Cant Americans Use Smaller Automobiles?

Question

The world trend is using much smaller vehicles to save fossil fuels.
The majority of the public drive 1 liter to 2 liter vehicles compared to the big 3 liter to 5 liter cars in the USA.
If the world has an energy crisis, then...
Why the big cars?
http://www.planetforlife.com/transition/beyond.html

Answer 1

The automobile industry and the oil industries have been brainwashing American consumers for generations into getting bigger vehicles. They have been quite successful at this too.

I would guess that 4 out of 5 people in this country could get by with a smaller vehicle, but there are some people that actually need a larger vehicle for work, etc. Yet look at the commercials, they show trucks splashing through the mud, etc. How many people actually take their SUV off road through the mud? Not very many. Most people that I know that are serious offroaders have a 2nd vehicle just for offroading. The rest of the masses are just pretending. I guess it makes up for small d_cks or something.

Answer 2

It's probably just tradition, also bigger vehicles are more comfortable and American's drive a lot more than the rest of the world. I know I'd rather go on a road trip in my delta 88 than take a geo. One reason I love America is because we have the freedom to choose what we want or need. There are plenty of gas efficient vehicles out there and American's DO want them. Look at the success of the hybrid vehicles. We will get there eventually if we let the market take us there.

As far as the energy crisis, it boils down to supply and demand, we can only reduce demand so much, we have to start addressing the supply side of the equation as well. There is plenty of oil in the world and will be for a time to come. Until we have the next major form of energy we must continue to drill for oil and refine it into gas, otherwise we will have created an energy crisis when we didn't have to and the worlds economies will suffer.

Answer 3

Because it makes more sense to drive a van or SUV if you have a large family. If I had a small 2 liter vehicle every time my family went on a trip we would have to take 2 vehicles. It is much more economical and energy efficient to take just one that can hold the family and the gear. If people want to drive small cars I have no objection but I don't think we should go out and tell people what kind of car they have to drive. What ever happened to choice?

Answer 4

Americans are using smaller cars. You should see the size of the gas guzzling monsters they had back in the 1950s when I was a kid. Lucky if you could get 20mpg out of them.

Take a swan around the Internet at 1950s American Cars and see what I mean. From the late 60s on, many Americans switched to smaller cars, what most call 'compacts'.

How do we expect Americans to squeeze their massive bulks into Euro-sized electric cars?

Another hamburger anyone?

Answer 5

Every American except those who are working with trucks and larger vehicles should give their cars and SUVs to the government junk pile for a fee and allow each household to buy ONE small fuel efficient car. Not more that one car per family. I grew up without a family car. We didn't get one until I was 19 years old. we lived fine. And the air was as clean as a morning in spring after a rainstorm. We as Americans are spoiled rotten. We want. We need. We must have. Little girls with cell phones. Little girls spending $5 for coffee and cake at Starbucks. What kind of crap is this?

Answer 6

A lot of American families contain 6 people or more and use 1 car, so that is usually why their cars are larger.
Singles or smaller families buy smaller cars, and hybrids are actually starting to sell better in the USA because of the ridiculously high gas prices.

Answer 7

I believe they can be sold, however they may not be considered legal in some of those countries. China probably sees no point in importing US vehicles, at this stage, as they're big vehicles. I think you would find that most countries prefer smaller more fuel efficient vehicles and US car makers are not currently known for making fuel efficient vehicles (everyone has heard of yank tanks and gas guzzlers!!)

Answer 8

Would you rather be hit head on in a Yugo or in a Ford truck, you probably will not survive the Yugo also please keep in mind America is the size of most of Europe, Germany is not much bigger than New Jersey. We have mountain, flat lands, terrain, that does not compair to theirs.
If you wish to drive a "toy" then you are free to do so, that is your choice. What you are asking is similar to " why do American haft to eat meat, steaks, hamburgers, meatloaf, all that land they use to feed them cows could grow enough rice to feed the world," which may be true, but is irrelevant.

Answer 9

yes you are right
we r gluttons we have a carving for big cars its something that started in the 40's and we can help ourselves
i drive 2 miles to work and instead of getting on my bicycle i drive 9 out of 10 times
we just like to complain
and our gov't doesn't really want to do anything they are getting paid off by the oil industry.

Answer 10

Yes, of course, they could. But Americans are very spoiled. They are not used to making sacrifices. Most Americans want something " done" about the environment, but few are willing to step up to the plate and modify their lifestyles.