Consumer preference is part of it, but car manufacturers have also intentionally stopped competing for the low end and small vehicle market. It’s textbook tacit cooperation.
During the pandemic, there was a chip shortage that led makers to prioritize high margin cars like trucks and luxury SUVs. Many makers decided that they liked being a low volume high price seller and just cut their lower priced cars altogether. If everyone does it at the same time, there’s no market mechanism to punish them. Many people can’t buy smaller cars even if they wanted. It doesn’t help that all of our car regulations in the US and Canada encourage this by having much weaker regulations for bigger vehicles. The whole market is a mess.
You can buy a Kia with back up camera, Android Auto/car play, for 18k. 16k if you are willing to deal with a Mitsubishi drivetrain. People just don’t buy them because MOST new car buyers are wealthy anyway. There is some upward pressure on used because of supply chain issues and used inventory but that has already leveled off and has slightly corrected. Add in being used to 1% APR and it the payments ARE more. It will take more time but I really don’t think cars are increasing in price as much as media is yelling about it.
@fresh The Answer, at least historically, is consumers buying foreign cars. That’s one reason VW’s took off in the 1950’s-‘60’s. Of course, that’s been foreclosed by EPA & NHTSA regs. But EV’s would avoid EPA regulations. IDK what it would take on the safety end.
Consumer preference is part of it, but car manufacturers have also intentionally stopped competing for the low end and small vehicle market. It’s textbook tacit cooperation.
During the pandemic, there was a chip shortage that led makers to prioritize high margin cars like trucks and luxury SUVs. Many makers decided that they liked being a low volume high price seller and just cut their lower priced cars altogether. If everyone does it at the same time, there’s no market mechanism to punish them. Many people can’t buy smaller cars even if they wanted. It doesn’t help that all of our car regulations in the US and Canada encourage this by having much weaker regulations for bigger vehicles. The whole market is a mess.
You can buy a Kia with back up camera, Android Auto/car play, for 18k. 16k if you are willing to deal with a Mitsubishi drivetrain. People just don’t buy them because MOST new car buyers are wealthy anyway. There is some upward pressure on used because of supply chain issues and used inventory but that has already leveled off and has slightly corrected. Add in being used to 1% APR and it the payments ARE more. It will take more time but I really don’t think cars are increasing in price as much as media is yelling about it.
@fresh The Answer, at least historically, is consumers buying foreign cars. That’s one reason VW’s took off in the 1950’s-‘60’s. Of course, that’s been foreclosed by EPA & NHTSA regs. But EV’s would avoid EPA regulations. IDK what it would take on the safety end.
But, like you said, the foreign makers are also making big cars to comply with our corrupt pro-corporate regulations.
EVs are looking to be both more expensive and more dangerous. I have zero hope that they will be an improvement in any way except emissions.
We need weight and size based taxation to discourage big cars. More than that, we need to move away from car dependence.