Looking at cars like the Mini, Beetle, PT Cruiser and Ford Thunderbird, you would think that we were living in the sixties. Well to some extent we are. People are longing for simpler times, when roads were empty and driving was a pleasure not a chore. As a result everything from cars and petrol stations to classic car magazines have focussed on bye-gone eras. But perhaps this particular automotive trend is coming to an end as manufacturers are re-discovering their local roots. Ever since car companies went global and ever since they started using computers rather than pencils to design cars, cars have looked remarkably similar. This wasn’t always the case. Once upon a time a British car could only have been made in Britain and the same was true with cars from the US, Germany, Italy and France. They just looked and smelled whence they came. However, global markets, CAD software and focus groups changed all that. Not anymore. Car companies are re-discovering their roots and the new Mustang, Cadillac CTS and STS could only be made by Uncle Sam. Equally the new Infiniti Kuraza concept car could only have come from Japan. Is this an early sign of the end of global products or just a clever case of ‘glocalisation’?