German cars anyone know why most are debadged?

[lynall]

Just come back from (Germany) and i reckon at least 90% of BMW and MB were debadged.
Just curious as to the reasons why?



Lynall

 

[hawk20]

Just come back and i reckon at least 90% of BMW and MB were debadged.
Just curious as to the reasons why?



Lynall

Not round here they aren't. Most are badged. The debadged ones tend to have the smaller engines.

 

[lynall]

Trip was right across Germany and back again a lot were obviously diesel but there were plenty that werent.

This included nearly all Audi, Bmw, Mb basically anything smart, except Smart cars

I could see the difference as soon as i got back into the Netherlands then Belgium (lot less mb in Belgium though)

Then back to good old blighty and all the great driving



Lynall

 

[scumbag]

The debadged ones tend to have the smaller engines.

I knew I had got it wrong.


And I think it looks cleaner and neater. I have no need to either shout or hide or indeed lie about the car. After all, it's a Mercedes and the one badge left says it all.

Of course the anoraks will point out the number plate, but hey, they only do that coz they know what it is.

 

[wxmclk]

I suspect (and this is purely IMHO) that the Germans are better at being a little more modest when badging their cars. We Brits on the other hand love shouting and bawling about what we have got. Again I know that opinions vary greatly of course.

 

[Mudster]

I suspect (and this is purely IMHO) that the Germans are better at being a little more modest when badging their cars. We Brits on the other hand love shouting and bawling about what we have got. Again I know that opinions vary greatly of course.

That's exactly right, The Germans debage pretty much anything above a base model as it's considered vulgar to show off.

Unlike the Uk, that badges everything (including base models) as something else to give people the impression they have more money than they do....

It's a culture thing.

 

[Mudster]

I knew I had got it wrong.


And I think it looks cleaner and neater. I have no need to either shout or hide or indeed lie about the car. After all, it's a Mercedes and the one badge left says it all.

Of course the anoraks will point out the number plate, but hey, they only do that coz they know what it is.

Yup, I like the clean uncluttered look of a debage.

 

[grober]

One reason may simply be that debadging facility is offered as no cost factory option. However this must have presumably arisen originally from customer demand in Germany. Other non prestige makes may not offer the option don't know. Does make it interesting trying to work out which model it actually is from other visual clues. Maybe this is a unique German form of "anorakism"---
Ach so Fritz I see you hav ze quad exhausts mit ze nice 19" titanium alloys---I am thinking you have ze 6.2litre under ze bonnet and not ze asthmatic 2.2 litre diesel Ya??

 

[bennesspipers]

Perhaps they are trying to convince you that they have bought the smallest engine possible to prove they are eco friendly

 

[grober]

Perhaps they are trying to convince you that they have bought the smallest engine possible to prove they are eco friendly

Give that man a banana!:bannana:

 

[BTB 500]

That's exactly right, The Germans debage pretty much anything above a base model as it's considered vulgar to show off.

Unlike the Uk, that badges everything (including base models) as something else to give people the impression they have more money than they do....

It's a culture thing.

I'm sure there's no single answer that applies to the whole of Germany.

But ... my wife (who is from the South) says pretty much the opposite. For various reasons the smaller engined versions of mid-size cars (3 series BMW, Audi A4, C Class) are much more common than they are over here, and people want to hide what they've got.

Her father has said the same to me.

 

[moonloops]

My CLK 500 bas de-badged from factory. I've just put the badge back on to piss off the eco brigade

 

[Spinal]

My personal take (most of my cars are debadged) is that if it's a small car/base model, I'll debadge it to hide that

If it's a large engined, high-end model, I'll debadge it so that it's not showing off. Also, it makes the car blend it more to would-be-thieves...

Not to mention that it just looks neater... I don't walk around with a "15 1/2 M" printed on the back of my shirts, or print "This house has 4 bedrooms" on the front of the house...

M.

 

[lynall]

Perhaps they are trying to convince you that they have bought the smallest engine possible to prove they are eco friendly

This is what the wife reckons, wind turbines everywhere, A plus plus effeciency fridges and freezers, then drive everywhere at 100mph plus

Did see one cl63 but no other big engines mercs well none that were saying so anyway.

Petrol roughly 1.44 euro per litre



Lynall

 

[bpsorrel]

I debadge my cars purely 'cos I think it looks neater and I don't feel the need to advertise what engine it has. I've done this for years, even on cars like my old S60 which was a T5, but I took it off and just had S60. My Saab just says "Saab" although now it looks like Saab are finished I might put "Volvo" or "VW" on the back!!

 

[Dr.Grillz]

In the US, its popular to "badge up"... where the base model gets its "///AMG" emblem afixed

 

[renault12ts]

My CLK 500 bas de-badged from factory. I've just put the badge back on to piss off the eco brigade

You would not have liked Geneva this week-end:
WTO Geneva Summit Prefaced by Riot - CBS News

 

[bpsorrel]

Think I'd take it off again now...

 

[moonloops]

Think I'd take it off again now...

No way

 

[scumbag]

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