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Originally Posted by jamesqf
Or perhaps the people who make decisions on what to build THINK (because of all that advertising from the other builders of oversize pickups) that people want more.
Then how come I didn't buy one? And how come you still see a lot of the '80s models, like mine, out there on the roads? There are two sides to this: the truck makers built what they thought a lot of people wanted, but then people like me who wanted something even smaller could only buy what they offered.
Not so. Again, I can only buy what they chose to make. I want a small, two-seat hatchback that gets good gas mileage. If Detroit, and indeed the Japanese, don't choose to make such a car, I can't buy it no matter how much I want it.
The plain fact is that Detroit deliberately drove the market towards large vehicles with its advertising. When small cars like the Mini were offered here (against the conventional wisdom), they sold well.
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james, your wants are unique and don't reflect what most buyers want. Most people find 2 seaters fairly impractical. Similar to sports cars. Seating for 4 is the reason that the Prius was such a big success vs the Insight. It is a practical vehicle in addition to being a statement. Let's not forget that Honda lost money on every Insight it ever sold.
Regarding the Mini, it is marketed as a sports car, with the retro/nostalgia angle thrown in. Oh, and look what's happened: in response to focus group studies they've added a LARGER model, the Clubman, which has a third door and more rear room. Same thing when Scion redesigned the xB and xA (now the xD) - they got bigger!
You have one concept backwards: auto design and advertising FOLLOWS trends discovered in focus group testing. I was a part of the focus group testing for the second generation Dodge Caravan. On day one they showed us the new rounder version without the driver's side slider. Most people liked the new exterior, but were underwelmed at the overall execution. Day 2 they showed us a boxier design with 4 doors. The group liked the 4th door but preferred the rounder styling. The whole afternoon was spent discussing why we liked the 4th door idea. Just before we broke for the day they showed us a drawing of the rounded 4 door and it was universally acclaimed as ideal. By all reports Ford got similar feedback during the design of the Windstar, but ignored it, and Windstar sales were dismal until the 4th door came out.
Now we will have to wait 2-3 years to see where auto design goes. If gas prices stay high you can expect to see some of the smaller "world" cars brought over, but as I look around the world at what's available I don't see 2 seaters besides the Smart (and smart makes a 4 seater the US dealers are begging for). With what new cars cost now most people can't afford to give up the practicality of carrying more than one passenger. The Insight and the smart are statement cars that cost more than others and are bought to make a statement: "Look at me!"