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Much has been written about Americans' increasing loss of love for the car, especially among the youth. Here is another example that puts forth a hypothesis: Facebook & social media in general combined with a depressed economy and yuppies' increasing love of urban lifestyle is putting a cramp in the car's style.
Normally, I don't put much stock in what Vice writes, and I think this article grasps at limbs a bit ,but I think it makes a few good points that I mentioned above. Why drive when gas is $4/gallon and your teen's job is likely earning no more than what you earned in 1975, back when gas was $0.50 / gallon? Why get stuck in highways when you really wanted "freedom?" For many, freedom is turning out to be chilling on the bus while drinking a coffee and reading on your Kindle or working via your data plan or if you're lucky the wi-fi on the bus.
I personally think the country (USA) is far too big for the car to be irrelevant. I also think stagnating wages will disafford urban lifestyles for anyone except the top 15% of wage earners so suburbs will become the new low-class ghettos (don't think it can happen? Ask folks who grew up in inner cities in the 30s and 40s in high-class inner neighborhoods).
As a young person myself a Gen Y'er, I love cars. Mostly older classics, but it is strange because I never had parents or anyone in my family that owned classic's or cool cars, so for me to be into them as much as I am is surprising in many ways. Because a lot young people I know aren't as into cars like me, which sucks unfortunately since half of the time when I'm "car talking" amongst my peers, they're left clueless.
I believe one of the major reasons why (some will disagree) a lot of young people aren't that into cars anymore, is because for one, it cost a lot of dough to own a new ride, gas prices are expensive especially on the Coasts, second, the general public see's cars nothing more, but simply as a device that get's them from A to B rather than the car being something that actually means more to the person. Modern rides aren't statement makers like they used to be either, and this could also be an issue when youngsters are growing up since everyone seems to love driving tiny Prius's, and other **** boxes everywhere, so how can any kid be inspired by cars like that? Then we have a culture today where we emphasis on finding other means of transportation like taking the bus, train, and even biking or walking. Lowering your carbon footprint, crap like that. It's like we are promoting cars as pollution devices or at least the government is, it discourages buyers, rather than it being a positive thing to own and enjoy like they should be.
Thirdly, IMHO modern cars are ugly as sin. They look all too similar to one another, they're not works of art like cars were back in the 30's-70's. The new cars feel cheap, generic, and flimsy and are made like they're basic home appliances.
The cars that I drive feel like "Real" cars with lot's of real chrome that were made to destroy anything it's path, when you open the doors, pop the hood up, even the trunk lid, they all had heft to em that made you like you were driving a tank. I love that feeling, and no new modern ride has given me that same effect.
Also yes, many Gen Y'er's love the urban lifestyle, thus they have been driving much of the urban gentrification this past decade that has been taking place in major cities all around the U.S. and therefore don't really need a car to get around in, so this is part of the problem too.
Maybe if automakers started to focus more heavily on styling, rather than the latest feature content, maybe this will attract more younger people to be interested in cars again.
Chrysler/Dodge is one company that is doing this exact thing. The big cars like the Chrysler 300, the Charger and Challenger are cars that I see a lot of younger people driving around where I live. These cars have a sense of styling, they make a statement, they are bold and brash and that is what sales among people my age. I don't really see them in Toyota's that's for sure, so that could be a start for automakers, they need to stop playing it safe for once.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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It's true in many areas, but others not so much. We still have kids getting a new car for their 16th birthday around here, the main difference is that now the great sense of independence that came with a car is diminishing because the kids have grown up with both parents working and are pretty much doing what they want from a much earlier age. Add to that the fact that all of the newer cars look the same, and there's no "cool" factor to having one car over another.
Even those choosing an urban lifestyle in their 20s are eventually buying cars once they start to marry and have kids. That delay of 10+ years will definitely affect the auto industry, which is why they are doing their best to
address younger people with their co5mercials. A bigger factor will be in about 10-20 years when the baby boomers start to reach their 80s and stop driving. Buick will probably be the next make to go away.
I think that article is yet another case of a New Yorker who thinks the rest of the country is like NYC.
Anyway, a personal vehicle will probably be the transportation method of choice for at least the next 100 years. What will be different is the vehicle itself and the way we use it.
I imagine that once self-drive technology has become mainstream, it will become very popular to rent vehicles rather than own them. They will drive to your doorstep and go back to the rental lot on their own so they will be very convenient. New "self healing" body panels and color change "on demand" (probably even permanent computer controled auto drive) are on the way too and will work in favor of the rental companies. Many will find "per use" rentals will be far cheaper than owning, especially since new cars will only get more expensive as they become more technologically advanced.
Finally, gas powered cars will go the way of the dinsaur as soon as electric cars meet and finally surpass the performance of gas cars. One day soon you will be able to drive an electric car 400+ miles on a single charge and recharge them faster than you could fill a gas tank for far less $$ than an equivilent gas car.
There will always be classic car fans, however so we will see gas powered "classics" on our roads and in parades for at least 100 years to come too.
I think that article is yet another case of a New Yorker who thinks the rest of the country is like NYC.
I do agree with this.
However, I also agree with the OP - cars have become very expensive, gas is expensive, and younger people are having a harder time getting good paying jobs. Plus, with the internet, you don't need a car to "get out" and socialize anymore, so there are many reasons for car buying among the demographic to decline.
What the decline really means is that less people who only use cars as tools will be owning and driving them. What we'll be left with are the enthusiasts and the better cars that cater to that audience vs Camrys, Civics, etc.
I think we just have a generation gap here. I've noticed older folks considering "into cars" as meaning "into classic RWD Detroit iron muscle." Today's hot-rodder, on the other hand, is more likely to mod a Focus or Civic, because those are TODAY'S cheap rides. Just as the original "hot rods" were chopped and modded Model T Fords, that's what was plentiful at the time.
And now, instead of 6 speaker 8-track decks and CB radios, people put in 16 speaker head units integrated with their docked cellphone. Where once there was chrome, there is now carbon fiber. And candy apple red metalflake has been traded for matte blacks and iridescent purple pearls, though I do still enjoy me a nice metallic red on occasion.
There's more of an emphasis on turns, handling, and keeping weight down, because of the rise of rally-style racing, and the comparative fall of NASCAR (by which I mean that the "stock' cars are no longer sent to race in NASCAR, they use specially built rigs that have no relation to production cars).
But believe me, people are still "into" cars. Just ask pretty much any Mazda owner. Or the guy driving the WRX.
However, I also agree with the OP - cars have become very expensive, gas is expensive, and younger people are having a harder time getting good paying jobs. Plus, with the internet, you don't need a car to "get out" and socialize anymore, so there are many reasons for car buying among the demographic to decline.
What the decline really means is that less people who only use cars as tools will be owning and driving them. What we'll be left with are the enthusiasts and the better cars that cater to that audience vs Camrys, Civics, etc.
I think social media will go full-circle too. In the future, you will be able to have an avatar that is custom tailored to look and sound exactly as you want it and meet/play/do business with others in myriads of virtual worlds that are hard to tell from reality but people will still long for real contact and go looking for real experiences. People didn't stop getting together after the telephone was invented, after all, and I think the more realistic the virtual world becomes, the larger the backlash toward real things will be.
Anyway, that means they will still need real transportation options and the whole world isn't going to move to the big city. The Y'er way will not be the way of all future generations.
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