I can answer this question! Because: Making only 4 door and 5 door cars is more cost effective on the production line. And: They can con you into paying more for the 'extra' doors. Also: There is more to go wrong so they will sell more spares and the dealers will see more cars for expensive repairs.
Yes I am but, without a choice, the customer is forced to purchase more expensive 4 and 5 door vehicles, unless you want a Fiat 500 or MINI, which I do not. If I cannot buy a 3 door UP where is the choice. For me to import from the UK would cost more than a 5 door E UP. The only performance 3 door is the Toyota Yaris GR and that is €64,000.
Sorry Tristan. The manufacturers make what dealers want. The customer has to buy only what is offered and the more expensive the better. Since when have manufacturers asked customers what they want. A good example is the MkII GTI. In the UK RHD cars were all fitted with sunroofs, and lots of other extras. So they could charge more. If were you an enthusiast, and you wanted a MkII GTI in the UK, you were forced to buy what the UK dealers wanted to sell you. No choice at all! In RHD Ireland, and all LHD countries, you could have a basic GTI (which I own) without the weight adding, and body stiffness reducing, extras.
Just remembered an even worse example of dealers telling the manufacturers what to supply. In 1970 the UK dealers for both VOLVO and SAAB wanted cheaper models because the Swedish Kroner had risen dramatically against the UK Pound. So. UK dealers specified: No underseal - No wax in cavities - Toughened windscreens - Cross ply tyres This to reduce the price even though it lowered the quality. Is that really what the customer wanted? By 1973 my 1967 SAAB 96 TS was still rust free whilst my parents 1970 96 V4 had rusted through at the rear shock towers. Minis supplied to Sweden had to be undersealed and wax filled although the UK ones were not!
Hi Dave - I can't speak for more doors but what I can recall from my years in Ireland was that cars for the Irish market (be they 3/5 doors) came with absolutely bugger all by default. If you wanted extras then you paid and paid dearly for them. Ireland (and I could be wrong on this) when it came to the new vehicles didn't want to fully embrace the EU market economy because if so the vehicles would have been cheaper (because the Irish goverment would not be able to tax the hell out of them) and by association would have become "EU Spec'd". I believe this may have been during the time of that gobshite Charle McCreevy (Mid 80's/early 90's) and they pulled a bait and switch on the lesser spotted Irishmen and women. There may even have been some legal spat between the EU and Ireland about this but of course sadly the Irish goverment won and had their way. As a consequence, Irish cars costed more and came with less equipment as standard because the thought of adding a sunroof, fog lights etc. would have turned an already enraged Irish buyer apoplectic. If you recall the next trick was to start buying cheaper and better spec'd cars in the UK and import them into Ireland but of course the wonderful Revenue caught on to that too and the good old VRT started to make this prohibitively expense as well. In the immortal words of Leo Getz (Joe Pesci) in Lethal Weapon 2/3 - "they f*ck you and they f*ck you and they f*ck you!"
Dave the mkll GTi was one with the least amount of extras on it, when it was new compared to other manufacturers at the time, some sold the only extra on them was the sunroof, no alloy wheels, power steering, central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors, headlight washers which a lot of other manufacturers fitted when new for same age cars, hardly a car with loads of extras as a standard fit
Sales data revealed folks perferred a 4/5 door for B and C class categories of vehicles, so OEs globalised lines to make 4 door sedans or 5 door hatchbacks and saves a fortune for manufactoring costs. It also helps if the small hatchback is owned when folks have children. The extra doors make it convient for mounting child seats. In the past, folks would sell their 3 dr hatch to opt for a 4/5door when babies arrived.
