I’ve been reading a lot about some of the new car concepts on the drawing boards or available in Europe (or soon to be available in Europe). A lot of the new concepts are for MUCH smaller vehicles. I wish I still had the article, but a week ago there was a really cool article about a new car out of (IIRC) Norway…a little two seater electric model. One of the things that struck me was a quote that said to the effect that the company has no plans to market to the US…they just don’t think the car will sell here.
This article seems to have a different take…they are apparently planning on marketing this vehicle here in the US and it looks significantly smaller (it’s also gas powered…though it does get 40 miles per gallon).
My question is…which is correct? Is there really no market for very small (but fuel efficient) cars here in the US? Even today? I have to say that the electric car looked WAY cool…I could definitely see myself getting one of those, as long as it could do a 30 mile round trip on a charge I’d be all over it. But…am I alone? And…is this trend changing? Are we almost ready for these kinds of cars (even if as simply commuting vehicles or second vehicles)?
(BTW, did anyone else see the very cool BMW hydrogen powered car ads recently? They claim their car will be ready for full production in 2010…if there is a hydrogen infrastructure to support it).
The market exists for smaller cars, but there are two issues:
Smaller cars have to have substance for people to have confidence in them. The Mini weighs an amazing 2734 with an automatic transmission, but it doesn’t look that big, and that turns people away in spite of its avoirdupois.
People perceive small as cheap, and the perception has to change. Of course, some small cars are cheap, but compacts and subcompacts have to satisfy the driver, who spends much more time in their cars compared to their European counterparts.
There are people like me who prefer smaller cars. My Malibu is much bigger in every respect than I need it to be. I much preferred my Escort before I sold it, and I liked my Cavalier until I totaled it.
I agree Americans in general are in love with big cars, but it doesn’t have to appeal to every American, just enough people to sell units to turn enough of a profit to make selling it here worthwhile.
And yet…look at the sales of the Prius. I don’t know about everywhere, but there is a huge waiting list here for the 2008’s coming out soon. Airman mentioned the Mini…you can’t find a used one for love nor money here and they sell like hot cakes. I was thinking about buying one (one test drive will show you…they are just frickin fun to drive and they get around 40 MPG…what’s not to like??).
As a European who spends far more time in his car than any national average, I never have followed this argument. I’m happy with a small car not because of the time spent in it, but because of what I require it to do. That is, carry me (and rarely anyone else) and a minimal amount of stuff from A to B, and to be enjoyable to drive along the way by having good handling on twisty back roads and enough power on fast motorway drives.
And if the cost of fuel was the deciding factor, why is the Prius something which clearly (some) Americans are pissing themselves about, but gets a big fat meh over here?
Let’s go back to the days of Sesame Street and play a little game.
Compact
Efficient
Small
American
One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong.
I would expect Americans to buy PHEV SUVs before even considering what amounts to a clown car. Not only do they get much better mpg, you don’t have to sacrifice your manhood or the aura of safety to do it.
I think the main thing holding them back is safety. A lot of people usually drive alone, and I think plenty of us would go for a small car that was proportionally cheaper to buy and fuel. The problem is that these cars would still have to share the roads with regular cars, monster SUVs, and trucks. No matter how well a car is constructed, it will be at a disadvantage in an collision with a much heavier vehicle.
They could have some use in inner-city driving where any accidents should be low-speed and relativley safe. The question is how many people would be willing to spend money to buy a car that they won’t be able to take everywhere they want. If someone can only afford one car, they’re probably going to want a car that they can take anywhere.
A lot of suburban commuting, at least where I live, is almost bumper-to-bumper low-speed traffic, so maybe some families would be willing to buy one of these cars as a second car for commuting. On the other hand, even during rush hour a truck can always run a red light and kill somebody. I don’t know how great a risk that is and how many people would take it.
There may be some markets for these, but I don’t think they would catch on in general unless something happened that made the most of the other vehicles on the road much smaller.
The cars you get over there are generally much more satisfying to drive than the ones we get here for the size. Even a cursory glance at automobile magazines will demonstrate that we get the shaft over here, to a large measure because our emissions standards and safety standards are higher here. And yes, we do drive more than people in Europe. We don’t have a developed mass transit system, we don’t have population concentrations (suburbia and rural living is a way of life here), and our country is 3000 miles coast to coast.
With all that time spent in the car, people demand more. The Mini delivers that intangible fun, whih is why it sells well. The Prius delivers the smug factor in addition to evening out gas shocks (yes, it’s cheaper, so don’t bother me with that BS argument). What else is there? Average subcompacts are a dime a dozen. People demand more, and car companies need to provide it.
Diesels aren’t common, the fuel is relatively rare, and most diesels don’t provide the fun factor. The cost of fuel is a big deal, evidenced by the decline of the SUV category over the last few years.
But the Prius looks and acts like a regular car. It has 4 doors, 5 seats, and crumple zones. It also gets 48 MPG in the city, better than the Smart.
If it were all electric, got 80 MPG+, cost $4000, or looked cool, then it would have a chance. If you want a car, get a Prius. If you want a second vehicle for the city, get a moped.
Prius doesn’t look like a regular car. They have styling that makes them stand apart. The “Look at me, Look at me, I’m saving the planet!” factor is part of what makes it a success over the Honda civic hybrid.
Hillary Clinton’s energy plan is to raise CAFE to something like 40mpg by 2030, which is different then saying that cars that get less then that will be “illegal to sell” anymore then the current CAFE standards have made it “illegal to sell” cars that get less then the current 30 mpg standard.
My wife and I used to drive a Geo Metro. Never again. I referred to it as “the space capsule”. We had the manual version and the front passenger had to sit with their knees held together in order for their left knee to not be in the way of the driver shifting. It could not sustain a speed of 65mph when going up long hills on the highway. We’re happy now with a Mazda Protege 5, but even that looks like a clown car next to the pickups and SUVs on the road. Hybrid and other technology that makes cars inherently more fuel-efficient, by all means; but no more eco-miser microcars.
So, a question: how many kids can you fit into one of those little cars? I’m curious as to how we can reconcile the legislation requiring carseats up to age 6 (or 8 in some states) with a teeny little car. Lots and lots of American families drive vans or SUVs for the simple reason that you can no longer get 3 kids under the age of 8 into a smaller car. Many families that once would have driven station wagons or ordinary cars buy huge vehicles for that reason.
Distinctive styling is one thing. Looking like a fancy golf cart is another. You’re gonna turn fewer heads with a Prius covered in titties and swastikas than a smart car on American roads. “Look at me, I’m saving the planet!” isn’t the message the smart car sends. It’s more like “Look at me, I’m driving a tiny car!”
My parents are 55 and 57. They have lived in a big rectangular Red State all their lives. Their income puts them well into the upper class. They vote Republican.
They put a deposit down on a Smart Car four weeks ago. (The Passion Cabriolet.) If the dealer is to be believed (and I imagine you won’t), they were lucky to get it. They’re apparently selling like hotcakes.