I normally never shoot cars at night. But this Audi A7 caught my attention; first, because I’m pretty sure it’s the first one I’ve seen in town (we don’t even have an Audi dealer). I did check it out pretty carefully at the Paris Auto show two years ago, and it was one of the more attractive new cars there. And weren’t we just talking about fastbacks and hatchbacks the other day? They’re back…but in Eugene? Still, I wouldn’t have turned on my flash and taken pictures were it not for the “tatoo” on its flanks.
OK; I now that Audi is big in China, and that we have a lot of Chinese students here at the U of O, many of them from very wealthy families. That accounts for a whole raft of supercars near the university, including several Nissan GTRs and at least one Lamborghini Gallardo. But what’s this supposed to mean, exactly?
If you google “Pretty in China” the result is pretty… predictable. Oops; lets try “Search” instead of “Images”. Sure enough; a facebook page for Pretty in China, for what appears to be a Chinese student club.
And yes, the local BMW dealer has discovered this rich vein of new prospects, having sponsored “Asian Night Round 2”. Given the dramatic growth in Chinese students, I’m surprised no one has opened up an Audi shop yet.
The world changes, and quickly too. It’s not just the growth of China’s economy, but that the U of Oregon has become a particularly popular destination for their kids. And that now if you see a very expensive car around downtown, you can almost be sure of who’s driving it. Makes for quite a contrast with all the old Curbside Classics. Maybe I should do a Curbside Exotics of Eugene post?
The A7 is not an uncommon sight here on the streets of Shanghai. In certain parts of town you can see a Bentley and a Ferrari within a few minutes of each other. We’re pretty much the anti-Eugene as they’re are few if any old cars roaming the streets here. I saw a rather old Honda Civic (late 90’s) and got excited.
I believe the GTR’s and Lambo’s probably belong to players on the Duck’s football team. 🙂
More likely an Escalade or Chrysler 300 with Bentley grille and dubs.
Because I teach at the UO I see the cars around campus every day. Mercedes and BMWs seem more popular than Audis, and of course the M and AMG variants are preferred. Muscle cars are very popular with Arab students but the Chinese go for German or for Nissan sports cars. This year I see more and more stickers such as this “Pretty in China” and the “Nismo” and NOS familiar from The Fast and the Furious. Some are in Chinese characters I can’t decipher, and one was an acronym for Student Auto Club of Asia or something like that. A google search turned up nothing. I’ll keep trying, and later this fall I plan to introduce myself and try to learn more about these Asian gearheads. It is a boon to the local dealers, because the US students seem apathetic about cars and more interested in bikes. I’m catching the bug myself. Beyond just looking at cars, I find myself cruising the bike racks at UO looking for classic old frames and for the fixie with the shortest handlebars.