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Bass speakers booming, wheel arches well flared and outsized rear spoilers standing tall and proud - accessorised or “maxed-out” cars are a colourful sight on today’s UK roads.
From Weston-super-Mare to Southend, the South Wales valleys to Aberdeen, go to pretty much any town centre on a weekend evening, and you will see - and, as likely, hear - young men driving around together in their highly modified, brightly painted small hatchbacks.
As if on a Scalextric track loop, many seem to just drive, or as they would say “cruise”, continuously up and down the main drag, from one roundabout to another and then back again in their pride and joy Citroen Saxos, Ford Fiestas, Peugeot 106s or Vauxhall Novas.
Yet far from racing around, almost all drive at a very sensible pace, as after all, many have spent thousands of their hard-earned cash on their much loved cars, and don’t want to squander their no-claims bonus.
So much money is in fact spent on car modifications or accessories in the UK today that the industry is now worth a cool 320m a year, according to the scene’s bible, Max Power magazine.
That 320m includes everything from in-car CD players and speakers, to replacement alloy wheels, car body-kits, expensive paint-jobs, and dare I say it, the old classic - furry dice to hang from your rear view mirror.
Go-faster kits
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the booming car accessories industry has been Halfords, which earlier this year floated on the London Stock Exchange and enjoys an annual turnover in excess of 500m.
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UK CAR ACCESSORIES FIGURES
8 million drivers have air fresheners
4.5 million add stickers to windows or bumpers
2.3 million have personalised number plate
2.1 million have dashboard figures, such as nodding dog or dancing Elvis
Source: Halifax car insurance
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“There is a growing enthusiast segment for products such as alloy wheels, body kits, and performance styling etc, with the primary customer audience being aged between 18 - 34,” says a Halfords spokeswoman.
“The younger, primarily male customers have increasing disposable income, the car park is getting older - ie more older cars in circulation - so there are a greater range of cars available to enhance.”
But with one Welshman recently being reported to have spent more than 16,000 modifying his 3,000 Vauxhall Corsa, why exactly do car modification addicts do it?
Image enhancement
Paul Symons, a 20-year-old student and Ford Fiesta owner, from car modification hotspot Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, says it is all about wanting to portray a certain image.
Welshman Ian Williams spent 16,000 on his 3,000 Corsa
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“There are lots of lads in the town who don’t really earn much, but spend almost all of what they do on their cars.
“I haven’t done anything externally to mine - my car is pretty standard - but I put in a nice CD player and some six by nines [big speakers].
“The scene is really big in Weston, but no one races around, they drive slowly with the music blaring. It is all about image and being seen, like an extension of someone’s clothes.
“It’s mainly lads from 17 to 23, you don’t get many older than that.”
Yet far from older people being immune to a bit of car customisation, it appears that middle aged men are equally susceptible, buying everything from speed camera detection systems, to satellite navigation systems, or chipping their engine management systems to give extra power.
Personal touch
Women by contrast, and that is women of all ages, appear completely immune. And while men exclaim over every possible extra, most females don’t have the slightest interest. That is not to say they do not appreciate expensive cars, just that they don’t give a monkeys about turbochargers, rear spoilers or the power output ratio of the car stereo.
Nigel Wonnacott, spokesman at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, says the car accessories industry allows people to better express themselves through their cars.
“More and more people are certainly choosing to add their own touches to their cars,” he said.
“The thing to remember is that while for many people a car is simply a way to get from A to B, for others it becomes an expression of the kind of person they are or want to be.
“They want to make their cars more individual or extroverted, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with someone wanting to make their car look more sporty. It only goes too far if their driving also becomes extreme.”
Read http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3535668.stm
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