There is a lot of bickering that goes on between car enthusiasts about cars of different regions, saying European cars are this, American cars can’t do that, Japanese cars are this, etc. With the advent of the Internet this bickering has only expanded and now people are arguing their views with folks all over the globe. While it is interesting to witness, there is a huge amount of ignorance and a lack of appreciation (on everyone’s part) for how different cars came to be the way they are. I am starting this mini series here to take a look at how the automobile developed in different parts of the world, and hopefully enlighten some of the very opinionated people out there so that they may at least respect cars from all regions and their purposes.      

Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution showed us how species adapt to survive in varying conditions and eventually wind up differentiated as their own species. The same has happened with the automobile. The basic motor carriage has turned out quite differently across the world, and with increased globalization over the last few decades people in different markets now have exposure to all of them. Factors such as geography, topography, culture, and events have all given cars made in different regions their own unique flavors with relative strengths and weaknesses to each other.

In this mini series we will go through some of the factors in each region that have shaped the characteristics of their cars in modern times. Then I will wrap it all up by discussing the future possibilities for automotive evolution. Be on the lookout for articles from this series over the next few weeks.

-Nick