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American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

jalopnik.com

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Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#61

Post by DoingIsLearning »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #47
francisofascii wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The American market wants and expects BIG. I guess the question is, why. It is because marketing works? Or a sense of safety? Bigger is associated with wealth, power? etc.

Drive a big car. It's really nice to have a large cabin. It seems like everyone wondering about big cars is missing the most obvious reason.

Most MPV's will have larger (and more useful) interior spaces than these warfare vehicles.

Auto makers have figured out how to push our buttons and buy larger and more wasteful vehicles in what is a de facto arms race on the public road.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#62

Post by Scoundreller »

kemayo wrote: post #35
Scoundreller wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s also a matter of comfort. Cities including mine are drunk on putting speed humps everywhere. But obviously they’re not “tuned” for each vehicle size. A coupe/sedan needs to slow down to half the speed limit to go over, while a larger vehicle with a suspension and tire sizes to match can take them at speed. Same story for potholes, which of course are worsened by heavier vehicles while small vehicles pay the pric…

"Large cars let me ignore speed humps" sounds exactly like prioritizing the occupants of the car over the safety of others...

My main beef is that the speed humps should be navigable at the speed limit of the road they’re installed on.

And they are, but only for larger vehicles on my ass for slowing down to go over them in my sedan.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#63

Post by danielmarkbruce »

Apreche wrote: post #48
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #41

Lots of people want big cars, and they vote with their checkbook. I have a big car. I have children. They have stuff, and friends and we go on long drives sometimes. It's nice to have a big car.

I grew up before SUV existed. I had siblings. Somehow we survived. Many countries around the world don't have an SUV epidemic. Somehow families there make it work with smaller cars, even today. Many people around the world have large families and zero cars. Somehow they make it work. People are MADE to want big cars by advertisements. Other than the emissions standards mentioned by other commenters, the real solution…

People also survived in caves long ago. The fact that humans have survived various uncomfortable situations doesn't make them stop wanting to be more comfortable.

Nope. People go test drive them, and realize it's nicer to have more space. There are cars in every shape and size in the US. I went to buy a midsized SUV and ended up with a full SUV after test driving. It's much more comfortable. More space is valued by humans in houses, cars, airline seats, hotel rooms and various other places.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#64

Post by gruez »

RosanaAnaDana wrote: post #32
gruez wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was in a car this morning, why?

Source?

As luck would have it, I do have pictures of myself in a car. However, for privacy reasons I would rather not upload pictures of my face on the internet. I'd be happy to provide the picture to a trusted third party auditor of your choosing (eg. Deloitte, E&Y, KPMG, PWC) for verification, provided that you pay the fees :^)

Now, I don't imagine that there would be any privacy related issues related to providing evidence regarding whether a Chevrolet Impala was considered a compact car or not, so I look forward to receiving correspondence from your auditor and whatever evidence you have that Chevrolet Impala was considered a compact car.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#65

Post by CodeWriter23 »

gruez wrote: post #18
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #8

IJS what we now call “Full Size” like the Impala, we used to refer to as “Compact” up till the early 90s.

>we used to refer to as “Compact” up till the early 90s. source?

Use your own powers of discernment to look up the measurements of various vehicles over the years.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#66

Post by CodeWriter23 »

burnte wrote: post #28
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #8

IJS what we now call “Full Size” like the Impala, we used to refer to as “Compact” up till the early 90s.

The Impala was never compact. Compact cars are smaller, like hatchbacks and such, the Civic, the Escort, etc.

It's roughly the same size as a Gremlin at this point. And you misread what I wrote.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#67

Post by vidanay »

ericmay wrote: post #58
orangecat wrote: post #6

You could just make them smaller. There's no rule saying you can't. There kind of is. Fuel efficiency requirements are stricter for smaller vehicles, creating a perverse incentive to increase size. Here's a 2011 paper that predicted exactly what would happen: https://news.umich.edu/cafe-standards-create-profit-incentiv...

Thanks for sharing this here, it really does appear to be the primary culprit. If anything the larger the vehicle the more fuel efficient it should be, not the opposite. But that is just one part of the puzzle. The other is of course just normal marketing, advertising, etc. convincing people that they do lots of things outdoors that they don't actually do. Ford, GM, Toyota, Dodge, etc. are not the only ones guilty of…

The marketing works. As one of the people who has done outdoors stuff for 40+ years, there has been a clear increase in participants. It has not necessarily been for the better

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#68

Post by readthenotes1 »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #41

Lots of people want big cars, and they vote with their checkbook. I have a big car. I have children. They have stuff, and friends and we go on long drives sometimes. It's nice to have a big car.

It is also far safer to have a big car since there are so many other big cars on the road.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#69

Post by danielmarkbruce »

DoingIsLearning wrote: post #61
danielmarkbruce wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Drive a big car. It's really nice to have a large cabin. It seems like everyone wondering about big cars is missing the most obvious reason.

Most MPV's will have larger (and more useful) interior spaces than these warfare vehicles. Auto makers have figured out how to push our buttons and buy larger and more wasteful vehicles in what is a de facto arms race on the public road.

Perhaps, but... they are very ugly.

Re: American cars are huge and unsafe, but automakers don't want the simple solution

#70

Post by gruez »

CodeWriter23 wrote: post #65
gruez wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>we used to refer to as “Compact” up till the early 90s. source?

Use your own powers of discernment to look up the measurements of various vehicles over the years.

You're the person making the claim. Why don't you "Use your own powers of discernment to look up the measurements of various vehicles over the years"?
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