[NefCanuck]

ZTWsquared,Aug 6 2009, 10:37 AM Wrote:

NefCanuck,Aug 6 2009, 10:36 AM Wrote:ZTW,

Given the reality of gas prices going nowhere but higher in the foreseeable future and an uncertain economy going forward, a refocusing (pardon the pun) on smaller cars is inevitable, even for the Americans.

Now whether that means the Focus is doomed to "economical commuter car" status or can be revived again as a "hot hatch" is yet to be determined :unsure:

NefCanuck
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True ... but in the past the American love affair with small cars was very fleeting and only when record high gas prices were in effect ... once gas prices started to go down their old buying habits reasserted themselves.

OTH - this could also be simply a matter of the people who are turning in the clunkers don't have a lot of money and except for the clunker rebate would otherwise be used-car shoppers.

Call me a pessimist when it comes to American consumerism - but I think it's more the latter.
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Hrm,

You raise several valid points, but another factor at play here is how much better small cars are today than they were during the last major price spike (Oil crisis of the '70's) that saw cars produced that were rushed to market, screamed "cheap" in glowing neon letters and were not very good vehicles overall as manufacturers scrimped on them.

Although the "cash for clunkers" program is also a large variable that wasn't in place back then either (Last I heard they committed an additional 2B USD to it as well) :huh:

NefCanuck