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Preface
One out of every two Americans owns a car. For the
approximately 1.8 million households in the United States, there are 1.9
million automobiles; a mere 8 percent of households do not own cars. The
United States is the largest market of automobile consumers in the world.
It is safe to say that Americans love their cars. They like what they have
now, they’re excited about upcoming models, and they wait breathlessly for
the cars of the future, hoping that they will get incredible mileage,
produce no emissions, and, ultimately, fly like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
To a certain extent, Americans’ infatuation with cars
makes sense. In a country as large as the United States, cars are often a
veritable necessity. Many people, provided they do not live in one of the
few American cities with extensive public transportation, need cars for
their daily commutes and their vacations. Cars allow people to travel from
the suburbs to the city and back again, to navigate the ever spreading
urban sprawl. However, there is more to this love affair with cars than
simple practicality. Cars are the stuff of fantasy; for proof, look at the
litany of films and music that reference, even idealize vehicles. Disney’s
Herbie, the Love Bug starred a Volkswagen Beetle with personality. Michael
J. Fox relied on a DeLorean, complete with gull wings and mythical flux
capacitor, to take him Back to the Future. And such films as Grease and
American Graffiti sparked a resurgence in interest in 1950s car culture
and the phenomenon of cruising. Such songs as the Beach Boys’ "Little
Deuce Coupe" and Prince’s "Little Red Corvette" only furthered the
obsession.
Without a doubt, the United States is a car culture, and
Americans want it all: safety, glamour, mileage, and that elusive
"coolness factor." Today’s autos can accelerate to illegal speeds, and
suburbanites who use their vehicles only for errands own sport utility
vehicles (SUVs) with off-road capabilities. Admittedly, sometimes a
driver’s wants are frivolous, but not always. There is an increasingly
persuasive drive toward eco-conscious vehicles that run on alternative
fuels like hydrogen fuel cells, diesel, and electricity. Hybrids, or cars
with both gasoline engines and electric motors, are the new big thing;
whether or not they have staying power remains to be seen. Also popular
are tiny autos like the Smart Car and the BMW Mini Cooper, both of which
tend to be inexpensive and get good mileage.
Another trend is toward light trucks and SUVs. The
Hummer, popularized by actor-turned–California governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger, is the paragon of the bigger-is-better trend. While such
vehicles get notoriously poor mileage per gallon, many drivers feel safer
wrapped in tons of steel and reassured by four-wheel drive.
So, which vehicle will win the war, the massive SUV or
the minuscule car? Maybe neither, since there has been an upsurge in the
popularity of sports cars, too. Since the global market for cars continues
to grow (especially gaining speed in China), perhaps there is room for all
these cars. If vehicles are engaged in a large-scale popularity contest,
then Generation Y may very well have the power to decide the winner.
Carmakers and insurance companies are actively gearing their products to
Generation Y, a force approximately 63 million strong, even though many of
them cannot even drive yet. Known for not wanting to feel as if they are
being marketed to, members of Generation Y present an elusive market to be
cracked. Automakers and insurers are targeting them through teen-oriented
print ads, television commercials, and Web sites; whether such tactics
work will be seen only after Generation Y comes into its own buying power.
When we consider car production rather than purchasing
power, in some respects Europe and the United States have become passé.
Asia is taking over the market, not only with plants in such countries as
Japan and Korea but with Asian-owned factories in North America. Honda and
Toyota are two companies at the forefront of hybrid production; they are
responsible for the Civic and Insight and the Prius, respectively.
The Car and Its Future considers automobiles and
automotive technologies from a variety of angles. The book’s first chapter
examines how people feel about and use their cars, including how they
drive, methods of car shopping, and purchasing habits. The next chapter
looks at the psychology of vehicle design, the effects of manufacturing
techniques on quality, and the high technology that goes into our cars.
The following chapter considers safety issues, including accident rates,
driving techniques that compromise the safety of all drivers, the issue of
child safety, and the psychology of driving. The auto insurance industry
is the topic of the next chapter, which looks at the best way to obtain
reasonably priced insurance as well as at the relationships between
insurers and repair shops. Another chapter covers the automotive industry
from a global perspective, including foreign car manufacturing in the
United States, the effects of America’s foreign policy on gas prices and
the auto industry, and the state of car manufacturing in Europe and Asia.
The final chapter considers vehicles that use alternative fuels, including
hybrid cars and those that run on hydrogen, electricity, and diesel,
exploring how environmentally friendly they are and how soon they can be
successfully mass-marketed.
We would like to thank the many periodical publishers who
have so generously granted permission to reprint their articles in these
pages. We also must express our gratitude to those at the H. W. Wilson
Company who helped to produce and research this book, especially Sandra
Watson and Jennifer Peloso, as well as Michael A. Messina, who graciously
donated his photographs. Thanks also to Gray Young, Rich Stein, Norris
Smith, and Clifford Thompson.
Kaitlen Jay Exum
Lynn M. Messina
October 2004
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