Automobile buying habits among Americans have modified as the price of gas has been rising. {However, American consumers aren’t buying as several green automobiles for instance hybrids and electric vehicles as they’re compact and subcompact vehicles that sip the gas tank|That said, people are not buying more hybrids or electrics. Instead of green automobiles, people have been getting smaller compact and subcompact cars that sip daintily from the tank|Compact and subcompact automobilesare still far more popular than green automobiles, as individuals still want traditional cars that only sip from the tank| Subcompact and compact cars are still more p! opular than green cars like electrics or hybrids, as traditional automobiles that take just a little from the tank are selling better than greener but more costly and less useful choices|Small compact and subcompact vehicles that sip from the tank in the lightest manner possible have proven to be the best sellers, as buyers have been avoiding less useful and more expensive green possibilities.
60 percent of Americans think the leaf is ridiculous
According to a recent poll, electric cars are not that favored. In fact, about 57 percent of Americans would never purchase one, reports USA Today. The poll respondents would still purchase a traditional, internal combustion driven car regardless of the cost of a gallon of gasoline. The poll showed that individuals know the limited range an all-electric auto has. They compared it to gas cars or hybrids with backup gas engines to keep it going. The range of an electric auto is the biggest problem. Most drivers see it as impractical. By 2015, there will be 100,000 vehicles a year sold that are electric, J.D. Power and Associates predicts. This year, the company believes only 11,000 electric automobiles will sell. Power also believes that by 2015, 15 million subcompact and compact vehicles will sell a year. This year it predicts 14 million will sell.
No longer just two seats and small motor
When it comes to compact and subcompact vehicles, people tend to think of them as spending budget vehicles. This is no longer the case, the Wall Street Journal explains. Typically, a small, boxy hatchback would be two seats, a manual gearbox and a motor the size of a toaster oven, but automobile makers are beginning to slip luxury into their economy offerings. The Hyundai Elantra, for example, has models with heated rear seats, and it gets 40 miles per gallon. In the Ford Focus Titanium, there is a rear-facing camera for whenever you have to drive in reverse. There are also rain-activated windshield wipers for convenience. The Focus also has the option of a dual clutch, six speed transmissions; such a gearbox is normally the purview of Ferrari instead of Ford. The 2012 Honda Civic will have voice-activated Global Positioning System navigation, Bluetooth phone equipment and an iPod dock. Subcompacts are being purchased by wealthier consumers now.
Fiat helping Chrysler
In the automobile industry, everyone watched as Fiat purchased a stake in Chrysler. It was a large move. This has been an excellent move for Chrysler. The company is now closer to paying the American and Canadian governments off while launching in the U.S. the Fiat 500. Fiat recently staged a bit of a pre-launch stunt by filling a street in New York City’s SoHo district with 20 500 Cabriolet cars, according to CNN. For 30 years, Fiat has not been in the U.S. much. Now that will change with its subcompacts. Another Fiat brand, Alfa Romeo, has been rumored to be coming to the U.S. for years but has been delayed until at least 2013, according to MotorTrend, due to design problems with the new Alfa Romeo Giulia.
Information from
USA Today
usatoday.com/money/autos/2011-05-24-most-americans-refuse-electric-cars_n.htm
Wall Street Journal
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576343201704359810.html?mod=WSJ_Autos_LS_Autos_2
CNN
money.cnn.com/2011/05/25/autos/fiat_500_publicity.fortune/index.htm
Motor Trend
wot.motortrend.com/report-alfa-romeo-launch-pushed-2013-66663.html
