As Henry Payne has pointed out, “light trucks roared back to a majority of vehicle sales.” I’ve been part of that “roar,” and it feels good.
If you want to understand the value of light trucks (I’m guessing this category includes SUVs and minivans, right?), spend a while driving with a small child in tow.
I have two vehicles, and the contrast in ease of use in the child department is obvious. Getting the child in the car seat of the SUV is easy, requiring only that I stand near the rear seat and manipulate the buckles.
Getting the child in the sedan is another matter. Bend down, bend over, lean my head, and fiddle with straps. Or sit on the back seat. At least this is a four-door car we’re talking about, not a two door.
There’s another advantage of driving the SUV, which is obvious when I’m not driving it: When I get behind the wheel, it feels as if I am driving a go kart. It’s that low to the ground, compared with the SUV.
In a free economy, consumers can pick and choose what fits their needs: Lumbering van, low and powerful roadster, a land yacht, etc. But CAFE standards, rationalized over time by calls for “energy independence” or “climate change,” compress the range of options and wreck havoc with the plans of automakers.
To revise a classic political slogan from the abortion debate, “Keep your laws off my (auto) body.”
Published in the Detroit News: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/watercooler/index.php?blogid=1388