Why are some more obscure car brands (e.g. Volvo, Saab) so popular in Cambridge MA?

Submitted by MussleGeeYem t3_zhhdnq in CambridgeMA

In Cambridge, two of the most prevalent car brands are Toyota and Honda, just like the state as a whole and they are some of the most popular brands in the US.

However, in my neighbourhood, 'lesser' brands such as Mazda, Volkswagen (very common in Europe/China, not so much in the states), and Volvo seem to be very popular, with me seeing at least 10-30 from each brand per day in Cambridge during my commute using a bike. Even though Saab stopped making cars and isn't so common in the US, I still see at least 2-5 Saabs per day in Cambridge.

Yet, despite Nissan is one of the top selling brands in the US, I haven't been seeing many Nissans in my neighbourhood in recent months (in fact, I see more Volvos, Mazdas, VWs at parallel parking spaces near my apartment and would typically only see 2-5 Nissans parked at parking spaces within a 5-minute walk from my apartment).

It is not only Nissan that doesn't seem to be so popular in Cambridge given the fact it is the 5th most common in Massachusetts. Even though Ford and Chevrolet are some of the US's best sellers, I have not been seeing many Ford and Chevrolet around my neighbourhood and instead, I see more Subarus and VWs (I would admit, Subaru is quite popular in the Northeastern states).

I have also seen a lot of luxury brands such as BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, and seen more cars from each of those brands than Nissan, even though Nissan is one of the largest in the US (Nissan is the 3rd largest Japanese automaker in the US, larger than both Subaru and Mazda)

I am curious why some 'lesser' car brands end up being so popular in Cambridge whilst some more bigger automotive brands are not so popular in Cambridge?

Here are 12 of the brands I see most often in Cambridge (in November/December 2022 and in no particular order): Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Mazda, VW, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volvo, Jeep, Ford, Hyundai

Here are some bigger automotive brands that I have not seen as often as the 12 above: Nissan, Chevrolet, RAM, Dodge, GMC, Kia (I start to see Kias more and more often by the way)

Another side note is the reasons why trucks are not so popular in the city is because they are considered impractical (ie. hard to park, poor gas mileage, etc) and most trucks I see are from contractors.

Teslas are starting to get very common in Cambridge, and I have seen a handful of Rivians and Polestars and even one Lucid over here.

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Dibujaron t1_izmalr4 wrote

I think some factors you're seeing are that:

  • Cambridge is a relatively wealthy place

  • lots of tight spaces

  • The local population is exceptionally socially progressive

Because Cambridge is wealthy, brands that target people with poorer credit such as Nissan are less common here. Because space is tight, large vehicles like SUVs and trucks are very rare, and those make up a large fraction of Ford, GMC etc's product line. Also the progressive population tends to favor electric cars and quirkier brands like Subaru.

I don't know about Saab, maybe we just have a large international population, some of whom like them?

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and_dont_blink t1_izqimp5 wrote

>The local population is exceptionally socially progressive

...except for property taxes, zoning/housing/building, etc. e.g., I'd rephrase this as they're very progressive-brand-conscious regardless of the realities as everything turns into a bank branch.

Road & Track had a good writeup as to how Subaru became pretty entrenched in the area compared to other brands:

>With initial curiosity-driven demand dried up, and the Consumer Reports review echoing maliciously, U.S. Subaru sales ground to a halt.
>
>In 1971, Subaru of America embarked on an ambitious plan to outrun the bad review. As co-founder Bricklin told Automotive News in a rollicking interview earlier this year, "Somebody called me and said, 'Have you seen Consumer Reports?' I said, 'What's Consumer Reports?' [...] At the time, they had a circulation of half a million. So I thought, so what? Half a million people saw it, out of how many million in the United States?"
>
>So Subaru of America decided to focus on markets where Consumer Reports had less sway—as Automotive News puts it, "small towns where the reputation of the local dealer was more important than awareness of the brand he was selling." The American importer targeted rural regions far away from the big cities. Places like Vermont, Minnesota, Washington state, New Hampshire and western Pennsylvania—where hardworking people on a budget might be willing to try a relatively-unknown brand offering cheap, frugal transportation.

You then had the 1973 oil embargo and subaru's use of 4-wheel drive in a family car kind of sealing the deal.

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MussleGeeYem OP t1_izmbl7p wrote

I have seen several Saab 9-3 around here and there, and several days ago, I have even seen a Saab 9-5 whilst biking around Cambridge.

I am curious how many trucks you see in Cambridge belong to the residents? From what I have seen, nearly all trucks belong to the contractors who work in Cambridge.

Even though Ford does sell a lot of trucks, they do sell passenger cars as well, such as the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Ford Fusion, Ford Taurus, Ford Escape, Ford Edge, Ford Explorer, etc, and virtually all police cars in Cambridge are Ford Explorers.

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smashey t1_izmo8o4 wrote

The Saab used to be really popular. It was kind of like the Tesla of its day. Quirky, luxurious but not ostentatious, good design. It's sort of a classic professorial status symbol. It doesn't denote wealth as much as modesty and intelligence.

Unfortunately they stopped making them, and the latter models were rebadged Subaru at least in one case.

If you want an example of an even earlier example of this kind of vehicle, there's a Morris mini that lives near Dali.

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Dibujaron t1_iznsmrj wrote

Ford is still sort of "all American"; their target market is more conservative than Cambridge. As far as the police, I think I heard that the Explorer interceptor is basically the only new police cruiser sold in America these days.

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MussleGeeYem OP t1_izo9ven wrote

I have also seen some Ford Expedition being used as police cars in Boston by the way, so it is not only Ford Explorers. But you are correct that most police cars are Ford Explorers.

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quietcoffeeshop t1_izmsl7a wrote

I always think (with no proof) that while there’s a lot of wealth in Massachusetts, people here are often careful not to be showy with it, at least compared to some other places. Sort of a New England ethos. That is true in Cambridge which is socially progressive even for MA (though you do now see tech and venture capital bros in supercars in Cambridge…). Anyway, hence the popularity of brands like Volkswagen and Volvo (and Saab back in the day), which have a bit of Euro style and quality, and aren’t cheap, but also aren’t perceived as show-off “I’ve made it” cars like BMW, Audi and Mercedes. They’re also from Northern Europe and good in bad weather.

Among Japanese cars, Mazdas are also often a little nicer (and a little more expensive) than entry level Hondas and Nissans while being non-luxury cars. Basically another option for people who aren’t shopping solely on price, and can pay a little more for a nicer option.

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dmw14c t1_iznq6ab wrote

Cambridge is wealthy, but people try not to show it because it’s very progressive. What is normally coded “high status” in the US (Mercedes, BMW, etc.) isn’t cool here. Instead, older cars with fancy bike racks or bumper stickers from Ivy League schools show status. This is a cultural feature of wealthy progressive enclaves—Boulder, CO is similar.

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regal_W t1_izmq5dr wrote

An easy assumption for the Saabs and Volvos might be that a good chunk of the renting population in some neighborhoods are the children of upper-middle class families, many of whom were given the used 2000-2012 era family cars by their parents. Or, by virtue of being the product of that economic class and they simply sought used vehicles similar to what they are accustomed.

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dny6 t1_izo94y7 wrote

No mention of the omnipresent mini cooper? I would say mini and Subaru are the two most over represented brands in Cambridge relative to the rest of the US

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amateurviking t1_iznevw7 wrote

Consider also that there is a larger than average population of immigrants from Europe in Cambridge working in rech/biotech/academia, and we brought our car preferences with us.

Side note, I'm surprised you didn't mention Subaru, ever other car is a Subaru on our street

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BettyKat7 t1_izo3dac wrote

This. When we first moved to Cambridge, I could not get over allllll the Subarus. Guess what we bought?!

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amateurviking t1_izo40vl wrote

Us too!

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BettyKat7 t1_izokgri wrote

In fairness to my husband, he did an entire spreadsheet comparing a variety of car makes/models - and Volvo was definitely up there (especially for safety) - but for price and safety and ease of maintenance/repairs, Subaru couldn't be beat.

Still, we're now just....another one of those goddamn Cambridge Subaru owners. 🤪

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nymarya_ t1_izou2jh wrote

How on earth have you excluded Tesla? It’s like every other car during commuting hours in cambridge

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19adincher t1_izoe1i9 wrote

Bruh i dont know what your on about, mazda is super popular in the U.S., volvo and VW are much more reliable and comparable in prices to some higher end american cars aswell. Why is this even a post? Your post is not even factual and is just an account of what you have seen.

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19adincher t1_izoe8dn wrote

Also why are you posting this in every Massachusetts subreddit, this is just strange.

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umpflmumpfl t1_izpz4a7 wrote

Did you just call Volkswagen a 'lesser' brand? Compared to what?

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MussleGeeYem OP t1_izq0oxe wrote

Compared to Nissan, Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia (at least here in the states)

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TheDancingRobot t1_izoubqp wrote

People in this area are more apt to have their wealth represented in where they live, not in the vehicle that they drive. Their vehicles are not their identity - the fact that they're located in Cambridge often is. Higher value cars are often a bad investment as well.

Which is often times why you see some souped-up Escalade parked outside a very low rent district - people want others to assume that they're wealthy when they're not - and those who are wealthy often times don't want to attract attention to it - especially if their priorities are more tangible and they don't give a shit about what others think.

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Wrkncacnter112 t1_iznvbzu wrote

Volvo makes famously safe cars, which are often sought after by the highly educated for that reason

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ya_mashinu_ t1_j0e5thi wrote

They’re also luxury without being viewed that way which is great for stealth wealth.

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HaddockBranzini-II t1_izxyrib wrote

My street is almost entirely Audi's, Subarus, and the F150's of every contractor working on every other house.

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BumCubble42069 t1_izmdotg wrote

They cost more and fit in the bike lanes they lobby for

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