Mike Hunter

You HAVE been out of the US for quite some time. The US is the largest
vehicle market in the world and the US has the most robust economy in the
world. that is why so many foreign manufactures have entered the US market.
Those Americans, that dot need a vehicle that can haul more than four people
and can not afford to by the larger safer more expensive vehicles, tend to
buy small cars or CUVs. CUVs re the SUV types that are built on car chassis
rather than a sturdier truck chasses as are SUVs. Those buyer that require
larger more powerful vehicles, to haul their family and all of their
'stuff,' tend to buy larger safer cars SUVs and CUVs. Many American that
can afford to buy both a small car, to use when they do not require the
abilities of the other type of vehicles, as well as the other type of
vehicle for when the do need that type of vehicle. Over the past five years
or so light trucks, including SUVs etc have sold at a rate greater than
cars, as high as 55% in 2004. In 2005 however cars accounted for just over
50% of the 18,000,000 new vehicles sold in the US. The number of new
vehicles sold in the US today is more than twice what it was just twenty
years ago. According to the US census the average American family owns three
vehicles, not one

mike hunt


<oceansixtyone@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1137470282.044836.137600@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> I have been away from the United States for a number of years and when
> I returned I found many more utility type vehicles on the road. This
> includes SUV, station wagons and minivans. Sport Utility Vehicles as
> the most popular of these utility vehicles. It looks to me that the
> SUV has become the family car of choice these days in the US. By sales
> numbers and the general view on the streets. I want to get some
> opinions on why people are choosing these as a family car, especially
> SUV. I am vary curious about the vastly increased market share of
> SUVs, in the US so please tell me something if you bought one. I am a
> 34 year old male and I would not be caught dead in one and would never
> buy one. Long ago when I was in the US and in high school during the
> late 1980's most of us drove older used cars. However when someone
> got to buy something new they often got Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds
> etc,..or imports like the Honda CRX , Nissan 240, or small pickup
> trucks. . No one would get an SUV if they had a choice in the matter.
> Now it seems that SUVs are fashionable even in the eyes of younger
> people. Considering that most families are 2 children or less in the
> developed world, all that is needed is a 4 door sedan. In places like
> Asia and Europe, a small 4 door sedan like Honda Civic is what is used
> for a family of 4. A soccer mom would have to pop out many more babies
> to need a bigger car. Even a 2 door car would work well if it has 4
> seats. It is strange to see people with only 2 children driving a
> minivan or SUV with seating for a dozen people. My Honda civic 4 door
> can comfortably transport 4 full size adults and their scuba diving
> gear vary well. Also an SUV would not work for the farm. Lots of
> things and equipment need to be hauled that would damage the interior
> of an SUV. Farmers and ranchers need full size trucks, not SUVs. The
> average car can turn faster on a twisty road and can avoid accidents
> when compared to an SUV. You don't need a Corvette for good
> handling, as even my Honda Civic can handle quite well on roads that
> make SUVs wobble around or tip over. About efficiency, the 300+ hp v8
> in a Ford Mustang can actually be put to use for acceleration instead
> of pulling the big jacked-up station wagon body of an SUV. This
> concept also applies to gas mileage. I noticed that SUVs I have driven
> always got low gas mileage even on the highway. Cars like Corvette
> will get close to 28 miles per gallon on the highway, and these have 6
> liter engines with lighter overall car weight. So big engine size is
> not the most important factor in miles per gallon. If you want to
> haul cargo then you can always rent a truck or van for a few days and
> this would be cheaper than driving an SUV all the time. About space, a
> mobile DJ said to me that his cargo van holds over double the amount of
> equipment than the SUV he drove earlier. And finally about driving.
> SUVs to me are work to park in the city and no fun to drive on paved
> roads. They are not a pleasure to drive as I have noticed. So why do
> people buy them?
>