Do smiling cars sell better?
Have you ever noticed that when you look at a car you see a face looking back at you? Well, it turns out that you’re not alone.After looking into it we found some research from the the US National Library of Medicine which suggests that people do in fact have a tendency to see faces in cars in a phenomena called anthropomorphism. It is when our brains give the attribution of human characteristics to non-human-entities like objects i.e. cars.
This got us thinking, do happier looking cars with big gleaming smiles actually sell better? When having a big smile works for making friends, attracting love and even getting an upgrade so why not car sales? So here are the facts, the three best selling cars of 2018 were the Toyota Hilux (51,705), Ford Ranger (42,144) and the Toyota Corolla (35,320).
According to the report, cars with high anthropomorphism tend to have more rounded headlights, have a wider stance and a lower grille. Using some super-secret spy calculations (scribbling circles on car headlights) we started to notice that maybe we were on to something.
1. Toyota Hilux
Look at those big cartoonish eyes and gleaming smile, it is certainly one of the happiest tradies onsite. Could it be said that this bestselling car is so because it’s the happiest?
2. Ford Ranger
Tough on the outside, the Ranger is clearly a big softie on the inside with its cheeky grin. The evidence is pretty compelling here! Just like the Hilux, the Ranger's happy-go-lucky smile is attracting not only tradies but families alike.
3. Toyota Corolla
With its cheeky grin, we think this small hatch is one of the chirpiest (and sassiest) on our roads. On the other side of the fence, this car face phenomena might explain why some grumpier or even angry looking cars aren’t selling as many units.
Other than being a more premium small car, maybe we’d see more MINIs on the road if they didn’t look quite as spooked. I mean, this car is cute but it genuinely looks afraid of the road.
And don’t get us wrong, we love our performance cars but we wouldn’t feel overwhelmingly comfortable seeing this face in our rear view. The Lamborghini Huracan is one mean looking beast of a machine. Well maybe that’s the point? Treat 'em mean, keep them keen.
This same science might also be the reason we name our cars, but that’s an investigation for another day. Although not solid grounds, we reckon that the top three happy chappies have made their way up the sales ladder for a reason. And we think that reason might be because of their big smiles. From happy to angry, and everything in between, our cars all have their own expressions and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Related: How these famous car brands got their name
Related: What you need to know about naming your car
Related: Why I decided to face my fear of driving a manual car
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