I remember growing up in the 70’s during the gas crisis, and it seems we may be heading that way again, in the 70’s, Detroit was pumping out big vehicles (full size sedans, vans and station wagons, mainly, trucks were also popular), huge, thyroidal monsters with the turning radius of Rhode Island and nearly nonexistent fuel mileage, but hey, gas was cheap, what did we care, we were driving vehicles that could be seen from orbit and that’s the way we liked it!
i was a child back then, wasn’t able to drive, yet i remember Toyota and Honda (mainly) bringing out a line of small gas sippers (Corrola, Tercel, Civic, Subaru had their Justy supersubcompact) and they were pretty much laughed at, why would anyone want an underpowered “riceburner” when they could get a huge chunk of Detroit Steel that could fit the subcompact in the back as cargo…
then the Oil Embargo hit, and gas prices started rising, to the point where rationing was implemented (you could only fuel up on certain days, based on the last digit of your licence plate number, even numbers were M-W-F, odd numbers were T-T-S, IIRC)
Suddenly, the gas sippers started looking good…
it just seems kinda’ strange that we’re facing a somewhat similar situation now, before gas prices started rising, the Mega-SUV was the popular vehicle (Hummers, Dodge Durango, Luxury-Utes like the Cadillac Escalade, Ford Excursion and Canyonero…) muscle cars were regaining popularity (Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, Chevy Camaro and Corvette, as well as the european supercars like Porsches and BMW’s), fuel mileage was an afterthought, everyone was in a Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor-esque quest for “More Power” (Arr, arr, arr, arr…)
once again, gas prices are on the rise, and the drivers of the guzzlers are whining (to be fair, so are the drivers of more economical vehicles), gas-sippers are becoming popular again, whether it’s simply a small car, a Hybrid, or a diesel…
now, Honda and Toyota are releasing their supersubcompacts that have been previously only available outside the US, into the US, specifically, the Honda Fit, and Toyota Yaris, these microcars seem to have been released just in time to deal with the upcoming fuel price increases…
hmm, this all seems vaguely familiar… lets hope we don’t get to the government-induced fuel rationing stage…
i wonder if the average American can ever truly escape their want for a big, honkin’ gas guzzler, as the driver of an econobox (Dodge Neon) i never understood why the “status symbol” vehicle was so sodding important, if you have actual need for a truck/SUV, i.e. to haul stuff and tow things, fine, go ahead, but if it’s simply to one-up your neighbors, i’ve never understood that mindset…
i hope the Yaris and Fit do well here, as i like small hatchbacks, and 9 times out of 10, it’s only me in the vehicle, so for my purposes, even a Dodge Neon is overkill, problem is, we’re in a country where tiny cars like the Mini, Yaris, and Fit have to share the road with 18-wheelers and thyroidal guzzlers like the Ford Subdivision (can be seen from orbit!), i don’t even want to think about how a Fit Vs. Hummer collision would come out, the Fit wouldn’t be too “fit” after that, and the Hummer driver could probably wipe the splat off his bumper with no damage…
i really do hope the Fit and Yaris do well, i’d really like to see them have a diesel (biodiesel, ideally) engine available here as well, Japanese and EuroDopers, are the Fit/Yaris vehicles available with diesels over there?