When Everyone Stops Buying Suvs Because Of High Fuel Prices, Here's What Should Come After

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On Saturday I asked our readers to show maine what they thought should travel next successful nan cyclical tastes of American consumers, erstwhile they've decided they're done playing astir pinch SUVs. At immoderate constituent nan driving populace of nan U.S. is going to get sick of paying a premium astatine nan pump for their over-inflated commuter monsters, right? Whenever that does yet happen, thing will person to beryllium location to return its place. Maybe it's clip for a resurgence of hatchbacks aliases possibly we're each converting to riding scooters astir for illustration they do successful Asia. Whatever your answer, I wanted to perceive it, and nan readers of Jalopnik did not disappoint. 

My individual prime was nan return of nan position wagon. With a little halfway of gravity, they grip amended and pinch less compromises. With a little frontal area, they're much aerodynamic and easier to execute a bully substance system number, but without giving up nan expertise to swallow a week's roadworthy travel worthy of goodies successful nan back. And if you get nan correct one, they tin still tow a inferior trailer aliases a vessel aliases something. 

Without further ado, these are my favourite answers submitted by our readers this weekend: 

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Well, if you person kids, and request to haul them and their friends and their sports cogwheel and possibly a cooler aliases two, location is only 1 answer.

Minivan.

Submitted by: Tigersharktoo

I don't mind a van. They're beautiful awesome astatine moving tons of group and stuff. Unfortunately I deliberation it's going to return decades for nan shot mom vibe to deterioration bladed capable for group to find them cool capable to thrust again. It's going to return a trading push. If everyone starts giving thumbs ups to minivan drivers, it would spell a agelong way. 

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Two thoughts: I erstwhile heard a European car writer ask, "why is it Europe, we person a baby, which turns into a kid, and is fundamentally 40 pounds, for.. 5-10 years, and we thrust it successful a perfectly scaled Golf, but Americans request to bargain a 6000 lb motortruck to thrust it around?" And to that, this is simply a goooood point. We thin to over-buy our vehicles. You spell to nan dump doubly a year, truthful you bargain an F150, but fundamentally usage it for going to religion and nan mall.

Second: Wagons, for immoderate logic successful caller history person been little apt to get rear tinted windows. It's subtle, but possibly buyers don't realise, but they consciousness much exposed successful wagons?

Last, I was already reasoning of doing this, but I sold an X3 and sewage a utilized i4. Wow. THAT was a bully decision. Love it. Payments dropped $150/month, nary much ace unleaded, and it's FUN.

Submitted by: PicklePicklesPickles

I lived successful Spain for a while successful precocious school, and nan cars were truthful overmuch smaller than thing group thrust each time successful nan U.S. it's conscionable nuts. We utilized to jam 4 group successful a Ford Ka and it was perfectly acceptable. What a awesome car, I miss that Ka. 

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I'm reasoning it's astir clip to move to Tuk-Tuks. When I traveled successful India I saw families of 12 piled successful those things walking connected nan road transverse country. I recognize marketplace acceptance will beryllium slow initially, but it's each successful really you waste it. Gotta make it nan caller measurement to beryllium independent, tough, and macho. You tin still put a weapon rack connected it. And for hauling stuff, you would not judge nan monolithic piles of building worldly and cultivation things they tin heap onto a 125cc motorbike.

Submitted by: Michael Rosenfeld

Honestly, I'm present for it. My caller travel to Italy saw a full batch of vintage Piaggio Ape three-wheel trucklets moving astir successful nan metropolis centers for transportation and parcel carriers. It isn't going to activity for each American's lifestyle, but I could passably usage 1 arsenic a regular rocker for astir municipality duties. Maybe this is much feasible than group springiness it in installments for. 

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"High Gas Prices Could Kill The SUV Craze..."

Hahahaha! No it won't, but it mightiness person group to bargain a EV SUV. Look, group for illustration SUVs for a assortment of reasons. High state prices won't cancel retired nan "utility" of SUVs, but it mightiness cancel retired nan costs of propelling an ICE SUV

Submitted by: Jimboy II, The Sequel

Yeah, I mean, this is decidedly nan reply that astir Americans will spell with. They aren't going to springiness up nan SUV, but they mightiness springiness up gasoline. Leave it to nan existent management to locomotion backmost incentivizing EVs while driving up nan value of gasoline. Effective governance decidedly involves a spot of carrot and a spot of stick, but it seems for illustration Mr. Trump is only willing successful utilizing nan stick. 

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The truth that we don't person nan businesslike family options from Europe is astounding. The Skoda Superb aliases Octavia hybrids/phevs could very easy beryllium (and are mechanically) a VW merchandise for American customers. It is shocking that nan only shaper that has paid attraction to Toyota's (winning) strategy is Hyundai. Ford and Stellantis can't look to make their hybrids stick, and GM has each but forgotten astir nan Volt. Honda is playing excessively slowly, and it's only a matter of clip until Chinese joint-ventures show up connected our shores offering 600-mile EVs pinch accelerated charging and toggle shape nan automotive experience. No user is going to salary 50k for a mediocre hybrid from Detroit erstwhile they tin person a amended car for 25k.

Submitted by: Joe Exotic

Like Joe, I deliberation that Chinese-built EVs are inevitable present successful nan U.S. and we're kidding ourselves if we deliberation we tin support them retired forever. As nan world automotive manufacture is progressively taken complete by nan Chinese brands, accepted occidental brands are having a harder clip keeping up. Massive income maturation successful nan world southbound astatine nan disbursal of nan Big Three's marketplace shares will hit them up excessively much. If nan U.S. automakers are yet only building cars for nan North American market, they'll yet illness nether nan pressure. Isolationism is not a bully world argumentation plan. 

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Motorcycle motorcycle motorcycle

Submitted by: Robert Harrison

Motorcycles and Miatas. Who needs much than 2 seats?

(I suppose immoderate mini 2-door would beryllium acceptable, but nary larger than a Z4.)

Submitted by: Sample Text

I'm going to request a batch of group to get existent cool pinch riding motorcycles existent quick. There's thing rather for illustration commuting and moving errands connected a bike. Rather than conscionable sitting successful postulation and succumbing to its whims, you tin return power of postulation and skirt nan worst of it. There's a state to riding bikes that conscionable makes life much nosy and possibly moreover easy. And that's earlier we moreover statesman talking astir nan imaginable of three-digit substance economy. Get a bike, you won't regret it.

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Let's person immoderate inexpensive compact cars pinch manual transmissions.

Submitted by: Mikey

I dream this leads to nan comeback of nan Fit and Yaris and immoderate home shaper decides to rebadge nan Swift. Have them travel successful Base, hybrid and capacity (real capacity not conscionable achromatic wheels and orangish paint).

Submitted by: Minivanman

Man, wouldn't it beryllium awesome if location were a bevvy of small, high-rev, manual-transmission hatchbacks connected nan marketplace correct now? I'm not moreover talking astir basking hatches, conscionable a regular mild hatchback pinch a stick. Some of nan astir nosy I've ever had while driving has been down nan instrumentality of a mediocre hatchback pinch a 5-speed statement your ain transmission. I still deliberation fondly of my Ford Aspire pinch a instrumentality because I hit it for illustration a rented mule for years. We utilized to person it all, but they took it from us. 

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An complete reaction. The state daze of 2007-08 was worse (especially factoring inflation, worse mean mpg of vehicles). SUV and motortruck income mightiness person taken a dent, but nan inclination didn't.

Big picture, unless thing fundamentally changed pinch nan mean American lifestyle, this is conscionable a short word pain.

Submitted by: jalopyJames

I'm sorry you deliberation nan car companies will travel user demand? SUVs each person 0 apr and amended financing while cars person overmuch higher rates because nan car companies want to move SUVs.

Submitted by: Scaramimer

How astir we temporarily move to smaller vehicles alternatively of investing successful walkable cities, wide transit and bicycle infrastructure, truthful that this tin each hap again nan adjacent clip state gets squeezed?

Submitted by: Modusoperandi

They opportunity thing ever happens. Perhaps if we let thing to happen, past they're right. If you're successful a position to request much substance businesslike and smaller cars, possibly you tin do thing to thief retired america regular folks down present pinch our faces successful nan mud. We are crying retired for amended choices, please, please, please springiness them to us!