Addicted to speed: why we love high performance cars - The Australian Financial Review
Audi Hamilton Island Race Week might be about some very fast times on the water, but our love of speed certainly isn't confined to just the ocean. Despite living in a country with low speed limits, Australians buy a surprisingly large number of fast cars. Consider this: in most advanced economies, Benz's high-performance sub-brand, AMG, accounts for about 3 to 5 per cent of all Mercedes sales. The AMG cars, which include the hotted-up C63 version of the C-Class sedan and the unique coupe known as the Mercedes-AMG GT, carry a massive price premium to go with their outrageously enhanced performance. Yes, roughly one in eight Australian-delivered Benzes have been extensively and expensively modified by the company's official hot-rod division, now officially known as Mercedes-AMG and headquartered in Affalterbach?, Germany. A decent percentage of those that aren't have still been specified with so-called AMG packs to give a bit more sporty flair. However, 15 per cent of Audis sold in Australia are either modified S or RS models – or the R8 supercar. That puts Australia in the top 10 markets for these cars in absolute terms, despite the relatively tiny size of our market. Sporty culture The local managing director, Andrew Doyle, puts it down to a culture that embraces sportiness. Source: www.afr.com
