peugeot and all the others are also trying to win here. Rarely with success.
Roads are more narrow here and parking lots aswell. So even if you live in a smaller city, where finding a parking spot isn't a problem, a huge car will still be unpractical. And if you need to drive into a big city, it will become a nightmare.
Also I feel like Germans value practicality a lot. That's why most of the top selling cars are either small cars for three city or family cars with huge trunk spaces. And since germans also love fast cars, those family cars often have motors, that can keep up with sports cars.
It's especially nice to have a small car if you have a narrow garage to park in.
Yeah, my parents have a jeep, and while they live in a Black Forest village (where a jeep is the safer and more reliable decision, especially in winters), they visit me in Freiburg quite often. They somehow never had these problems to fit into a parking lot or navigate 90° angles in narrow medieval streets - but everytime i was in that car i got a mini heart attack on how close those house corners or other cars seemed to be. My father is a truck driver though, and often in italy and france with his truck - THAT is a whole other level, so i guess german cities are childs play for him in a jeep.
There is not that much space in germany....in the cities u are happy to get a parking place and u will never find any with a pickup. Pickups are very uncommon here. And for what reason u need one? Not everyone here is a lumberjack 😅
It is stupid enough that SUVs (SuperUselessVehicles) are more and more hyped here.
😅I need to say, many thing’s about SUV’s was wrong, pls watch the video from “not just bikes“ about the “suv/pickup“ trend in the USA.
Some Models of Opel where sold in the US under other Brands. Opel was a GM Division for a long Time. For Example: Pontiac LeMans 89-93; Pontiac T1000, Buick Regal, Chevrolet Chevette
That is the sad thing - SUVs are not at all necessarily saver for the driver, but yes, if they are part of an accident, they cause way more harm to everyone else!
If Germany was not that depending on the car industry, SUVs would be exactly the thing that would be banned in Germany in contrast to the US.
Mini is a subsidiary of BMW (they bought the MG Rover group in 1994 from BLMC, sold it out in 2000 because it produced only losses, but kept the Mini brand and presented in 2001 the "new MINI", a retro-styled modern and sportive car). Brexit caused BMW to consider the relocation of MINI production to Germany (or China in case of the electric model), but after substantial concessions (and subsidies) by the UK government they decided to produce the new electric model again in Oxford. MINI cars are sold by authorized BMW dealers.
Skoda is a Czech brand and a subsidiary of Volkswagen (VW).
Opel was the biggest car and truck brand in Germany in the 1920s, but was bought by GM during the Great Depression. In 2017 it was sold to the French PSA (Citroën, Peugeot) which merged in 2021 with FCA (Fiat & Chrysler), now called Stellantis, headquartered in Amsterdam. Opel started in 1862 as manufacturer of sewing machines; since the sons of the founder Adam Opel were racing cyclist, Opel started in 1886 also producing bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895, and in 1898 his widow Sophie began to produce cars and since 1901 also motorcycles.
Midsize SUVs are also popular with German women. The slender the woman, the fatter the car... 🙃
I just want to note that those cars shown as "Skoda Octavia" were a Skoda (Edit:) Vision RS concept car and a Skoda Superb, it even says on the advertisement plate and on the back. Whoever made that video was not from Germany, because otherwise they would have known the brand, they are everywhere here
As the price of premium gasoline is around €2.10 per liter ( ~ $8.xx/gallon) in Europe it is a no-brainer to not drive a gas guzzling automobile
In the 60s and 70s Opel was the biggest VW competitor. My grandfather was and my father is Opel fans and my first car was from Opel: a black Opel Tigra 😍
Nothing better than a Tigra, except for a Calibra, and with that name that car should be no 1 selling in the USA.
@@groundloss Calibra was too expensive for me
I used to work at an Opel factory for 12 years before quitting in that shithole, the only thing i took from that is a deep rooted hatred for opel.
@@33482 "Someone hates his job". Tell me a new story 😁
@@rob4222 i liked the job i did, i just hated the company.
In the US there are 8 parking spaces for every car. You don't have to parallel park
-The Mini is a BMW 1 Series underneath
-Skoda is a VW brand, the Octavia is based on the Golf
-Opel was once sold in the USA as Saturn and Buick.
For example the Buick Regal, funny Regal is in German shelf
The advantage of small cars like Mini, VW Polo/T-Roc/Golf is that you usually find more parking slots in the cities and in big parking areas the slots are often not as big as in the us so a pick-up like a big ford or chevrolet won't fit in one slot.
Before skoda was brought by vw. They where pretty rubbish Tbf.
old skoda joke pre vw ownership,, "how do you keep your hands warm during winter? push a skoda".
But vw took over and changed all that. The 1st gen skoda Octavia vrs was their first "hot" 4 door.
It become so popular that it became the number 1 car to be stolen, mainly because of its engine.
It came with 218HP(dosnet sound like a lot but back then it was pretty decent) as standard but with more boost and an ecu remap it easily made 300HP.
Making it a highly desirable engine swap candidate.
nowa days, youd be mad not to take a look at a skoda when concidering buy a new car.
You should really really check out most sold cars in Norway. I guess that will really shock Americans😊
All electric, right?
Is this an attempt of "look at us, we're better than you for driving all electric"?
Easy to say when you are rich from exporting oil and get most of your electricity almost for free from hydro electric power plants...
@@highks496 First, it’s not all electric and I thought it would be some kind of culture shock that could trigger interesting reactions. Isn’t it reactions this channel is about?
Second, electricity is not at all cheap, but we do temporarily get subsidies if the price goes over a certain threshold.
Sorry if I hurt your feelings 🙃
Edit: I’m not in a slightest way rich.
Well, the name VW Golf may not sound fast, but their sports variants with a range of 245 - 333HP definitely are fast and give you a feeling of sport. My old VW Golf V GTI ABT has 240HP an I love it. 😍
Polo is one smaller than the golf.
Skoda was a Czech conglomerate and sold their car business to VW years ago, now using the same platforms.
Opel is a German brand that used to belong to General Motors for a long time but was sold more recently and is now part of Stellantis (with Chrysler, Peugeot, Citroen, Fiat etc). Vauxhall is Opel's mirror image, the same models with the steering wheel on the other side for the British market.
And Sierra? I remember a Ford Sierra, a popular midsize car that was later replaced by the Mondeo.
Hello, we have many old towns with really narrow roads here in Germany. Most american Pickup trucks would not fit on those tiny roads. I think that is the reason for the different range of cars you will see on the roads
Opel user here, my wife has a 2006 Corsa C with almost 200k miles, and I have a 2004 Astra G with 395k miles, both problem free, reliable and simple yet comfortable cars
Wait a second... Quite accurate!
My dad had a Golf, then a Tiguan (now switched to Japanese)
But my Brother has a VW Polo, and a BMW 3series, my sister doesn have an Audi A6 but A3..!
Its interesting how most people think SUVs and big trucks are safe - but a lot of ppl dont even know how to handle these big cars well.
(but for example women in suvs, mid-sized suvs or crossovers is quite common in germany too)
I do recommend this vid about the safety of SUVs n stuff
& i would love to see your reaction on this:
ua-cam.com/video/jN7mSXMruEo/v-deo.htmlsi=gm3vhNVvAz-jeRyQ
Skoda was originally Czech, but has since been bought by Volkswagen, if memory serves. Opel cars are sold as "Vauxhall" in the UK, and as someone already mentioned, the brand is basically GM; they just sell mostly smaller cars here. Corsa is on par with a VW Polo, which is basically a smaller version of the Golf.
The Passat came out at around the same time as the Golf; it's the family car of the line, and most common as the station wagon version for extra loading capacity. Third in the line was the Scirocco, the sporty model. All three cars were named after winds.
The thing you need to factor in is that your average wagon has a lot more usable space than your regular SUV. The unnecessarily large wheels of SUVs tend to eat up an unreasonable amount of interior space. I miss my old Passat wagon. A total rocket , infinitely better handling than SUVs, and sooo versatile.
Edit:
Waitwhut? You never heard of a Tiguan? They are among the most common cars here on the east coast. The Passat was also fairly common here before the Tiguan and Atlas took over.
A sporty wagon is faster and more fun to drive than an SUV with the same motor. All while using less fuel because the wagon is not an effing box on wheels like an SUV.
The height of stupidity in my view is all-electric SUVs. It's like range isn't a problem at all with EVs, so let's make one that's a 5-ton square box...
Btw the opel is in the UK Vauxall.
And the opel mokka is in the US a Bruick and it's a suv not big
I honestly think it changed a whole whole lot since 2021, if you consider how futuristic cars look since this year
Opel belonged to GM for a long time. It was a German company and was the biggest car manufacturer in Germany in 1928 with 44% market share. The company was bought by GM in 1929 and belonged to GM until some recent years. In most parts of the world the cars were sold under the brand Chevrolet , in the uk they were sold under the brand Vauxhall. Saw a lot of them in Brazil with Chevrolet logo a few years ago
Opel is a very old company, going back over 160 years, before cars even existed. Initially, they manufactured sewing machines, later bicycles, before entering into the car market just before 1900. For some time, Opel was considered a premium brand, on par with the likes of Mercedes, but ultimately couldn't compete with them any longer and was bled dry by GM.
You forgot that Opel was the worlds largest bicycle-producer in the 1920s AND that the had also produced motorcycles including the stunning Opel Motoclub 500 from 1928 that is one of the beautiful motorcycles of its era
Cars are shipped all the time via ship.
Come visit the harbors in Europe.
Netherlands/Belgium/Germany have daily shipments.
It is great to watch How the local navigators board the big vessels to navigate them to port.
But small cares are deemed unworthy of even trying to sell them in the us.
Some models make it but car mentality is a difficult topic. Like religion.
Ryan, the Skoda Octavia is - more or less - a re-badged VW Golf built in Czech Republic. Though several parts (especially sheet metal) are different, most parts are out of the VW parts shelves. In Germany nearly 95 +% of Octavias are station wagons. BTW Skoda is the import brand with most units sold here (for several years, Octavias being the most numerous model).
Opel is the German Ex- GM brand, now Stelantis (Fiat, Peugeot, Chrysler, Dodge).
Not golf. VW Passat.
@@maksf1968 No. Skoda Superb is like the Passat.
@@darkredvan sorry, you are completely right.. i forgot the superb 😄
Ryan, The VW-GOLF is a standard sized car in Germany. The PASSAT is the up-scale VW-GOLF, with a few more bells and whistles. It was sold in the USA.
GM owned OPEL for years and steadily lost money until it was finally sold, and is now owned by Peugeot (STELLANTIS), and are earning money. OPELs were sold by GM in the USA as baby Cadillacs, but not very successfully. GM also owns VAUXHALL in the UK.
VW also owns SKODA, SEAT, BENTLEY, BUGATTI, LAMBORGHINI, AUDI, DUCATI, PORSCHE and the Porsche and Piech families own a large share of VW.
The big reason us cars are bigger than german or EU cars is because the US just so big and the distances to travel are so much bigger ! In germany at least , if you can t load enough in your car its no biggie because everything is nearby most of the time ! But in the US thats often not an option ! Also since everything is so old in the EU the citys were build around horse carrige lanes and small walkway which only evolved into modern houses and stuff wihout gaining additional space ! So there simply isn t enough space for big cars!
The VW Polo is like the "little brother" of the Golf! In every manner size, looks, power and price!
After cryptic numbers as names (like K70 or 412 or 'type 3 1600') VW changed the model names to winds in the 1970s, for example Passat and Scirocco. But they also picked "sporty" names like Golf, Polo and Derby for the smaller cars. Way better then K70. :D International markets: Golf == Rabbit in the US, Derby == Ameo in India, Passat (notchback) == Santana in China. :)
1:50 the Polo is smaller than a Golf
3:57 Škoda is a Czech car manufacturer
4:12 Opel is the second oldest German car Brandt and even older than the oldest if you also count the time when they’re didn’t produced cars
Polo is the small sibling of a Golf.
In the US Volkswagen sold it as Fox years ago if I'm not mistaken.
Mini belongs to BMW it's a left over from taking over Rover 20 years ago.
Skoda belongs to VW it's their very popular Czech branch.
For over 100 years the Czech Republic is well know for quality production of vehicles, cars, tanks and arms.
Opel was owned by General Motors since the 30s. However American management never understood the German and European markets. After lots of "misunderstanding" Opel became part of Stellantis a few years ago.
Station wagons represent the ultimate harmonic beauty in car design
Some cars like the Opel Corsa you will never see in America. Germans tend to have smaller cars since our cities are overall way smaller and way more narrow, so because of this, our cars are also way smaller. Also the fact that the Opel Corsa for eg. are relatively cheap cars here, you might get way bigger cars in the low end segment, where people tend to look for the biggest bang for the buck. Opel was owned by GM until 2021 I think, so some models simply got rebranded. The Chevy Volt is the Opel Ampera, the Opel GT is the Saturn Sky. Overall we don't transport heavy duty items over long distances how its more common in the US. Our infrastructure is totally different thats why here is basically no demand for pick ups. However, the trend with the Mid size SUVs and even Full Size SUVs is on the rise here in Germany too.
But people buy a lot of wagons in Germany, VW Passat, Skoda Octavia, and so on, because they want to be able to put stuff in their cars from time to time. And I don't think most Americans haul heavy duty items over long distances all of the time either.
@@highks496 Yeah but a wagon is the choice for families like SUVs. The younger group buys small cars. In the US there was never a demand for these small cars. Some came into existence in the 70s because of the oil crisis, the Landyachts died out but it was only for a few years before the pickup and SUVs dominated the US domestic market. Even though not every American hauls, the possibility of being able seems to play a big role. It is similar to the question low range EVs had problems taking off. The average person may only drive 40km a day but wouldnt buy a car that only goes 300km because of the rare occasions where you need it
Funny thing is that they are saying No.6 is Škoda Octavia and in 1st picture is Škoda Fabia and in 2nd picture it is Škoda Superb...
The German Volkswagen Group has loads of vehicle producing companies under one umbrella company, the likes of Audi, Porsche, VW, Bentley, Skoda, Seat, Cupra, Lamborghini, Ducati and Bugatti, but then the Truck builders like MAN & Scania stand under that umbrella too. There are a good few more companies in the group too. Along with the VW group the BMW group owns a fair slice of the European market with Marques like BMW cars, BMW Motorcycles, Rolls Royce cars (the jet engine RR is stilll in British hands) and of course the most German of brand, Mini.
The European cars would be way to expensive against the American brands, the level of fit and finish and the safety standards are higher on European vehicles. The huge American pickups would be useless on British roads, on the motorways, main A roads they’d be ok but most of the country roads where the people who would use a pickup live, the pickup would be useless as most country roads are 1 to 1.5 car widths. The passing on the road would be a nightmare.
VW Polo is the smaller brother of the Golf but there is still a GTI.
Mini is just the smallest BMW you can get.
The T-Roc is the SUV version of the Polo chassis.
Opel was formerly part of GM but was sold to Peugeot.
Look for Corsa OPC. These tiny pocket rockets are very quick. Mine has 252bhp at 2755pund weight. 13 inch Brembo brake in the front and a limited slip diff from the factory.
@ Ryan Opel is in USA sold as Buick
Opel Insignia gets shipped to america and gets sold as Buick Regal,
Check out the Opel and Buick models of 2020!
1:37 @Ryan Wass The volkswagen polo is just a smaller version of the golf
I think the reason, that everyone in america drives trucks has something to do with taxes if I remember correctly. Because pickups are classified as light trucks or something along those lines, which saves the manufacturer some taxes or fees. After the car brands realized this, the marketing aparatus kicked in and suddenly everone drove pickups.
The fun thing is pick-up trucks aren't even much more safe than "normal" cars. The crumple zones are often really bad and that's not even mentioning, that the front of those trucks are often so tall, that children can stand in front of them without being visible at all. Another problmatic thing with trucks is, that they tend to make driving a smaller car way more dangerous, because ofc the truck wheighs like double the car. So in the case of an accident it's more than likely not gonna end well for the people in the smaller car.
The Polo is a Golf but one car size smaller.
Skoda is a Czech manufacturer that was bought up by VW at some point. So their cars have the same base and base parts as VW cars. (VW owns directly or indirectly: Skoda, Seat, Audi, Lamborghini, Bugatti, MAN, Scania, Navistar, Ducati and Porsche(partially))
Opel is one of the oldest companies in germany that makes cars and was bought and owned by GM for many decades, sharing parts and designs with Buick, Holden, Chevrolet and some others, bringing US design ideas to Europe besides Ford. Was sold to the mother company behind Peugeot/Fiat a few years ago, after GM tried to literally choke it to death. The Corsa is one of the most common cheap small cars you will find on our streets, no matter what model generation.
Did he just say a Golf is quick? 🤣 Aaaah I love these Americans and their sense of speed 🤣🤣
The Polo is the little brother of the Golf, as both are growing it's already bigger than the original Golf.
Mini is currently a BMW-brand.
Skoda Octavia is a cheaper version of the Passat, usually based on its previous model. Skoda and Seat are brands of Volkswagen.
For real transport we have transporters with 3 or 5 seat cabins and an open loading area.
We don't have environmental exceptions for transporters so no need/incentive to build pickups to avoid environmental rules.
mini is owned by BMW and builed in germany xD so its not really british anymore xD
They are built in Oxford, England. Born, Netherlands. Zhangjiagang, China. Non of which are Germany.
sry i was talking about the new models. the Mini Countryman which is build in leipzig germany.
it was a huge news that starting 2023 minis start being made in germany @@marflitts
Hey Ryan, all these cars are available in Australia including the Opel which was sold here as a Holden Astra.
we dont use pickup trucks in germany because by law you have to secure EVERY item in the back with a belt. you can put small items into a box and secure that box.
Several VW models take their names from winds, a pattern that's more of a historical accident than a planned strategy, and many think that trend continued with Golf. But “Golf” isn't a type of wind - it's the German word for the Gulf Stream ocean current.
The VW naming is not from sports, they used to name their models after winds.
The Passat and golf are from that area (gulf stream is Golf-Strom in German, and Passat winds are in the earth pole regions I think)
OPEL was one of the biggest and oldest auto brands in Germany&Europe
some OPELs were exported to the US under the label of chevrolet and others
Can someone explain why pickup trucks are so popular in the USA? I understand the appeal of large vehicles, such as the Tahoe or Land Cruiser, since they can accommodate more passengers (ideal for families with children), transport items like bicycles, generally offer greater comfort, and can navigate obstacles like road edges. However, the popularity of pickups puzzles me. They are massive, fuel-inefficient, have poorer handling, and their cabins are neither particularly spacious nor comfortable. Why would someone choose a truck over a large SUV?