Traditionally Americans have had a big love of big cars, and a recent survey by AutoPacific has proved that. The pressures of rising driving costs and the ethical factors of being green are forcing people around the world to become more fuel efficient. In the UK people have done this by buying smaller cars as saloon sales have dropped and small cars such as the fiat 500 have received a huge boost. The Americans according to this survey would like a more fuel efficient vehicle but are unwilling to downsize their car.
I finally see the point of the Lexus 4×4 hybrid and the new ford Escape hybrid which allows people to satisfy their need for a large car and obtain a high MPG than a traditional petrol car. Keep in mind though that the fuel consumption of these hybrid SUV’s is still a lot high than cars such as the Ford Fiesta.
So how are these viewpoints concluded from the data? “When they bought these cars they accepted lower
power and cargo room for better fuel economy and a high-value price, but in the future they want something more – bigger, faster and with more bells and whistles,” explains George Peterson the AutoPacific President. A hybrid such as
the Lexus 450h which has almost sports car performance and can achieve almost 40mpg is this the car of the future well if the results of the survey are correct it could be the ideal car for Americans anyway. Another possible pathway for the future is the direction ford is taking. They are bringing over their Focus which is currently only available in Europe. This brings a level of quality not often found in cars stateside and could provide the performance premium feel, and practicality that the Americans desire.
Will there not be a best small car in the future will the small car fizzle out due to new fuel solutions?