My first time overseas, and I barely saw a single American vehicle there my entire visit. The ONLY American made vehicles I saw were Teslas! Otherwise that place is a Mercedes town, with a lot of Audi and VW and various British and even French makes running around. But the US clearly lost that market somewhere along the way.
And it goes without saying that this was the only Parisienne I saw the whole time!
Plenty of American built BMW and Mercedes SUVs all over the UK, and increasingly more RHD Mustangs. Jeeps very popular here too, although they of course have a lot of Fiat content these days. The far eastern built Chevy products were sold as Chevrolets until a couple of years ago (Daewoo built) but that was never going to work because there's a strange stigma amongst many Brits against the Chevrolet brand. If they'd have badged them Saturn it wouldn't have been a problem, as those same buyers wouldn't have known they were Chevys. The same fate befell RHD Cadillacs that we had for over ten years. Chrysler 300s sold well to start with but I think they've gone now too. There are Fusions everywhere, badged as Mondeos, plus Escape (Kuga here) and the Edge, but I know not where they are built.
I've done a fair bit of traveling over the years. I loved France after not knowing what to expect. I don't remember any North American vehicles there, although there are a couple of Team Chevelle members with Chevelles in France. I did see a circa 1930 (real!) Bugatti being driven around like a sports car in Beaune.
In Bali back in 1997 I saw a new Chevy S10 Blazer, except it was badged as Opel Blazer. RHD, 5-speed manual, V6, a decal in the back window about some MFI something or other. I also saw a RHD 62 Impala Sport Sedan with the Pontiac dash. Stock except for paint & rubber band tires on large alloys. I could hear the one lone Harley all over Denpasar. At the time I owned a Corolla GT-S. It was neat to get picked up from the International Airport in Kuta in a 4-door Corolla GT-S. Never seen one before. It was RHD. Even the trucks in Bali are no larger than a North American SUV.
I was in Spain between Gibraltar and Seville when I saw a GMC 4x4 pickup with an American 5th-wheel camper on the back. It sure looked out of place. Bear in mind that The Good, The Bad and The Ugly was filmed in the Sierra Nevada range in Spain.
In Iceland I saw a really nice 1958 Olds Super 88 & a 1975-ish Ford F600 6x6 fire truck, plus a 1941-46 Chevrolet 1.5 ton. Lots of 4x4 including Jeeps.
Italy had many Jeeps, all diesels, plus a number of Dodge Magnum / Chrysler 300 crosses (300 wagon). There is a Team Chevelle regular with a '69 SS in Milan.
I didn't see any N. American vehicles in Kenya or Tanzania, but I understand South Africa had Chevelles & Beaumonts, plus a modified version of the 68-72 Nova.
I saw a 78 El Camino in Tahiti. Chevy & GMC vans in Israel & a late model Mustang Shelby convertible in Palestine. In India I saw numerous old pre-62 style Willys trucks including the forward control, still produced today as Mahindra.
Certainly lots of Pacific Rim Chevrolets all over. Ford Focus & Fusion too. Mustangs have been sold in Europe off and on for decades, though I think they passed on the Mustang II.
Cars that appear too skinny in North America fit right into the medieval streets in Europe.
I wonder what ever happened to all the C48 heater delete Beaumonts sent abroad, or the 67 base Beaumont 6-cylinder convertible with a/c (that was not offered in Canada).
Shelby GT500 convertible in Palestine:
Domestics in Iceland that I saw include 1964 Amphibious truck, 58 Olds, Ford F600 AWD, 40's Chevy truck, Econoline 4x4 & a GMC Top Kick Suburban Excursion-type AWD: I missed a shot of a '55 Chevy in Akureyri.
In India I saw the Mahindra Jeeps all over the place:
__________________
67 Chevelle Malibu Sport Coupe, Oshawa-built 250 PG never disturbed.
In garage, 296 cid inline six & TH350...
Cam, Toronto.
I don't judge a man by how far he's fallen, but by how far back he bounces - Patton
During several visits to the UK in recent years I saw virtually no North American cars on the road. However while driving in Norway I saw a number of 50s to 70's cars on the road as part of a Sunday cruise. In the Scandinavian countries old American iron is in great demand as many of you know. An acquaintance of mine sold a mint 66 Bonneville wagon there a couple of years ago. Based on the publications dedicated to these cars it quite clear that the car culture is very strong. There are cruise nights in many places and burnouts seem to be a big deal. Check out these links for a small sample.
