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You sell less to people living in the cities but maybe you sell more to the operators of fleets of rental cars, even self driving if that really becomes mainstr
by pmontra 2mo ago
You sell less to people living in the cities but maybe you sell more to the operators of fleets of rental cars, even self driving if that really becomes mainstream. Not enough to match the decrease of sales.
You keep selling to people living in countryside, where you don't go anywhere without a car and where fleets of cars would have to be very large to be able to cover the territory in a meaningful way. There will be less and less people living there but it could affect the kind of cars that are manufactured. By the way, a self driving car would be very useful to elderly people living in their house far away from the nearest town.
In any case, less cars.
- echelon 2mo agoPeople in cities decided they wanted less car-centric infrastructure. People in cities demanded EVs, yet didn't show up to keep buying them. People in cities apparently know best what car companies should build, yet they don't buy the cars. Car companies build for suburbanites. Suburbanites buy cars.
- lopis 2mo ago> People in cities demanded EVs, yet didn't show up to keep buying them. That's only natural, because two kinds of people want EVs in cities (with some overlap). The first kind wants less noise, less pollution and fewer gas stations inside the city - they want other people to buy EVs, but don't want a car themselves. The second wants to own an EV because it's green and efficient.
- SideburnsOfDoom 2mo ago> The second wants to own an EV because it's green and efficient For suburbanites with off-street parking, overnight charging and few road-trips or long distance commutes, an EV is these days simply more convenient to operate, and has cheaper total cost of ownership. For many people, the case for an EV is simply pragmatic - better convenience and cost.
- King-Aaron 2mo ago> Car companies build for suburbanites. And for $100, where are the majority of consumers often located
- karlgkk 2mo agoLittle of what you said is based on fact, only grievance. Very few cities in the us are actively anti car, and the ones that are, are dense enough that vehicle emissions are a local problem for them. We’re not demanding evs for ourselves, we’re demanding gas cars stop gassing our homes. You want to drive a v8 dually? Great, go nuts! Keep it out of SF!
- echelon 2mo ago> only grievance They're ripping up lanes of traffic in my city and replacing them with bike lanes that nobody uses. The busy intersection next to my home used to take all of 15 seconds to turn at, now I get stuck for five to six minutes at a time because they now forbid right turns on red and stuck left turners in front of right turners. Meanwhile, nobody is using the bike lanes. The bike lanes are gender and age inequitable, favor low-commercial activity, and hamper productive economic activities. Not only that, but they're unusable in inclement and hot weather, which my city experiences frequently. I drive a car because I'm buying things, traveling with family, and spending hundreds of dollars. People on bikes are not doing these things and are not contributing to the tax base as much as car drivers. A typical bike rider's coffee and book reading activities do not match a trip to Target and a local restaurant with family in terms of economic impact. Now multiply that times every car rider who is being delayed and disrupted. All of this spending is now being delayed or even prevented. We're going to feel really silly when we need more lanes for all the autonomous vehicles that will come online in the next 15 years. Autonomous vehicles - transportation, logistics, last mile delivery, ordering robotics services, etc. - are going to be a billion times more important than bikes. Just go to a park or get a gym membership if you want to exercise. Or, better yet, take your bike with you on your car and drive to the countryside trails.
- steve_gh 2mo agoI think it takes time for demand to build. Certainly cities like London have seen huge growth in bike use. In my own home town(which is by no means flat) I'm seeing lots of cargo bikes, especially around tge school run. To your point on bike owners not contributing to the economy. They probably have a similar income, and are paying similar taxes. They are still buying groceries. But where they choose to spend their money is different. It's all still economic activity though.
- xtiansimon 2mo ago> “Suburbanites buy cars” True for Long Island, NY. Can’t go to to the store 0.3 miles away without driving your cage. Kids take the bus to school in even the best weather, that is if their parents don’t drive them.
- dd8601fn 2mo agoIncreasingly us suburbanites don’t even do that. The grocery now comes to us.
- rsynnott 2mo ago> Can’t go to to the store 0.3 miles away without driving your cage. Is this due to a lack of footpaths? Or just a cultural thing?
- xtiansimon 2mo agoWell. Some of it's mental (can't imagine walking when you have a car) and some of it is what mom who has two kids (with or without the father) is going to want to choose to walk pushing a folding cart full of groceries when they can drive in a community designed for cars. Moms will take back personal time wherever they can.
- up2isomorphism 2mo agoComing from a country where almost everybody rides a bike. I would say US is the worst place to ride a bike. Also the utilization is inherently low due the city layout and weather is bad in winter in most US cities. It would be much more efficient to use the space for bike lanes for better pubic transport.