The automobile has significantly impacted American culture and lifestyle for the past 100 years, transforming the way people travel, work, and live. The internal combustion engine has been the most immediate agent of change, as cars have become more than just a means of traveling. The car culture in America, which is glamorized in advertisements, enforced by zoning laws, and enabled by taxpayer subsidies, has come at too high a cost for both individuals and society.
The automobile has changed many aspects of American life, including industry, technology, and everyday life. Automobile manufacturing became one of the first industries to use assembly lines, and widespread car ownership has led to changes in the economy, technology, and everyday life. Freedom of choice has encouraged family vacations, urban dwellers have the opportunity to rediscover pristine landscapes, and teenagers gain more independence with driving freedom.
The automobile has also led to better roads and transportation, with bigger cars being safer and having a positive effect on driver deaths. However, pedestrian deaths have increased significantly. In short, car culture damages public health, the environment, economic equality, and basic convenience.
As Americans have become increasingly mobile, the visual aspect of rural America has altered drastically. The highway has become the central route, and many of these changes have occurred due to the automobile’s influence on literature, music, and movies. Cars represent who we are, not just transportation from A to B. With mass production of automobiles, the middle classes and the wealthy were able to access them.
In conclusion, the automobile has had a profound impact on American culture and society, affecting various aspects such as family life, city layout, economy, and environment.
📹 DRIVING CULTURE CLASH: Why do our Cars LOOK so Radically Different?
Car culture defines both the American Dream and modern German ‘Zeitgeist’. The American Auto Industry is embodied by …
How is driving cars affecting humans?
Vehicle pollution is harmful to our health and contributes to climate change. Burning gasoline and diesel fuel produces harmful byproducts like nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde. Carbon dioxide is the most common human-caused greenhouse gas. To reduce pollution, drive cleanly and make smarter choices. Reducing miles driven is the best way to reduce air pollution.
Walking, biking, riding the bus or train for longer distances, or carpooling with nearby residents can also help. By making these choices, we can reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to a healthier environment.
Why are cars important to American culture?
Cars are a ubiquitous aspect of American life, symbolizing independence, mobility, and progress. For nearly a century, the car has been a part of American culture, shaping literature, music, and movies. The car has been a central theme in classic American novels, such as Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” and John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath”. Some scholars argue that the car has become a metaphor for the American Dream itself, with the ability to travel anywhere at any time symbolizing freedom and independence. The classic trope of the hitchhiker is also a staple of American literature.
How do cars impact society today?
Automobiles have significant negative impacts on society, including air pollution, climate change, and depletion of natural resources like fossil fuels. Large cities with massive driving populations, such as Los Angeles, New York City, and Tokyo, experience smog-producing exhaust fumes called greenhouse gases, which absorb and trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, increasing its temperature. When cars are discarded, their plastics and toxic lead battery acids are thrown into landfills instead of being recycled, causing harmful effects directly on the environment. Contaminated air and water can jeopardize health, and automobiles can cause death if traveling fast enough.
The future of automobiles will see technological advancements, particularly hybrid, electrical, and autonomous cars. Diesel vehicles have better fuel economy, but emissions are worse than those from gasoline engines. Hybrid vehicles, which use any combination of liquid, gas, electricity, biofuels, hydrogen, and electricity, offer a bridging system that reduces environmental impact due to the hybrid fuel source.
Hybrid technology is proposed as a broad platform to introduce new powertrain systems, and advances in alternative energy supply will gradually make these systems available to the mass market. Engineers at Toyota are committed to teamwork with all interested parties to achieve a better future.
How do cars impact people’s lives?
Automobiles offer convenient access to remote areas and facilitate social and economic interactions. However, their widespread use has negative impacts on society and the environment. The introduction of mass-produced cars revolutionized industry and created job demand and tax revenue. However, high motorization rates have led to negative consequences such as non-renewable fuel use, increased accidental deaths, community disconnection, decreased local economy, cardiovascular diseases, air and noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, urban sprawl, traffic segregation, reduced railway network, urban decay, and high costs per unit-distance of private transport.
The lack of cars in many people intensifies structural inequalities and causes irreparable environmental damage. Neglecting the negative externalities of private automobility is irresponsible, and replacing combustion engine vehicles with electric vehicles is a strategy to slow down social and environmental losses. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the negative externalities of private automobility and prioritize sustainable transportation options.
How have cars impacted culture?
California, the world’s first “auto-civilization”, has been significantly shaped by the automobile since the early 20th century. This car-centric culture led to the development of new suburbs, urban freeways, and malls with parking lots, drive-in restaurants, traffic congestion, and smog. Los Angeles faced auto pollution issues in the 1930s and 1940s, leading to the Air Pollution Act in 1947 and the Motor Vehicle Pollution Act in 1961.
What was the effect of cars in America?
The automobile revolutionized society by providing freedom of choice, enabling family vacations, allowing urban and rural residents to explore new landscapes, and promoting independence among teenagers. It also provided a portable space for dating couples, facilitating relaxed sexual attitudes. However, traffic jams, accidents, and fatalities were common, leading to the need for state-level licensure and safety regulations. Despite these challenges, Americans continued to love their cars, and as more cars were purchased, their worlds expanded.
How did cars transform the lives of Americans?
The Lynds discovered that the automobile significantly impacted family budgets, ministers complained about driving instead of church, parents worried about excessive motoring, and the car revolutionized free time. These primary sources indicate that the automobile’s impact on Americans’ lives was both positive and troubling. To find more documents on automobiles, search individual collections using terms like automobile, car, motor car, or filling station and motel.
How did cars change American life?
The automobile revolutionized the United States, transforming industries, technology, and everyday life. It enabled assembly line manufacturing, provided personal freedom, and led to better roads and transportation. Industries and new jobs emerged to meet demand for automobile parts and fuel, including petroleum, gasoline, rubber, and plastics. Services like gas stations and convenience stores emerged. The automobile also led to the rise of leisure activities, including motels, hotels, amusement parks, restaurants, and fast food.
It introduced new laws and government requirements, such as seatbelts, highway rules, and drivers’ licenses. However, the automobile also caused environmental harm, with gas-burning cars causing pollution and undeveloped land being used for highway construction. Henry Ford’s Model T revolutionized the automotive industry.
Why is car culture so big in America?
The U. S. car culture has a significant impact on society, rooted in individualism, personal freedom, and government decisions. Owning a car symbolizes independence and self-sufficiency, dating back to the early 1900s when cars became more affordable. Government policies, such as the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, prioritize road development over public transit, favoring sprawling suburbs and making cars necessary for daily travel.
Tax breaks for owning vehicles and subsidies for gasoline further reinforce this dependence on private cars. This car-focused growth has created an environment where people have limited transportation options, strengthening the culture of reliance on automobiles.
What are the problems with cars in society?
Car-related harm, including crashes, pollution, land use, and injustices, is a significant issue. 1 in 34 deaths are caused by cars and automobility, with 1, 670, 000 deaths per year. Since their invention, 60-80 million people have been killed. ScienceDirect uses cookies and has copyright © 2024 Elsevier B. V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
How did cars impact society in a negative way?
Car-related harm, including crashes, pollution, land use, and injustices, is a significant issue. 1 in 34 deaths are caused by cars and automobility, with 1, 670, 000 deaths per year. Since their invention, 60-80 million people have been killed. ScienceDirect uses cookies and has copyright © 2024 Elsevier B. V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
📹 The Impact Of Clout Culture On These 5 American Cars
Dive into the intriguing intersection of American car culture and clout in this video. We explore the influence of clout culture on five …
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Correction to the article: The Ford KUGA is the European Counterpart to the Ford Escape (not the EcoSport as noted in the article). Although fun fact! The Ford EcoSport is not even available for purchase in the United States. In Europe, the EcoSport is the small SUV option to the larger KUGA, where as the Escape is the smallest SUV offered to US consumers in the Ford line-up.
I think the cars in Germany are not very different from the rest of Europe. I am from Amsterdam and I think the Netherlands look like Germany. I think the general point is that drivers in Europe value quality over quantity. It is not good to generalise in general but my idea is that Americans want everything bigger than everyone else in the world.
Yup, my American in spe-father in law was always confidentially making fun of my little Audi S3 (haha, your little box fits on the back of my Pick-up…) until I made him drive it on the Autobahn here in Germany on his first visit. He has been very quiet, when it comes to cars and highways ever since…bless him😂😂🏎🏎❤
It is actually a pretty common concern in german news by now, that especially newer models of high class brands such as bmw reduce window size and visibility for the driver in favor of a heavier exterior and more safety for the people inside the car, relying on cameras and sensors for pedestrian safety. So we start to emulate that trend from the US… 🙁 Personally I feel like the front of that newest ford pick-up looks like a snow plow for children. Pretty scary.
I can add some more points – divers license: a European class B driver’s license is limited to 3500kg while to my understanding in the US a car driver’s license allows a lot more – considering towing the license things get a bit more complicated, but in general it is preferable to have a car below 2t as this will allow a 1,5t trailer within a class B license. If the combination stays below 4.25t it can be driven with a B96 license – Utility trailers are probably also one reason why smaller cars are not really a disadvantage. It is so much more comfortable to have a normal-sized station wagon in everyday life and use a trailer for trips to the hardware store than driving around a huge truck all the time. A trailer is cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, has low taxes and will last for decades. It is also easy to buy one for 2 years when it is really needed and sell it afterward (this is what I do for my current landscaping need) – infrastructure is not just roads. A full-size pickup truck will have little fun in a parking garage. The prevalence of oversized surface parking in the US makes parking a huge vehicle much easier
Great article! Thank you! But, you stopped just short of revealing the real reason our vehicles, here in the US, are so utterly stupid. CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards, for which the category “light trucks” do not have to be included. Just as quick as that regulation was adopted, car-makers here, began to manipulate consumers through advertising, to buy a lot of trucks! They transformed the vast majority of car buyers to truck buyers through deceptive and manipulative advertising so they wouldn’t have to include the majority of their sales in their Corporate Average Fuel Economy numbers and, in fact, the majority of their sales became excempt from those standards. If pickups were actually included in those standards, you would see US manufacturers change their business model immediately!
Good morning tbff, As a scientist in a completely different field, I adore your Wissenschaftskommunikation! You are already one of the few websites where I don’t filter/skip the ads, and I am now finding myself for the first time considering supporting someone via patreon. Not because of the extra benefits (I am completely happy with the vids, please don’t put pressure on yourselves with the benefits!), but just as a Thank You for your awesome content. I hope many others will consider (and actually do it) as well. Good luck with it and cheers from a few hundred km ti the north!
Never been so happy to get back home to Germany a couple days ago and onto the train and then back to my little Fiat Punto after going crazy waiting endlessly at traffic lights in the States for three week in my rental mid-sized SUV. Being forced to drive there is hell (and I’m from Detroit, the most car centric place on earth!).
Great article 👍🏻👍🏻 I don’t know if I’m speaking out of turn here but I get the impression that a lot of Americans drive trucks like that because they like to dream about being a wild frontiersman who does outdoorsy things like chop down trees with their teeth, as a denial of their humdrum suburban corporate existence. They might never do anything more adventurous than mowing the lawn on a Sunday, they might never do anything more hunter-gatherer than going to Wal-Mart, but if they’ve got a truck that could be used to haul a couple of dead deer then they can pretend to themselves that they have it in them to be that person. Also, because arms race. It’s understandable that when the roof of your Golf is below the window-line of most other vehicles on the road, you’re going to feel like a really vulnerable sitting target and want something that gives you a bit more protection against those behemoths – especially in an atomised non-society where the standard of driving is pretty appalling.
I truly appreciate your balanced views on almost all subjects you explore, but in this specific case I am in the NOT JUST BIKES camp. The ongoing trend of expanding cars is alarming at best and downright criminal in true fact. Protecting yourself better is all very well, but in this case it goes at the expense of all other street users, who become more and more vulnerable.
I think one major contributing factor to the rise of the SUV worldwide (or the pickup in the US) is marketing. Let’s stay with the SUV: If you compare a minivan and a SUV with the same length and width, the minivan will provide more space for passengers and cargo, better line of sight and is more economical due to its’ overall design. But the car industry successfully implemented the thougth, that you NEED an SUV. You NEED wide fenders for your BIS ASS wheels. You NEED an agressive and tall hood to instill FEAR of being crushed in the people in front of you, so they move over and let you pass. You NEED massive ground clearance in case you have to go offroad, although your car probably won’t see a Feldweg in its’ whole lifetime and the biggest mountain you’ll ever climb is the Mt. Bordstein. You NEED to sit as high as possible, to have a better view in the distance. It doesn’t matter that you’re blocking the view for other drivers, it doesn’t matter your bloated carriage is blocking your own line of sight in close proximity, so you can’t see smaller obstacles like the aforementioned Bordstein or kids. You NEED the massive Stadtpanzer for YOUR safety. It doesn’t matter the poor single mom and her kids in her rusty subcompact she can barely afford, will be crushed to death, because YOU are to incompetent to pilot your humongous pile of metal. There is a true story of a woman, who killed a kid on a school run. She was unable to see the kid in front of her bloated Mercedes ML, because her line of sight was obstructed.
The “Dienstwagenprivileg” aka “Firmenwagen” has been a gamechanger for the German automotive industry. The vast majority of luxury cars, SUVs and Crossovers in Germany are company owned – a privately owned and operated VW Polo is more expensive than a company owned but privately operated Audi Q8. This injustice is insane…….
How it started: driving lessons (Netherlands, 1972) in a VW Beetle. How it went on: 3-month road trip (US, 1976) in a Toyota Corolla station car, considered extremely small by about everybody there, but quite comfortable for 2 people. How it is now: Ford C-max which has a higher seat, hence comfortable for getting in/out; removed one of the backseats, for easy transport of my rollator. Point is: treat your car like any household item – don’t buy a complete Kitchen Aid, if you bake about 4 cakes per year, just bc it looks impressive (and takes 1.5 square feet on your countertop). Thanks, Ashton, your comparisons are always very informative!
As an actual “gearhead”, who has probably owned close to 100 different cars over my lifetime, I agree with your perspective on the difference between the US and Germany (actually all of Europe). I have owned everything from a land yacht (69 Chrysler New Yorker) to a small compact/economy car (VW Beetle), including 3 pickup trucks. Currently I drive an Opel Corsa because it fits my life and needs currently. All served a need in their time and they were generally what was being sold in the place/time. For cars, I always drifted more to the smaller end of the spectrum because I found them more practical. They were more economical on fuel, easier and cheaper to repair, simpler to operate and easier to maneuver. Prior to the 1973 oil embargo, American cars were huge and had massive engines. Afterward the trend shifted to smaller cars with smaller engines and has never returned to the pre-1970s size (except for trucks that remained about the same size). Yes, vehicles have grown, but it seems in a strange way. Existing models grow larger, but many times new, smaller models continue to be introduced. Toyota is an example. The Corolla was their smallest model for many years and continued to grow in size. Soon it was as large as the Camry once had been, so they introduced the Yaris that was about the same size as the original Corolla. VW did the same thing when the Golf grew larger they introduced the Lupo that was the size of the original Golf. I find the more interesting factor in the future is how European infrastructure will cope with the changes.
We lived in Würzburg for about four years when I was in the military. We brought our Chrysler Town and Country with us and it felt huge. I agree that having a truck in the US does seem more like a status symbol than anything else. Now that we don’t have to seat 5 kids, our car is a four door hatchback. Interesting analysis.
It is insane how the auto industrie created this demand for totally huge and dangerous trucks that often have less caring volume than a standard kastenwagen or any real transporter (like a multivan). I recommend you watch “How The Auto Industry Carjacked The American Dream” from climate town and “These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us” from Not Just Bikes to understand better how the car industry influenced the US and also Germany.
Sadly all Europeans are buying larger cars… I have just visited my family and I’m from lake Como, where roads are very narrow. The amount of tourists from all over Europe driving large SUVs, but not actually able to drive them or park them, was infuriating… They slow down traffic and drive in the middle of the road 🤦♀️
Yes. You are bang on, here. I’ve been in the automotive industry for many years. Here in America I routinely tell folks to get their lumber and mulch delivered. I was sitting in city traffic one day, looking around and thought myself… we have it all wrong. If everyone drove a smaller car, instead of an SUV or truck, our traffic would be dramatically reduced because the available space on our highways would be increased by about 30%.
hi Ashton, the quality of your articles is really exceptional. Congratulations. I think your articles could very well be a good learning tool in German classrooms. I hope many teachers find them on YouTube and can incorporate them into their lessons. On today’s article: I think one important reasons for growing car size is that people just feel safer in a large vehicle. It can be quite scary if you are surrounded by large pick up trucks while sitting in a small European compact vehicle. So it’s like an uncontrolled arms race, where everyone just tries to keep up or surpass the others, not realizing that it makes life so much unsafer for everyone.
Really interesting article. About car sizes, it’s also something car companies try to steer. Obviously their profit is a lot bigger on luxury SUVs than on small affordable cars. Especially in the EV sector this is a big problem. Many people would love to get an affordable small EV but the choices there are very limited while every car brand and their mother produces EV SUVs. Which is ridiculous, since you’d think it would be obvious that most people want an EV that is as cost and energy efficient as possible but obviously car brands don’t care about that too much.
Don´t know if someone already mentioned it, but there is another reason Pickups are less practical in europe : In europe you are not allowed to just put everything unsecured in the loading area of a open pickup. So if using the loading area of a pickup you eigther have to secure it with bands/rope or you have to have a closed loading area. Reason for it are on the one hand exidents and on the other, that we drive faster. In both cases loads should not be able to get lost and hit others. Imagine you put your groceries in the back of a pickup (unsecured) and drive with 200 km/h (convert yourself) on the Autobahn… Pickups are not aerodynamicly designed… there is a good chance grocery bag get caught by the driving wind and kicked out of the pickup… no good on the Autobahn. On the other hand… if you have to secure every single item it is very time consuming… or the other variant: a pickup with a top cover on the loading area is not only stupid looking, it has the worst outcome of practicality in puting things in it… Because you eigther have to lift the cover every time, or you have to push everything to the front to use the whole space. … so even farmers and forrest worker preffer to use a full siced Jeep over a Pickup. Personal note : I had a friend (in germany) with a Dodge Ram with a hardtop loading area… worst car ever. Not ony was it hard to find a parking space in any city… but buying groceries was a pain in the ass. To unload it usually one had to climb into the low top laoding area because something „rolled” to the front of it.
I have recently visited Canada: First in Southern Ontario, then Winnipeg (Manitoba) and finally Vancouver Island. Especially in Ontario I was surprised by the ginormous pick-ups with engines in the 6 to 7 liter range (mostly Dodge RAM), and more often than not the occupant was a sole lady barely topping 160cm in height and barely tipping the scale at 60kg soaking wet! The thought that came to mind was: “Somebody is trying to (over)compensate here.” Even though it was a mostly rural area, most of these pick-ups where NOT working trucks since they featured a super glossy waxed and polished finish. The “working” trucks very obvious in being covered in dust and scratches. In southern Manitoba, though also a very rural area, the trucks had engines more in the 2 to 3 liter range and the bigger trucks were clearly working trucks. On the west coast (Vancouver Island) the trucks again got bigger, though on average not as big as in Ontario. With the very mountainous terrain both on the island as well as the mainland somewhat bigger engines are understandable and justified. And a higher proportion of the really big pick-ups (aka trucks) were obviously working trucks.
Another excellent well researched article. 65 year old Canadian here but I have always liked smaller, European cars. Owned/drove 3 Fiats( boy did I learn auto repair with those) but the driving experience was enjoyable. Graduated to Japanese/Korean but still prefer the smallest car that fits my needs. Can’t wait to rent my car in Germany for 18 days in August and rowing through the manual gearbox again on those wonderful Bavarian roads.Will see what car I will get, will be a mini/economy car.
Another great article, Ashton. I really admire the thorough research you put into every topic you discuss in your articles and your dedication to be as objective as you can without dismissing your roots and/or personal experiences – even when diving into such an emotional topic for us Germans and, I guess, Americans as well. But you deliver it with an absolutly charming twinkle in your eyes so no egos would get hurt. Well done, young Lady🙇♂👏💛💛
I can say with my German background, I acquired a VW New Beetle! I loved that car and I still miss it. I’m not your typical American given that I like things simple, practical and fun! Then there too, Is my affection for the Bauhaus. A good write up of the difference between the German and the American car culture. People who value freedom don’t express it in the same way and I would hate their being a mirror image if each other. Our personalities, lifestyle choices and the time we spend on the road says a great deal about who we are.
Good morning to the Black Forest😊. Wow, even the topic about European and American cars isn’t on the top of my priority list, the article took me from the first second. Again a masterpiece of well researched content and entertaining presentation. It’s my pleasure to be your “Patron” and to support your high quality work. Have a pleasant\t Sunday and enjoy it with your loved ones.😊
I really enjoy your deep dives, and here’s another great one. However, I think there’s still a lot of psychology to unwrap, especially when it comes to the SUV trend in the EU and Germany. I feel like it is really a sign of the times and our society, I will always stand firm on my belief/observation that the first SUVs became a trend in Germany in about the same time talk about climate change and in particular Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” became bigger at the end of the 90s, and modern SUV and Pickup design (just look at the front) is really a very loud “F YOU, I won’t do what you tell me”, with the “F you Greta” and “Fridays for Hubraum” stickers soon becoming a factory standard. Maybe I’m too simple in my thinking, but modern car design really brings me back to the old stereotypes of egoism, member size and those other most basic instincts in humans, because I can find no other logical explanation for why most people choose these cars with this design than either showing off brutality or being so scared that they need a tank around them to feel safe with no regards to anyone else.
I don’t know if this is still true, but if I remember correctly, Germans are more likely to drive manual transmission than people in the US. Most of the people around me wouldn’t want an automatic for different reasons while in the US automatic is and has been pretty much the standard for decades unless you are looking for a sports car. I think this is another aspect of the different way Germans and US people use their vehicles. As a Nürnberger: Thanks for the short Nürnberg clip at 0:22 😊 I’m impressed by the work you put into your articles – not only the amount of research but also your editing, looks very professional! 👍
Thank you Ashton. Although I’m not interested in cars (just a tool), the impact cars have on our lives is important to me. I think there is one point you could add to this subject. With the higher weight of electric vehicles, and the even higher weight with the growing size of our cars, the maintenance and construction costs of our infrastructure will increase as well, while the load of the average vehicle doesn’t. This does not really fit with the German efficiency stereotype.
Lmao this is the most European perspective on what cars Americans drive. Most people don’t drive trucks but actually drive commuter cars. Yes, there are more large trucks in the U.S. than other places, but it’s still true that most people don’t drive trucks as their day to day vehicle. Many people own a truck but only drive it when they need to use it for hauling something, so that plays into the statistics of it as well. But yeah, most people I know drive commuter sedans, hatchbacks, small SUVs, etc. Were you really thinking that we’re all driving around in F-150s all the time?
As always, I can only compliment you on how calmly and analytic you take on topics like a highly emotional one like cars are for many. Amoungst all the hype-screamers on the net, you and your husbend are truly bliss. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for the effort you‘ve put into this one 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Looking forward to whats coming next. Regards from the NiederRhein area close to the dutch border.
Cars up until the 1930’s were roughly the same size on both sides of the Atlantic. It was only when the big American automakers started competing with each other completely out of control in the 1950s, combined with benevolent political regulation due to lobbying, that steered buying behavior towards very large cars. Large cars are nowadays considered an American tradition. However, this did not arise as customer desire, but was generated by the manufacturers for reasons of profit maximization. They discontinued selling smaller and compact cars first, then claimed there was no market for small cars because none were sold – thus steering customers into a more profitable product segment. Exactly what we are seeing right now in Europe where the semiconductor shortage is used as excuse to permanently dump small car models in favor of ones with bigger profit margins. Master piece of the big three’s lobbying work was pushing through exemptions from environmental and safety regulations for pickup trucks while having the US pickup truck market sealed off with a 25 percent import tariff. The dream of any manufacturer: a market segment for very simple vehicles that are cheap to produce, offer a huge profit margin, are subject to almost no safety and environmental regulations and almost no competition. All that was left to do was convince consumers that this was the hottest thing since apple pie was invented – which was very obviously an easy task: a truck is sporty, beautiful, luxurious, comfortable, powerful, practical.
Swiss car culture is the worst. People either purchase an expensive beamer, but the station wagon edition, because they want to be practical, or they buy a cheapo small farty car (like a Smart) because they want to be practical. So Switzerland is the land of no sedans, I kid you not. By comparison, I lived in LA for 20 years (the land of no hatchbacks) and they actually sell a Ford Fiesta Sedan !
Moin Moin. Der Vergleich warum Deutsche kein Truck fahren hinkt gewaltig, hat eher andere Gründe ! Der Truck hat eine zu kleine Ladefläche da hat ein Transporter von Mercedes oder VW mehr . Laden ist schwierig weil die Ladefläche so hoch ist beim Amerikaner, auch weniger Multifunktionell als wie der Europäer . Der Truck schluckt mehr Sprit da verbrauchen die Transporter aus Deutschland wesentlich weniger ! Die Transporter in Europa generell können mehr laden auch bei kleinen Motor . Und vieles mehr was eigentlich eher für einen Transporter (Van) spricht als für einen Truck . Gruß aus dem Nordwesten Deutschlands in den Südwesten Deutschlands …..
As an expat in the UK for a decade, I have often had this conversation. One key point of realization for US vs UK is the massive difference of a middle class life between the two. In America, you often see a lot of “toys” being hauled around in trucks and SUVs. Boats, Quad bikes, jet skis, etc etc. That is basically completely unheard of in the UK with exception of very wealthy families with estates. In the states, esp weekends, you are going to see this multiple times a day. In the UK, you’d count on one hand per month.. if that.
I think the main reason why cars are getting bigger in Germany is on the one hand the safety aspect that many see in SUVs but even more important is the convenience of getting in :-). Imagine an eighty year old getting into a Mini, Polo or Golf :-). That’s why box spring beds sold like hot cakes years ago. A country with motorically limited inhabitants needs corresponding cars – that’s how it is.
In my state to compensate for not paying for gas and the tax included with that they charge an extra fee on annual registration for EVs. That extra fee is about equal to the entire price I pay for gas for my SUV in a year. Makes EVs a lot less attractive. Without driving to another state you can’t find a dealership for anything but the 3 big american manufacturers and they tend to have very limited or no selection other than trucks and SUVs and none of the EV or hybrid options any of those manufacturers have come out with.
As an American, I own the top two German vehicles, a Golf and a Tiguan. The need for me to use anything beyond what my Tiguan can handle with a trailer is extremely rare. IF I ever do, it’s something where paid delivery or a truck rental is available. To me an F-150 seems very excessive to have as a daily driver. You are so on point with being better off daily driving a Cayman and renting a truck as needed.
Gday BFF, hope you and your viewers all had a fabulous week. I never thought I could be interested in a topic about cars but as always you raise my level of interest through your outstanding presentation skills. I really enjoy your content on a level I never expected. Thank you for always going the extra mile ( no pun intended) to give your viewers a well researched and professionally crafted article. I can’t praise you enough ❤
I learned from Albert Hammond that it never rains in Southern California, so I’d understand why they’d use pickup trucks there 🙂 But honestly, why would I want a truck with an open loading area, so that my cargo gets wet whenever it rains? Another point about car size worth mentioning is, that there’s old parking garages (especially in Vienna), where an SUV won’t fit into any spot. They still try though.
Because we in Germany and in Europe as a whole have shorter ways to go shopping, even if we live in the country, the next town where you can get everything is usually not that far. We also build and repair much less often, not to say almost never, on our houses when we then have our own house. We also have a lot more “sidewalks”, i.e. footpaths for pedestrians! Even in the countryside, the small villages are usually not only connected by a road for cars, but there is usually a footpath separate from the road!
You already covered a lot. As an EU citizen and having family across the pond, I have always wondered: is the ‘settlers psych’ the root cause of (car buying) decisions? I can imagine if you are a settler you have this nagging voice in the back of your head that says: “We need to pack our stuff and settle elsewhere”. So : 1. Your car needs to be big 2. You should not invest too much money in the durability of your home, because we “might be forced to move in a hurry”. 3. You should not bother to your environment that much. If natural resources are depleted we simply move to another location. 4. Investing in human relations is not worth it, bacause … we might have new neighbors when we move… etc.etc.etc. 5. If I default on loans I might need to sleep in my car….. The ‘car subject’ is a compelling way to tell that story.
I have lived in the Netherlands for 20 years and have definitely noticed that cars are increasing in size. It is very frustrating. To your point about taxes and costs, these large vehicles were always more expensive to purchase, own, and operate and therefore mostly available to the wealthy. Now, it seems that the costs have come down or people are willing to spend more for the status. I think that the EU needs to focus more on safety regulations. The wealthy shouldn’t get a free pass to own these behemoths which make the roads less safe for everyone. The laws of physics should be applied to the laws of the land. Large, heavy vehicles should be crash tested against smaller vehicles at various speeds. When the damage becomes too great on the smaller vehicle, then a speed limit on the larger vehicle should be set. Having money doesn’t give you the right to make it more dangerous for everyone. Big pickup = 50Km in city, 90Km on highway…just like a Semi. It’s not rocket science and we don’t want to follow the US in supersizing everything.
Thanks!! Just wanted to add that here in the US we have a lot more teenagers driving! Parents often want the safest cars for these young, inexperienced drivers. If we weren’t so car-centric and had better public transit options with more pedestrians in general and kids specifically, then we might have different safety regulations. My kids walk to school and I’m always shocked at how many parents drive to pick their kid up even when they live within the walking radius.
In the article is that you have a chart showing that in the US, crossovers are twice as popular as pickup trucks, but then decide that pickup trucks are the most popular choice. That doesn’t make sense. Yes, the F150 IS the most popular single model, but pickups aren’t the biggest category by far. The car category, on the other hand, has gotten much smaller, because former car-buyers have switched to crossovers, which are essentially tall cars (built on unibody car platforms with car-based drivetrains — not heavy body-on-frame construction like pickups and very large SUVs). So it’s kind of weird to lump in small, fuel-efficient crossovers (many with popular plug-in hybrid versions) like the Toyota RAV4 along with pickup trucks and truck-based SUVs. And crossovers have been exploding in popularity in Europe as well, so maybe the differences really aren’t so stark after all.
That was actually a very interesting article, although for me personally there is nothing more boring than talking about cars and everything that goes with them. Cars and private transport are among the greatest sins we commit to nature. Hardly anything takes up as much space as paved roads, parking lots, multi-storey car parks and garages for cars that are getting bigger and bigger and unfortunately are often driven by people who can’t handle them at all, who really aren’t good drivers. And people who live in big inner cities don’t need SUVs or pick-ups. In addition, there are no more durable cars being built, the broken cars then rust somewhere in African deserts and contaminate the soil and water there. Our thanks for robbing them of raw materials such as oil, among other things. Because the USA does not produce so much oil that all the people can fill up so cheaply.
Like the type of articles you make! Just a few very late comments, not sure if anyone already posted them: The Ford Escape is called Kuga in Europe, not Ecosport, that’s a different car. Opel isn’t really a German brand anymore, at least if you look at ownership of the brand, but that’s a bit nitpicking. Greetings from The Netherlands.
Hi Ashton, I know that you do good research for your articles and the source you have for the german commute is pretty solid, but I still think it seems to put the german commute at a very low distance! The figures I get for Europe are at about 30 km. Half as much as in the USA, so your argument about fuel efficiency still holds, but not such an extreme difference as you claim in the article!
Do not forget that in the US, all those “trucks” and huge SUVs do not need to meet the requirements for a car. They can rely on the much lower regulations for commercially used vehicles. Of course, “Conservative” did that years ago to encourage business owners to have cheaper utility vehicles. Now over 60% of “cars” sold arent’t cars anymore – legally. That was the reason the car industry pushed the SUV and truck so hard as they could. Much higher margin of revenue due to lower environmental, safety and other regulations. And – it became a chicken game. “I need to buy a bigger car because everyone else got a bigger one so for my own safety I need to ramp up”. Especially women fall for that “it is for the safety of my kids”. People look like if I was a suicide candidate when using my small Beetle convertible. Also the lights from those “trucks” are so bad that at night you will always be glared because also they do not follow the car regulations. Even my colleagues make jokes about “Hey, I could just drive over your car with my truck, do you know that?” together with that hooga hooga hooga I am a strong man and masculine bullshit talk.
@2:21 That’s sales talk, if not propaganda of the yesteryears. Anyway, what I find amusing is how (most) Americans choose to drive and own SUVs/trucks as if the routes they take to get to and from work are rugged terrains and that they transport heavy cargo on a regular basis — fuel consumption be damned. 😅
AFAIK there is another reason not mentioned: In the USA, there are regulations regarding the maximum gasoline consumption of cars, similar to the fleet consumption in the EU. If you do not meet them a maker has tp pay penalties. Unfortunately, the maximum allowed fleet consumption in the USA is determined depending on the car size and weight. This means that large cars are allowed to consume an overproportional amount of fuel. As a result, small cars that can comply with the regulations are relatively difficult (or complex and therefore expensive) to build. It is easier to build large cars that comply with the much higher permitted limits. Thus the well-intentioned law with the goal to save fuel and minimize CO2 output leads to the fact that in America preferably large cars are built and then also marketed. Maybe the assumption that Americans want big cars and the industry therefore builds them is not true at all. Even if you don’t want to believe it: It may well be that the car manufacturers build big cars because it is easier for them to comply with the laws and THEN persuade the consumer via advertising that he also wants the clunky things. That is probably also the reason why in Europe SUVs are the fastest growing segment: They are good for the carmakers, so the built them and then tell us all that we need them. Because profit margins with small cars are just … small.
For alot of Americans the only thing they will ever look forward to owning in their whole lives is a motor vehical. And the US government knows this, that’s why vehicals manufacturers are subsidies so much to keep price low. Fuel prices is low, alcohol price is low, tobacco price is low. Things to keep people’s minds of their crap futures. And l forgot the cheap crap takeaway food. If you can’t afford anything but you can still have a F 150. The American dream.
I am a German who lives for over 20 years in Pennsylvania now. I used to own VWs and Audi’s. I had the chance when still in Germany to get my hands on a 78 Mustang. OMG what complete garbage that car was. After the oil pump broke twice and the second time it also took the bearings out it ended up on the junk yard where it belonged. In the U.S. my wife wanted a mini van. She bought a Chrysler town and country. It was not even 6 years and the sides got holes from rust. Absolute junk….after that we went back even in the U.S. to just buy German cars again. My 645ci BMW is now 19 years old and you won’t be able to find any rust on it. Neither on our Audi A6 or our BMW 528xi…….especially pick up trucks rust as quick as milk spoils….it’s hilarious to see as a German and they STILL buy them over and over again….
@Ashton, here is an interesting aspect to pick-up truck vs car regulations. larger pickups, by wheelbase do not have to meet the same emissions and fuel consumption requirements as cars, or even smaller (as in 2-door) trucks. 4 door trucks have a longer wheelbase than 2 door trucks. fewer requirements for emissions and fuel consumption. Also Pick-up trucks by and large (pun intended) are exempt from emissions testing. This does vary by state, or even county!) vehicles over 8800 pounds are exempt. and, yes, large pickups weigh 4 tons….. technical note for Jonathan: a typical trailer in germany may have a tongue weight of 50-100kg, well within the limit of a “car”. while a camping trailer in the US may have a tongue weight of 400-800 pounds, well out of spec for a “car”.
What always amazes me is how bad the quality of American Cars are. The technology is way behind, the engines are very inefficient and overall it feels like the top US model are 30 years behind the curve. Yes, they offer lots of oversized cupholder – a feature no sane person needs. What is really disgusting to me is how the concept of “Spaltmass” seems not even to exist in US companies – the cars are put together by people who seem to have no pride or respect for their work.
Ich liebe und bevorzuge seit nun knapp 20 Jahren Kombis, also “Station Wagon”. Das ist für mich einfach das Perfekte Auto. Die SUV’s sind in der Regel nur höher als die vergleichbaren “Hatchback’s” wodurch man “ageblich” besser einsteigen kann, was ich jedoch so nicht nachvollziehen kann. Ein Kombi bietet bei Bedarf einen deutlich größeren Kofferraum als ein “Hatchback” oder SUV fährt sich jedoch in Prinzip wie eine Limousine. Manche wie zb. BMW’s sind sogar noch recht sportlich, zusätzlich noch schnell und meist sparsamer als ein SUV. ……. I have loved and preferred station wagons for almost 20 years now, i.e. “Station Wagon”. This is simply the perfect car for me. The SUV’s are usually only higher than the comparable “hatchback’s” which “supposedly” makes it easier to get in, but I can’t understand that. If necessary, a station wagon offers a significantly larger trunk than a “hatchback” or SUV, but in principle it drives like a sedan. Some such as BMWs are actually quite sporty, quick and usually more economical than an SUV.
As an American car nut, who drives a VW Golf, I’ve watched car technology advance over the years, and can say that safety standards is one of the primary reasons cars have grown in size. Simply put, human injury and fatalities most often occur, when bodies come into contact with something hard… inside the car. So “A” pillars and therefore windshields have moved much further away, as have dashboards. Also, ‘Crumple Zones” are built into the front and back of the car. All this adds up to larger vehicles. Sure, people generally like larger cars, so of course that’s a factor too. I’m predicting all this is soon to go radically different as radar / proximity sensors will mean that the accident rate will tumble to near zero and that will allow cars to become MUCH smaller but still be safe. We’re still stuck thinking it’s OK to have a 4,000 pound machine move a 200 pound human around. Environmental issues will cause regulation to become MUCH stricter in how much energy is being used. Right now, we simply accept that ‘electric is better’ but soon reality will hit home, and we’ll all have to become more informed as to exactly how much energy is being consumed by our cars. Look at what gemcar is doing for a glimpse into the future. Great article.
One reason European cars have tended to become larger in recent years (apart from the growing obesity of the population) is that new crash-protection rules have made the doors much thicker to incorporate side-impact protection, the roof and door pillars have all been beefed-up to increase rollover protection, and the noses have been extended to allow a bigger crumple-zone. This has rendered half the domestic garages in Europe unusable because modern cars just won’t fit anymore so the streets are cluttered with parked cars. This is called “progress”.
When it comes to cars, i think that in general they now have too much “schnick-schnack”. Too much stuff that you just don’t really need. It makes cars bigger and heavier without actual reason. E.g. electronic seat adjustment. Usually it’s the same person driving a car over and over again. So you drive multiple electronic motors around which get used once every couple months… This is also why, i predict that VW is very soon not the people’s car anymore, but a brand like Dacia is. Those cars are cheaper and have everything you actually need. Also, the reason they often are claimed unsafe by Euro-NCAP is because of missing driving assistances like e.g. “Spurhalteassistent” (lane holding assistance – don’t know if it’s called that…?).
I think the speed limit is a major reason. The US had the roads but for us in Germany, they drive slowly in the US. With these roads, many of us would drive 200-250 km/h (or 124 -155 mph). 100-150 km/h is considered driving slow, 150 – 200 km/h is the normal speed and 200 – 250 km/h is still pretty normal / fast if you could afford this and the car. So I really don’t want to know how much fuel an F150 needs at 200 – 250 km/h.
Germany’s farmers also prefer more reasonable cars. German 4WDs outperform also most U. S. built cars. ( German farms are also different to U. S. ones.) In the EU we have harmonized legal technical requirements for cars. The quality of most European built cars is superior to U. S. cars. Germany doesn’t have a luxury car taxation like some other EU countries. Germans prefer larger card than many other EU citizens.
I really like your “land yacht” expression! I call them “unarmed but deadly tanks” or just “workday / commuter tanks”, or “private panzer”, “need to compensate something vehicle”… 🤣 Thankfully, some cities in Europe are reconsidering the presence of such beasts in their streets, thar only carry 1.2 person on average, and certainly no heavy or large haul more than once a year. Some cities want SUV’s and crossovers to pay their parking fees by excess weight and size / volume compared to a smaller urban car. In France in general and Paris in particular, there are groups of “deflaters” who, as the name implies, deflate tyres of huge vehicles parked in the steets at night and leave an explanation note on the windshield under the wiper. Usually detailing the excess CO2 and particles caused by their vehicle over a smaller car. I’ll add one other point to the article : even a 5 year old knows that cubes and bricks are not aerodynamic shapes. But vehicles like the Suburban, Escalade, F-150, etc. All look like a pile of cubes and bricks with wheels. The new heresy is now to market EV versions of these kinds of beasts : even more weight! The batteries in these things are mostly used to transport their own weight. And they can weigh more than all the passengers combined. Many “private” American vehicles would require a special high gross weight / lorry driving license in several European countries. Who would think of taking the kids to school or running errands with an 18 wheeler?
I know you didn’t want to go too deep into different regulations but the ‘truck loophole’ and the chicken tax are two further reasons that made trucks larger and more popular in the U.S.. The former enabled different regulations for trucks than for cars, among them less stringent fuel efficiency rules that contributed to the growth in size. The latter imposed higher import tariffs on trucks compared to cars, which made that sector more profitable for American manufacturers and thus made them focus more on them.
One thing that I never hear from people is how bad our roads are in many or most places in the US. I personally drive a old work truck or bicycle and the biggest problem I see is how ruff the roads are you need something with ground clearance and a decent amount suspension travel to not get thrown all over the road or scrape in many places. I couldn’t imagine trying to drive something low to the ground on some of the interstates let alone neighborhoods.
Hello Black Forest Four, another Sunday another very interesting article, thank you hope you are all doing well… for me living car free since almost four years it was before that time a question of costs, practically and then environment impact, in this sequence… why to own a car that will eat my hairs of the had literally? Practicable, sure there where a few cheap “gebrauchte” used Cars in opinion but for what does a single male need a Bus, a SUV or a Pickup? the three times a Year i need to Transport some Fourniture, some Cornstruction Stuff or the annually garden spring buy of flowers, earth and so on? last point was ever impact to the environment, simply because i couldn’t afford a electric car and the infrastructure to charge… Almost four years ago i stumbled upon an old Cargobike without electric Motor and it changed the view… since then i didn’t use a car more often than three times (in those 4 years) have now two electric Bikes (one for the cargo as substitute..) and even two Trailers for them, and i feel happy… no more fuel costs, no Tüv (or here MFK) no Taxes, no search for Parking Lots… okay the bad side is the weather but you can wear an extra layer… still interesting article for me, i can also recommend the notjustbikes article…
Dear Dr. Ashton, as usual, a very good article about that subject and very nice performed, thank you. Let me just ad a possible reason, why those pickup-trucks are so popular inside USA: In the end of the 70s, there was a “oil-crisis” with rationing gasoline and so on, after that, the US-government decided, that the cars (the overwhelming majority that tine were normal cars, sedans and station wagons) shoud less consume gasoline in the future, every year from that startpoint onwards, the average consommation of all the cars, a factory was making, shoud be less and less, up to very few, too few for the big V-8s, what were build in the most cars that time, so, the size of the engines became less and less, no mor V 8, V 6 was state of the art, after that even a 4-cylinder engine had to be installed, in order to meet the strict regulations. That was the reason, Mercedes-Benz introduced the “Baby-Benz” that time. But ….. those consommation-regulations were not valid for trucks, also for those mini-trucks, you call them pick-up-trucks, because those cars were seen as cars for working only, for business-purposes. Thats why those cars were the only new cars inside USA, where the costumer could order one of those famous American V 8 engines, if he/she wanted, and the people wanted them oilcrisis hin oder her.
As a german, I have to say… Besides the fact I dont have my own car (i rely on a carsharing membership and the help of friends who own cars they actually need for the few days a month i actually need a car), I just dont get the hype for these huge cars. I had to drive a Tiguan once (was the only car sharing car available) and I hated every second of it and was so incredibly glad when i could go back to my trusty old small Ford Fiestas and VW Polos. And from what I understand the Tiguan is small for an SUV… But it was still horrible to navigate through the tight roads of the average german city and into tiny parking lots barely wider than the car itself…
Thank you, Ashton. 7:47 Just hit that spot in your article and I literally whooped a “Yes!” when I saw that. That article is an absolutely perfect clarification why pickup trucks became so ubiquitous in the USA. Basically it boils down to “big car companies” lobbied for exceptions to environmental regulations for the biggest single contributor of green house gases in the personal vehicle market. Edit: 19:24 and a second whooped “Yes!” for your caveat here. Both of these types of vehicle are simply compensation and projection objects for their owner’s vanity. Their claimed usage has nothing to do with their true purpose: fun. That’s pretty much all they are. But at least the Porsche doesn’t claim to be anything but a fun vehicle. On the other hand, the Raptor at least may serve as a utility vehicle as well… But for that it’s ridiculously overpriced.
Der Ford Escape ist baugleich mit dem in Europa angebotenen Ford Kuga. Der Ford EcoSport ist ein Fahrzeug einer ganz anderen Kategorie und baut auf der Kleinwagen Plattform des Fiesta auf. Der Ford Kuga/Escape und EcoSport sind als „Weltauto” konzipiert und werden Weltweit vertrieben. Deswegen kann man Fahrzeuge nicht vergleichen.
Once again I am fascinated by the way you research the facts for your articles. So thank you very much for this. The German car market or I should rather say the cars German buy and use are different now. For example:what happened to the estate cars, they were all over the place only 10 years ago and now you see less of them as the buyers obviously are now going for the SUV type. I had various estates over the years and switched to the SUV variant some 4 years ago. It doesn’t really make sense as they are bigger, guzzle more petrol etc. but it’s easier to get in or out, you sit higher up, better visibility is a point. But believe it or not my estates could easily take more luggage. Writing this I cannot really explain why the SUV is now my preferred type of vehicle.
I am old enough (almost 80) to well remember the days before the Ford F150. I am of the opinion that Ford and its competitors have heavily advertised oversized “pickups” like the F150 and Silverado because the profit margin is far greater than that of sedans (and old-fashioned pickups). As the slogan goes, “advertising makes it happen.” Another very strange thing has happened-the US “pickups” of the present day are very different from those of my youth; they have “crew cabins” to accommodate a family–rather than a single bench seat for the driver plus one or two passengers–at the expense of the cargo space in the back. The huge “pickups” of the present day can’t even accommodate a 4X8 foot sheet of plywood or 8-foot pieces of lumber. I have read that is partly because of how the US government calculates the fuel economy requirements, but that doesn’t change the fact. They are also so high that it is difficult to load and unload the cargo space. The engine size and gearing has also changed dramatically- traditional pickup trucks were not geared appropriately for use on freeways; they were work vehicles. There are still some places in the US where what the auto dealerships demand for a “pickup” (with luxury appointments, of course) will still buy one something with a mailbox in front.
Germany gets their large cars too. Just this week, we were about to turn on a Bundesstraße. It was a T-crossing, we were to turn right. Left from us was a huge SUV which blocked our view trying to turn left. We could not drive despite our lane might be clear (as said, we were right-turners) because of that behemoth was blocking view. The SUV could not drive due oncomming traffic from the right. And there was no car passing, so we COULD HAVE gone, but did see jack. Only until this guy finally could go, we saw the lane was completely free for at least 1km… Could have turned 1 minute ago. Ridiculous..
Well – living in Germany, I’d like to add that the equivalent of a US pickup truck for the average German is a bus or “Bulli” – VW T5/T6 or Mercedes, Opel and so on. They provide similar utility and can seat up to 8 people. In many families, the “family car” will be a bus. On a sidenote : also pickup trucks become increasingly popular, partially due to pop culture influence from the US and partially due to practicality. They’re light trucks in Germany as well and quite affordable in tax and insurance …
You articles are interesting and highlight the differences in aspects of culture and materials between USA and Germany. But IMHO, all these differences are rooted in the psychology of the people involved. So, on that note, how about a comparison of the the motivations, hierarchy of values, likes and dislikes, personality and character traits and all that suff that contribute to that which makes people who they are. And since who we are is controlled by how we are nurtured, I would include parenting styles or elements in this discussion. (Nature is also a component of personality and character but that is not a “controllable” variable at the present so I don’t inlcude that here.) 🙂 And another topic would be comparison of liberal and conservative ideologies in the two countries. Thanks for the articles’
As an American living 50/50 in Europe and the U.S., to me it comes down to one thing: torque. Americans have been taught that the only fuel for road cars is gasoline. In Europe, we have highly sophisticated TDI engines (Turbodiesel Direct Injection). Something Detroit does not even dream about manufacturing. Take this example of 2 cars we drive in Europe: BMW e60 M5 & BMW e60 530d. The first one has a 5-liter V-10 gasoline engine (hoot to drive at 180 mph but 12 mpg fuel economy with 400 lb-ft torque). The second one has a 3-liter TDI engine, same 400 lb-ft torque, but 28 mpg fuel economy. A diesel powered Audi A6, VW Passat or BMW 5-series can tow what a 6-liter pickup V8 would be required to in the U.S.
Wish you’d mentioned that the automobile was actually invented in Germany, as the first self-propelled vehicle with an internal combustion engine was developed and driven by Carl Benz through my college town Mannheim. I did the opposite of you and moved to the US 15 years ago, and I concur with basically all your statements. The ever growing size of cars is a huge problem for cities, people, and the environment. Too bad that the influence of the United States on the rest of the western world is so strong that it will only increase the problem. Without strong government intervention it will continue to become a bigger problem. American selfishness has grown out of control, and unfortunately it’s become a role model
When i ever feel like “i don’t care about money” and like to see 10 € bills coming out of my exhaust while driving from gas station to gas station, then…no, no, there’s just no way i would buy an american car in germany. American cars (are there any besides SUVs and Trucks?) have the reputation of bad manufactoring, high fuel consumption and cheap interieur. I once had a Ford, brand new!!! and after 2 years, the interieur was falling apart because most parts were just glued. The engine was a 20 year old piece of renamed garbage, which sounded like a diesel engine. Never heard of something like that with a german car. Add to that, we grow up with the preferences of our parents and/or elders and most of them have funny things to say about car brands they don’t like. For example : “Er fuhr Ford, und kam nie wieder” which translates to “He was driving (a Ford) (*away), and never came back” (*the funny part is Ford the brand, and our word for away “fort” sound simmilar). “Wer Schei** frisst und Popel kaut, der fährt auch das was Opel baut” i don’t want to translate that “Was fährst du? Auto oder VW?” = “What are you driving? A car or a VW?” “BMW…(B)ei (M)ercedes (W)eggeschmissen” = “thrown away by Mercedes” or “(B)ring (M)ich (W)erkstatt” = “get me to the next shop for repairs” just to give some examples
The Ford EcoSport is such a weird conundrum of a name. It is economical, but it isn’t sporty xD It doesn’t even have AWD to give it a right as a basic offroader. BTW, the Ford Kuga name is very unpopular in Russia, because it means plague. What I like about US cars: – The big, rumbly, often SOHC V8 that makes some nice sounds while driving. – The versatility of a capable offroader pickup truck as a basic car. – Many vehicles are still RWD. What I don’t like: – Manuals are rare – The US Automatics used to have very little gears, and are very slow in shifting, especially down. – The popular vehicles like Pickups or Full-Size SUVs are quite big. – The ugly amber reflection stripes on the front fender – The red turn signals that blend in with the brake lights What I like about EU cars: – Depending on the country, the design can be quite special. It is very visible in older french cars, that were often very quirky. (This…) – Manual gearboxes are the most bought gearboxes in the EU, although the Auto becomes more popular as well. There is something special about choosing your own gear, and having your full power as soon as you step on the throttle. – The shapes of wagons, hatchbacks and minivans were very popular around 10 years ago, leading to some insanely powerful, fast, nimble and sporty cars. Think Mercedes 6.2 V8. They put that in a sedan, wagon, SUV and even the R63 minivan. There were even jokes that a Sprinter or X-Class with that engine would come to market. – Smaller engines with better fuel economy are available.
SOME of us are still having to buy what transport we can AFFORD, not something that echoes our taste (although I think I got lucky with the last vehicle). shoutout to European gearheads keeping THEIR goodies alive and for basically being the ONLY source I have to turn to to *change a stupid lightbulb*! one of the reasons I’ve run into for American vehicles getting longer is the fact that they now base the minimum fuel consumption required on the vehicle’s “footprint”; something the size of most eighties cars would now have to get a minimum of 50 US MPG/5l per 100 KM…which, over here would need the 2 cylinder out of a motorbike or a 60’s Fiat 500.
This winter’s rain storms in California showed a lot of drivers who couldn’t drive their 4×4 pickups and SUV’s in inclement weather. “Not Just Bikes” is a wonderful YT website. There are studies called “accidentolgy” in Europe. I once worked at an institute in France that studied that including crash-test dummies and real corpses. There is a track in Spain that is used crashing cars to study the effects. Incidentally, there is a funny comic book by Gary Larson “Night of the Crash-test Dummies”. It is part of his series “The Far Side”. Very good dark humor.
14:06 Congratulations, researcher. You just skimmed completely over the reason the SUV is popular in the US and not in the EU: environmental regulation. The US has significant environmental regulations on cars dating back to the 1970s (the CAFE1 standards, later augmented with CAFE2). Unfortunately, there’s an SUV-shaped hole in these standards, which is why American car manufacturers prefer SUVs over cars. The EU has regulations sans hole, so here SUV are not only badly built, low quality gas guzzlers but also expensive to produce/import and own.
I think, a big problem is, that cars got wider, but the parking spots, especially in parking garages, stayed the same width. So, it is harder to fit the vehicle the car in these spots. And, because of the growth of the length of the cars, there can’t park so samny cars in street parking. I don’t know the size comparison from the Smart from Mercedes-Benz. But I think, two of them could fit in one spot.
well… suvs are straight up worse in every aspect (safety, efficiency, even cargo space for modern family suvs) but they were exempt from certain regulations due to being classified as “large trucks” in the us. therefore they were cheaper to produce and made more profits for american manufacturers so they started to do ads (aka propaganda) for big suvs as though you need those. now it’s a cultural thing and people don’t even question it.
US oil and European oil is traded on an open market but they are on *different* markets: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Crude Oil and North Sea Brent (Brent) Crude. WTI is priced at delivery to a small town in Oklahoma where many pipelines meet. Brent oil today is $5 more than WTI, which is common. The $5 difference is mostly the cost of piping WTI down to New Orleans and putting it on a ship for delivery to the other side of the Atlantic. Before the US started exporting, oil the WTI price was often much lower than Brent due to frequent production surplus. The WTI standard is lighter (API gravity of 39.6° vs Brent at 38°) and lower in Sulphur (0.24% vs. 0.40%). Brent has greater storage reserve than WTI so WTI is more volatile. The lower API weight and lower Sulphur reduces the cost of refining Gasoline, but not Diesel fuel.
And meanwhile we living close to the German or Belgian border in the Netherlands go to Germany or Belgium to fill up our cars because gas is still considerably cheaper in Germany. I looked it up some time ago and I could only find Singapore having even more expensive gasoline. In Europe the class A cars, the smallest city mini’s is a dying class, not just because people want to buy larger cars, but due to more stringent safety regulations which require more and more safety systems built into the car and better crash safety requiring sturdier structures which make them larger and heavier by default. Also these requirements make them too expensive in relation to the market they are intended for. Models like the VW Up!, Peugeot 108, Ford Ka and Opel Karl are or will be discontinued. So it’s also legislation which leads to on average larger vehicles on Europe’s roads. The growth of car size in the US hasn’t much to do with legislation however, here it’s just the consumer wanting something larger as before.
YEAHHH. You mention “Not Just Bikes” That guy ROCKS and explains why the USA is a wreck and unsafe because the total wrong use off stroads (road) and the car-depency. By the way, a pickup truck is a van, not a car as we known in the EU. As is explained by “Not Just Bikes”. The pickup truck are bigger then them from the past. BUT the space in the “back” are smaller and smaller by every new model :p HAHA, pickup trucks are not practical for transporting goods. All the construction vans in the EU can haul more and are more practical for inbuild storage / materials for work on site. Next the facts the fuel consumption is HUGE in compare with EU vehicles. Noted the fuel is cheap, but why it is cheap? Tax… just mention the tax income is that what is used for keep up the roads in good health. Yes Germany has some issues about road healthy, but if you look at nations like the Netherlands our roads are GOOD. (Belgium is not 😛 )
The challenge here is human behavior. If everyone gets bigger cars, the smaller car drivers feel more vulnerable, so they buy even larger cars. Chicken game. Game theory. If it continues like that we will all drive in tanks in 20 years. And no one stops it. People make public jokes about my New Beetle Convertible “You know I could just drive over you?”.
Why are SUV and Pick-up trucks so popular in USA 🇺🇸? Because they were heavily marketed as safer to drive – which means safer for the driver, but not the ones outside💀. I absolutely hate the current trend of crossover cars in Europe – but here they are also picked, because the driver feels safer. I’m all for freedom to choose – but all this marketing for more profit doesn’t offer freedom – but ultimately forces others to choose bigger cars too, if they want to be safe in an accident. They should be much more heavily taxed – you should think thrice before buying a car that’s unsafe for others and is needlessly bigger, higher and uses more fuel than necessary. It could also be that oil-companies see that as their last hurrah for fuel-powered cars – and want to shift the norm to big cars, that are not easily converted to EV.
American car culture is not freedom. Car is a necessity. It is a must. If you don’t want to spend hundreds of $ monthly on gas, maintenance, repairs, registration and insurance, too bad. You have to. You don’t wat to sit for hours every day in a car? Too bad, you have to. To me, FREEDOM is when one has a CHOICE NOT to drive a car. Want to save money or just don’t like driving? Hop on mass transport. That’s freedom.