The steadily disappearing American car

Apr 07, 2018 4 Replies

None of those dwarf UK/EU cars for the Yanks....LOL


The steadily disappearing American car



After a century of ferrying millions of daily commuters and taking countless family road trips, simple passenger cars are disappearing from American life, and they may not come back.



Detroit's Big Three automakers - Chrysler, Ford and General Motors - pioneered the mass production of the car, but in just four years, all three may be known to Americans simply as truck and SUV makers, with only a stray sedan for sale.



The automotive industry in America is making what many observers think is an irrevocable shift toward pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and crossovers. While carmakers are producing sedans and sports cars that are safer, faster and more comfortable than ever, customers continue to flock to taller vehicles with features cars simply cannot offer.



"Since 2009 or 2010 it has been a truck story," said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at LMC Automotive, which tracks the auto industry. The exception was a slight pullback in 2012, when the midsize car segment underwent a major refresh, he said.



The trend shows no sign of abating, despite cries from car enthusiasts that crossovers lack the driving dynamics of sedans and complaints from environmentalists that SUVs and trucks are typically less fuel-efficient than cars.



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The all round visibility is generally s*it in a SUV in comparison to a normal car. It's like looking through those slits in castles we used to fire arrows through. I don't get it.

Sent from my iFurryUnderbelly.

Since you mentioned castles, I think you do, although you may not realise it. I think the attitude is 'when I have an accident, I'm going to make sure /they/ come off worst'. I.e. a big, hard, box.

SUV, mini vans, etc are blinders for people on motorcycles. Gone are the good old days when I could see a mile ahead just looking over the LeSabres, Satellites, Galaxies, etc. And now it seems these new buggies all have running lights. That's one less thing to make a motorcycle stand out from the crowd. I better get a headlight modulator on my latest ride.

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