Wired has a report on the recent collapse of the SUV and truck market in the U.S., which have taken a rather sharp nosedive these past few months. Some analysts seem to believe it’s a change that’s here to stay. Jesse Toprak on CNNMoney is quoted in the article as saying “Even if gas prices go down for a month or two, consumers are not going to rush back out and buy SUVs. This appears to be a permanent shift”. While I don’t think oil prices are going to go down any time soon, I’m not so sure that people wouldn’t rush back to SUV’s and trucks if they did. In any case, a few months of sales don’t mean a whole lot. North Americans love big things, and I’m not so sure the mental shift can happen that fast.

I would be happy to see North Americans adopt a more European outlook on cars (and houses, and food for that matter) in going for quality over quantity. Pictured here is the Mercedes A-Class¹ , a luxury subcompact sold in the European market. They were super-popular in Germany, but go directly against the North American penchant for size over everything else, which, as mentioned, seems just as prevalent in our homes and on our plates.

I would be pleased to see an overnight shift to compacts, hybrids, and bicycles. This is, however, more likely going to be a slow move to small trucks, so-called “crossovers” like the amusingly aptly name Buick Enclave, and mid-size cars.

1. Photo credit to Flickr user Dirk1812, used under a Creative Commons License

Tags: Long, Long Term Thinking, Term, Thinking