其他摘要:The United States is a country with a deeply-engrained love affair with the automobile (Jakle and Sculle 2008). Owning an automobile is not only a status symbol, but it is also a mark of individuality. An automobile can come to reflect one‟s identity, painting images such as economic status, social and environmental awareness, rebelliousness, and even national identity (Gilroy 2001, Edensor 2004). However, automobiles are not static, identical expressions of identity as automobiles not only come in different shapes, colors and sizes, but one model of automobile may differ dramatically from one year to the next. Furthermore, owners often individualize their automobiles by adding factory options such as sunroofs, fog lights, tinted windows, spoilers and vinyl graphics.