Although, as she pointed out, this argument doesn't work for car design
And the GPS system (eg. your Navigator), electronic/computer board, and all this things that make you buy a Mercedes instead of a Hyundai, are patented or at least protected by IP.
Again she is comparing the "appearance" of the utilitarian market, not the engineering part of it. (You can patent and reinforce a new material for t-shirts which is unbreakable).
Oh I disagree. I think designs matter a lot more to a large fraction of people than you might think.
I think luxury cars have much in common with fashion, in the sense that people who would buy a Mercedes would never buy a Hyundai even if it had all those identical IP in it. Once you get above midrange (ie Toyota), a car is much more about status symbols and conspicuous consumption than features. Just like fashion.