So much for the global automobile.(catering for mass markets )

Byline: Keith Crain

DURING A quick trip to Paris last month to participate in the annual Automotive News Europe Congress, I was reminded of an interesting fact during my ride in from the airport.

The majority of vehicles on the streets of Paris, and I'm sure it's true throughout Europe, are cars that you never see in North America or Asia.

We quickly forget that tastes are different around the globe and that the world's manufacturers have varying degrees of success in catering for those different tastes.

I saw Renaults, Peugeots, Fiats, Opels, German Fords and even the ...