Really? Are cup holders still more important than fuel mileage?
Car buyers can be a fickle group. Put another way: we hate pumping gas, but we love chugging coffee while we drive more. General Motors reports that consumers say good fuel mileage is the third-most-important consideration, right there behind styling and value, for customers looking to purchase one of their vehicles.
That may be true, but are their customers willing to pay for high mpgs? All things being equal (which is rarely the case), the answer is usually no, if Mike J. Jackson from AutoNation is to be believed. He says that the only way to force consumers to choose fuel efficient vehicles is to price gasoline higher, which we agree would probably do the trick. Since that's not likely to happen, the government is forcing the automakers to build the types of cars that consumers may not want. According to Jackson, that could be a boon to the used car market at the expense of the newer more fuel efficient cars.
Related:
[Source: Forbes via Wired Autopia]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Wildgoosechase73 4:55PM (2/16/2008)
Kinda stating the obvious, people will buy the cars they want. If it's not available new, then they keep their old cars or buy used creating the "jalopy effect". The downside is that the domestic auto idustry is being force to produce car that people do not want, and compete in a market that they are uncompetive in. I'm predicting massive layoffs to the tune of the Great Depression in auto producing states. Thanks CAFE!
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jmetcalf 5:43PM (2/16/2008)
Wildgoosechase,
Which vehicles, exactly, are the American auto companies being forced to make that nobody wants to buy?
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kballs 5:58PM (2/16/2008)
BS.
Even if MPG comes in 3rd or 4th down the list, it's not the same as saying MPG isn't a consideration at all... even if a vehicle meets the top items on their list perfectly, if it has crappy MPG they will look elsewhere. People WANT good MPG, they just don't want to sacrifice EVERYTHING else for it (but of course everyone is willing to compromise something different for something else on their list - reliability for style or performance, performance for MPG, MPG for performance, style for safety, price for style, etc.). That means that unless car makers do sacrifice EVERYTHING else just to meet CAFE, there will still be buyers and no jalopy effect.
The thing that would drive a jalopy effect is a bad economy with people not having money because they are unemployed or underemployed, and in that situation, whether buying new or used, people will want as low of operating costs as possible (higher MPG, higher reliability, lower maintenance), and will be sacrificing cupholders and bling for MPG.
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Throwback 7:20PM (2/16/2008)
It depends on what your definition of crappy mpg is, everything is relative. A coworker recently bought a GMC Acadia, she traded in a Suburban. She wanted "better" mpg and compared to her Suburban she is getting about 6-7 more mpg. She has 3 boys who all play sports, she is always carting around teenagers so space was her main focus.
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Wildgoosechase73 8:17PM (2/16/2008)
Let's get real here, with the exception of politicians and Hollywood types who will pay $35-40K for a Volt when a Malibu can be bought for $25? How about 4 Aveos, 1 for everyone in the family. The vast majority of cars sold will be the one using the cheapest technology to get 35mpg. These will be econoboxes like Aveos imported from Asia. So the choice for most Americans will be an Aveo or an older large car or SUV. If you have a family or a boat it's a no brainer.
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BHendrix 2:35AM (2/17/2008)
So is your answer the Aveo then? Perhaps you missed the question. The Aveo seems to be selling just fine, by the way.
And as far as price vs. fuel economy goes, a lot of people have had no problem buying Priuses over Corollas, which are less expensive. They're not all celebrities and politicians.
You make a lot of strong statements based more on emotions than anything else. A 'Great Depression' due to CAFE? Let's tone down the rhetoric a little bit, shall we?
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rgseidl 10:16AM (2/17/2008)
To paraphrase Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte in reference to a passenger car: Ceci n'est pas une salle a manger (This is not a dining room.)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/MagrittePipe.jpg
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s10 11:38AM (2/17/2008)
Consumers do not make choices, the producers tell them what they need. This has always been and will always be the case.
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Throwback 6:19PM (2/17/2008)
Consumers make choices everyday. I know it is hard form some to understand but car buyers have plenty of choices, many choose to buy what they want even if it is not a fuel efficient car.
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s10 8:11PM (2/17/2008)
@Throwback. exactly, they choose what they "want"... but that "want" is based on what? That's where the trick is.
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Throwback 6:58AM (2/18/2008)
What people want is based on many things. It is easy to blame "others" for the decisions we make. It's the car companies fault, the governments fault etc. There are plenty of fuel efficient cars for sale, some folks just do not put fuel efficiency at the top of their list. Also, the enviroment is not a priority for everyone, wether they believe in global warming or not.
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dean 10:56AM (2/18/2008)
For my money, I won't buy a car that can't accept a 44oz Big Gulp! God bless America, there's nothing better than going on a road trip with a massive drink by your side to quaff a mighty road-going thirst.
I don't want to have to reach down to the floor to get a 16oz bottle of water, then unscrew the cap, then screw it back on. I want to be able to basically put two long straws together, stick it in my drink, then just turn my head and suck up delicious soda/juice of choice!
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