There was a time back when gas prices got kinda high when I thought Americans would finally shift down to slightly smaller cars, but now it’s practically a cultural thing for half the country to burn as much fuel as possible, so I suspect even if gas prices here hit Europe levels it wouldn’t cause them to budge much.

It does feel really odd, though, going somewhere like a school and just being absolutely surrounded by huge SUVs and pickup trucks that you know damn well like 90% of the drivers aren’t actually utilizing.

Double-sucks because it’s becoming more and more difficult to find a small car. Everything new, even most cars, are huge.

Here we have higher taxes for cars more than 4m long, so there are lots of small cars. Also, a lot of 3.99m cars.

There still exist cars in 2023. It’s not just SUV’s available on the lot.

People just want them, because of grocery trips or a kid in school sports or whatever.

Whether most of them actually need that SUV space is something up for debate, but it’s gonna be hard to convince the average American (already in love with full SUV’s) to just switch away.

My husbands 2009 Corolla finally needed replacing (couldn’t pass inspection due to rusted frame) and he had the WORST time finding a car anywhere at the nearby dealerships. Everything was trucks and SUVs, finally he found one that had 3 cars and 1 mostly fit the price/criteria he wanted.

We’re in the rural north east and the number of big ass trucks is insane, it’s getting harder and harder to park between them all and I hate trying to get out of parking spaces when I can’t see for shit around them.

I would love to have smaller cars, but my average size Civic can’t see around the driving billboards that all the people are driving these days, increasing the danger and risk to myself and passenger(s).

The time was in the 60’s. Now it really doesnt matter. We fucked up already and its too late

As someone that just traded in my Sierra 1500 for a Sienna Minivan, I don’t understand why minivans get so much hate. My van is an excellent people mover, can carry a lot of shit, and gets 36MPG. The Tahoe I was looking at doesn’t hold a candle to my van, and uses a lot of expensive gas to boot.

Meanwhile the cars for sale in the US, driven partially by EV range anxiety, are getting bigger on average.

It’s the 70s all over again.

I’m doing my part.

Ford F150/Chevy 1500 and bigger just keep getting bigger every style change. I call them pavement tanks.

Won’t happen. That country is obsessed with being seen wearing its big boy pants, to the detriment of everything. Their entire culture is built around the myth of American exceptionalism and it inhibits any potential for learning or even just rational decision making. It is in their DNA to be offensively stupid and contrarian at every opportunity.

They will when forced too. Like europe and the tax on their petrol/diesel.

I’ve love a big stinking 5L v8 but fuel is so expensive.

I usually ride my bike, but my daily driver was a Honda Fit before I started getting back into cycling and ebikes. Good little car, I kinda miss it.

In California, America’s largest state by population, our #1 selling vehicle is the Honda Civic. And driving on our roads, Civics, Corollas, Accords etc… dominate the roads. And even the biggest selling SUV the CRV gets like 30+ to the gallon.

Small cars sell in places where small cars work.