Do American's really want to embrace the idea of fuel efficiency and green energy when it means sacrificing our all American Chevy Tahoes? Personally, every time I walk out on to the streets around my home in Northern New Jersey, left and right gleams of sun light hit my eye as the sun's beams reflect off the shiny silver body work of Lincoln Mkxs and Cadillac Escalades. I'm not afraid to admit that I admire this sight, as much as these prestigious planet killers represent the degradation of the ozone layer and mother nature. However, I'm not the only one in America who values rubber and gasoline more than spring and summer. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal posted that the demand for hybrid and "green vehicles" had in fact decreased, "Hybrid sales continue to fall, from about 315,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. two years ago to 290,000 last year... That number is projected to fall by 12% this year" (Bennett, WSJ). 12% is huge, that's 34,800 cars less than the previous year. The confusing issue is that commercials for green vehicles has only increased since 2009. If anything the number of green vehicles being sold should increase. I remember watching Audi's commercial for their clean diesel TT this past Superbowl and when the previous 5 Series BMW was released, a diesel model was offered as well.There are more consumer vehicles geared towards a green conscious than there has been in the history of the U.S. car industry.
The issue remains that Americans are not interested in small vehicles. The Toyota Prius, the Audi TT, the Tesla sports car, the Smart Car especially, the list can go on and on but the fact holds that fuel efficient vehicles especially hybrids are just visually small and unappealing to Americans. When has it ever been the case in American history when a father and his son set out excitedly to buy a Smart Car. America was raised on the notion on being gigantic and unstoppable. This idea or belief is present all around us when we go to New York and stare in awe at the domineering Empire State Building or St. Louis and try and comprehend the size of the Ead's bridge. Living right next to New York, I would stare into the city and gaze into its grandeur. The bright lights and city heights were intoxicating and most of all they were contagious. I wanted to get out of my small town and move over and join the russle and bussle of the living breathing New York City. I would imagine myself being driven down 42nd street in a Rolls Royce Phantom, enjoying myself in the plushiest leather seats hands could make. The American belief is to follow big and great and so far U.S. automakers have unsuccessfully integrated this concept into green vehicles.
However on a serious note, big vehicles in the U.S. don't just offer drivers presence but also safety. Just last year in December I was in the middle of a snow shower when my SUV lost control. Spinning out into the the center of the roadway, my car hit two incoming sedans, one being a Toyota Camry and the other a Mercedes Benz CL350. The other drivers along with myself came out of the accident without a scratch, but upon further inspection of their vehicles I had dented in the Camry's front bumper by a full 7 inches and the CL 350s hood was cracked in half. Amazingly, my SUV came out with just a dent on the side panel and a scratch on the front fender where I had hit the two cars. It is as Mr. Tonkins, the Chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association says, "The fact is, manufacturers have struggled for years to make money on small cars... consumers remain skeptical that small cars are safe" (Tonkins, WSJ).
Personally, I like hybrid vehicles. They're fuel efficient, which means I can worry less about searching for the lowest gas price. Having money to spend on snacks and knick knacks rather than fuel is an uplifiting thought. But, the resonating question remains, can American automakers produce vehicles that offer the fuel efficiency our oil dependent nation desperately needs without compromising safety and the American myth of grandeur and gigantism?
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Very interesting perspective Paul! I agree with you that parts of America have this glamor touch to them but do you think that luxury green brands like Tesla will be able to provide that?
ReplyDeleteLuxury Hybrids are actually a big deal. Lexus has a few hybrids that are actually pretty nice. Lexus can charge a lot more for its hybrids than its corporate cousin Toyota can. Rich people are more willing to shell out more for a cool, technologically advanced vehicle.
ReplyDeleteUuljan, I think that there will have to be compromise sometime near in the future. U.S. car buyers will soon realize to attain the capability to drive far without spending lots of cash on gas will require them to sacrifice space and maybe even style. Of course, companies like Tesla are producing vehicles that are of high quality and appeal to many consumer tastes, the cost of the vehicle poses another challenge to many buyers. And Chris, yes, wealthier people are willing to shell out more cash for these expensive yet innovative vehicles, but its widely known that 1% of the wealthiest people in America own 50% of America. It doesn't matter that these wealthy people are going to purchase these vehicles because the way our environment and the way these companies are going to produce profit is by appealing to the other 99% of Americans.
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