Car clash

By Elizabeth Kelly
Illustration: Seth

Oh, to be a CEO and have a house on a hill, a closet of bespoke suits and be able to sail along the highways in luxury.

In a dream-shattering collision between perception and reality, a CareerBuilder.com and Cars.com survey debunks the idea that pricey cars and CEOs go together like champagne and caviar.
Of 2,344 adults surveyed online, only 19% buy a luxury vehicle — chances are they’re in the banking or finance sector, the likeliest group to drive elite cars in silver, black, red or green.

The study showed 59% believe the typical corporate head drives a prestige vehicle and that it’s likely a black Mercedes-Benz. In fact, 29% of responding CEOs reported owning cars with an average price tag of less than $25,000 and one in four paid less than $20,000; 24% drive SUVs and a mere 6% own sports cars.

No surprise, says Ashesh Mukherjee, who teaches marketing strategy and consumer behaviour at McGill University. “Self-expression doesn’t necessarily mean expressing who you are right now; it also means expressing who you want to be,” he says. “Do CEOs need to make a statement through their cars or do they have many other ways to make statements? My guess — CEOs have a lot of trappings that come with the office. They don’t need other trappings the way you and I might.”

For Jack Christie, past president of the New Brunswick Institute of Chartered Accountants and CEO of Northumberland Dairy Co-operative, extra head room was the dealmaker. At more than six feet tall, he relies on a 2003 Volkswagen Passat for comfort, and happily counts on his classic 1934 Buick sports coupe for dreamy drives around the river. When it comes to cars, Christie has his own ideas. “I won’t buy a car that begins with an A and ends with an A and I stay away from the fancy brands,” he says. “That’s not how I’d like to be known and I’m not sure how that would help my business either.”