Products appear and disappear, such as fads or trends, and this takes place in the automobile industry as much as anywhere else. Should you examine car culture since the launch of the new millenium, you will find a number of interesting changes have taken place. If you completed a test drive, back in 2002, of a plain-Jane Nissan Altima, you were probably amazed at the speed being a lot more than expected.
The 240 hp engine raised the speeds significantly from what there was during the 90s. Now a family car like the Volkswagen Passat features a 280 horsepower engine. For around $30,000 you can purchase yourself a little Mitsubishi which can embarass a Camaro with its performance. Packing a rugged 500 horsepower does not elevate a car such as the Dodge Viper to beyond ordinary today. You’d be hard-pressed nowadays to locate a car that was under-powered. Each new automobile model is apparently bigger than its predecessor. The moment the new Toyota Rav4 was launched, it had grown by 14 inches, and if you take a look at Hondas, the current Civics are larger than the older model Accords.
A vehicle that’s the same or less than before is not really acceptable, it seems, if you have to pay more for it. Individuals want bigger and better cars when they’re going to be paying more. Unfortunately, much larger also means heavier, and automobile makers will continue to make what the consumer is willing to buy. The American community wish to spend less money on gasoline, but it seems they won’t tolerate going slower in the process. They would rather spend more and wait for their hybrid car, the Prius from Toyota, which will allow them to keep going fast. All of this, with the same dealership having plenty of Corollas left unsold. Interest in hybrids is so tremendous that all auto manufacturers are racing to follow suit, even to the extent that Nissan will use the system developed by their competitor, Toyota, to bring out their Altima hybrid.
The bland design of the 90s has disappeared, as consumers want cars with personality. Nearly all automobiles are now equipped with power locks and windows as a standard feature, as well as six airbags and powerful stereos. All of these have a price, which probably makes clear the $28,000 price tag of the average new car. The SUV at this point seems to be bought by stupid people, so perhaps we are going back to the days when a car was a car. Possibly it was a fashion that had its day, because the worst-hit in terms of sales are the bigger SUVs. Consumers seem to have moved to smaller cars, with the Ford Explorer and Expedition out in the cold while the little cars get more and more of the action, even the Neon and Sentra.
Cars seriously don’t need to be as fast as they are, or so big, so the car companies should acknowledge this and change accordingly. It is still to be seen precisely what the long-term experiences of the hybrids will likely be. It will be fun to look back in several years time, and see all the crazy fads that came and went.
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