Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/566324
automotive 38 w e s t w o r l d | f a l l 2 0 1 5 istock, (top) mercedes-benz canada inc. Automobile Accessories Who wants what? by Nadine Filion Different strokes for different folks, the saying goes. For Brazilian motorists, it's a state-of-the-art audio system. e Russians go for heated seats; and in India, it's a car's look that wins the prize. No chance of getting lost in Japan On the opposite side of the planet, Japanese motorists swear by their automobile navigation systems as the best car accessor y. T hat doesn't surprise Dorothea Gasztner, spokes- woman for Volkswagen Japan, given the complex road systems of densely populated cities, such as Tokyo, where streets rarely even have names. Gasztner further notes that as many as 70 per cent of the vehicles in Japan are fitted with a navigation system, compared with only 48 per cent or so in Europe and North America. Another sought-after accessory in Japan is the lateral sun visor. But strangely enough, it's mostly used on rainy days – by smokers who roll down the car windows to get some fresh air without getting splashed. Do-it-yourself in South Africa South Africans are enthusiastic consumers of automobile- coupling devices. ey're always hauling something – boats, bikes, trailers, camping equipment, materials for home renovations and other do-it-yourself projects (a proverbial national pastime). According to Shirle Greig, spokeswoman for Mercedes-B enz South Africa, automo- bile coupling accesso- r ies are one of the bestselling features for any carmaker in the country – Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan or Toyota. The sunroof is another popular item in the rainbow nation. "South Africans are long-distance drivers and relish being able to take advantage of the year-round fair weather," says Greig. Russia wants heat Unsurprisingly, motorists in Siberia have fallen in love with cold- climate options such as heated seats and heated windshields. Full- sized spare tires, too, are a big hit, adds Natalia Kostyukovich of Volkswagen Russia, because "the state of our roads is far from ideal, driving distances are enormous and emergency road services aren't widely available." Curiously, the bestselling accessory at Mercedes-Benz Russia is the coat hook – hung behind the headrest. It is closely followed in popularity by the cargo organizer, "so as to keep the storage space neat and tidy," says Andrei Rodionov, Russian spokesman for the luxury carmaker.