Quotes of the Day: On SUVs, History, and the Volt
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto 
on 12.29.08
What is the best selling vehicle in America this month? The Ford F-150. Edmunds says:
"Despite all the public discussion of fuel efficiency, SUVs and trucks are the industry's biggest sellers right now as a remarkable number of buyers seem to be compelled by three factors: great deals, low gas prices and winter weather"
George Santayana said:
Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
The New York Times editorialized:
Americans did not buy enormous gas guzzlers just because Detroit marketed them relentlessly. They bought them because they wanted big cars — and because gas was cheap. If gas stays cheap, Americans would be less inclined to squeeze their families into a lithe fuel-efficient alternative.
Bob Lutz, when asked about what might kill the Volt, said to Tyler Hamilton and me in September:
Let us say that over the next 18 months the world goes into a major recession, car sales and fuel use drop dramatically, the steel companies produce less steel and therefore use less energy, China finds it main export markets drying up, so they are into a contraction and use less steel and aluminum and plastic. And at the same time Canadian tar sands come onstream, and coal-to-liquids come onstream. All of a sudden there is a reduction in primary demand in petroleum plus all these additional new supply sources… And the oil barrel drops to $25 a barrel and we’re looking at gas pump prices at $1.25 a gallon. I personally don’t think that’s going to happen, but that would be a dramatic event for the Volt because everybody would say, ‘Ha!, why should I bother?’
And he is right, with gas where it is now, why should anyone bother?
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"With gas where it is now, why should anyone bother?"
That should be included with the other quotes. It says more than any of them, doesn't it?
I think you're reaching with some of your conclusions. The F-150 is not a big SUV or a family car. Most people who drive a pick up truck do so for it's function. Unfortunately, you can't put a snow plow on the front of a Prius (or a Volt).
Yes, automakers should be able to find a way to make pick ups more fuel effecient, but simply expecting people to substitute them with small cars is not a viable answer.
"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
An excellent point. I know I learned. My previous truck was a Chevy Silverado. It was okay, but I learned that I much prefer my new F-150!
Frankly, the constant whining on this site about how evil SUVs and pickup trucks are is getting tiresome.
Some people actually need the "utility" part of the SUV. Sure it is easy to hate the individual person cruising in an Escalade who just invaded your bike lane but how about the family with 5 kids. There aren't too many vehicles capable of carrying seven people and getting a decent mpg rating. The few that do might also carry ham sandwich. However, when you need to make a trip you are left with rooftop carriers or trailers and then you are back to bad milage. So, why not just get the suburban.
Also, I ride a giant 15-passenger van to work that gets abysmal milage. But, it is usually carrying 10 to 12 people so it works out to be better for everyone.
I'm just trying to remind folks that not everyone buys a big vehicle for the sake of vanity. I'd love to be able to drive a Volt or a Ford Fusion Hybrid but my family won't fit. So, I'd be thrilled if the automakers would make big vehicles more efficient.
My current dream vehicle... a Volt style electric Expedition EL. I'd buy one in a heartbeat even with gas at $1.50 a gallon.
I've said this before. There are hundreds of things you can do in an F-150 that you can't do in a volt. There is one thing you can do in a Volt you can't do in an F-150.
The problem isn't necessarily the form factor of an SUV or Pickup truck. People live in places where 4WD is almost a requirement, have jobs that require the use of a truck, and have large families that can squeeze into a tiny car. These are the customers needs, but they don't mean that the vehicles have to be overpowered, inefficient, and heavy. It's up to EV manufacturers and the Big 3 to give us something other than sports-cars, and 2WD compacts.
"An excellent point. I know I learned. My previous truck was a Chevy Silverado. It was okay, but I learned that I much prefer my new F-150!"
Uh, looks like somebody repeated him/herself all over the floor.
I'll be sure to send a 1-gallon idiot can in the summer, maybe you can make it a few miles further to the next ScAmmoco.
After all the volatility in oil prices and the constant parade of scientific data linking less driving to lower road mortality rates, air pollution, obesity and savings during this last year I hoped that most people would realize what is the rational choice regarding their superfulous driving habits.
I feel incredibly naive right now and, judging by the comments here, I sincerely hope everyone buys their dream F-150 right now so that a lesson may finally be learned in the next few years.
It really didn't have to be the hard way...
Pump your brakes.
Truck sales increase in December? You mean, like they do every year? Too much green thinking has everyone thinking about the wrong "green." Here are a few hints:
STIMULUS PACKAGE
TAX YEAR END
SPECIAL DEPRECIATION ALLOWANCE
SECTION 179 EXPENSING
Check out the IRS's website for details: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=179227,00.html
Even if gasoline prices were still through the roof, this is still the right time to buy a truck for your business. And with inventory on these vehicles stacked up, the 2010 models in the chute, and dealers struggling to make payroll, the stars have aligned for a truck sale bonanza.
I'm surprised they aren't selling more.
To: Anonymous with 5 kids in his/her SUV,
Maybe if you tried some family planning and only had two kids you wouldn't need such a big car.
There are nearly 7 BILLION people on this planet, half live on less than $2 a day. Why do you need to produce so many children?
Allow me to answer, you don't. One should produce one or two children to spoil with attention and wisdom, so they become efficient, productive members of society.