Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[Frank Lee]

I think hybrids are good for city/suburb- many stop/start- conditions. For only city why not EV. For me- walking in town, basically only driving on the open road- the extra hybrid complexity and expense doesn't pencil out.

[freebeard]

Walking is hard on my knees. I ride my bike to the mail box.

[Frank Lee]

I fractured my knee as a teen and the doc said then I'd need a replacement by the time I'm 50. Luckily he was wrong!

Sis has a Prius and she just loves it. She lives in a pretty optimal area for that vehicle. I've never asked her the fe.

[Bicycle Bob]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I think hybrids are good for city/suburb- many stop/start- conditions. For only city why not EV. For me- walking in town, basically only driving on the open road- the extra hybrid complexity and expense doesn't pencil out.

I have enjoyed the versatility of having a shopping car that can go trans-continental on a moment's notice, but mainly because there were no better options. For people with predictable lives, owning or renting two different vehicles for city and intercity chores might make economic sense. Another option would be adding a streamlined tail to an everyday EV for long range as a trailer carrying more batteries or a generator.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

I have enjoyed the versatility of having a shopping car that can go trans-continental on a moment's notice, but mainly because there were no better options. For people with predictable lives, owning or renting two different vehicles for city and intercity chores might make economic sense. Another option would be adding a streamlined tail to an everyday EV for long range as a trailer carrying more batteries or a generator.

Make it something you could rent as buying a $35,000 extra battery for long trips would be a tough sell. Thankfully the range is getting to the point past what most people want to spend driving anyway. But add the next variable of self driving and people may be able to handle much longer highway trips if they can sleep and travel.

[freebeard]

I fractured my knee as a teen and the doc said then I'd need a replacement by the time I'm 50. Luckily he was wrong!

When I was fifty I was climbing staircases to work at Symantec, and that twisting really wrecked them, then the standing on concrete all day. Now that I'm unemployable I have lots less problems.

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

I have enjoyed the versatility of having a shopping car that can go trans-continental on a moment's notice, but mainly because there were no better options. For people with predictable lives, owning or renting two different vehicles for city and intercity chores might make economic sense. Another option would be adding a streamlined tail to an everyday EV for long range as a trailer carrying more batteries or a generator.

The optimum mix I had was a 1961 Type II VW 3/4-ton panel van and a 1964 Type III notchback sedan with a stroker 1776 and a five speed. The notchback was a long-legged freeway runner, but one summer I was an itinerant carpenter that hauled my tablesaw in it and hauled materials in the day and slept in it at night.

Those days are gone, my hope now is to have an Arcimoto FUV with a pusher trailer.

[euromodder]

It's not just North America

VAG is set to kill off and not replace the VW up! / Seat Mii / Skoda Citigo triplets - the smallest cars in each of these manufacturer's ranges.

No replacements
That is if you don't count the newer, taller, heavier (mini-)SUVs they're pumping out
Every tradition car-size, has gotten an SUV-ed offspring
Their number of car models models have become utterly ridiculous

Small cars get too expensive due to the EU requirements, according to VAG ...

Well, halve your model range and split development, marketing, spareparts, training, specific manufacturing cost over twice as many cars, maybe ?
Make it easier on the customer to choose one ...

Small cars should be the easiest to achieve the EU Fuel Efficiency requirements with !

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Hybrids probably never pencil out, because it isn't just the extra expense and the extra interest payments, but the lost investment potential of the money saved by not buying a hybrid.

Hybrid easily pencil out today and they are becoming cheaper and cheaper.

See the difference between an Accord Hybrid and Accord 1.5T below. Yes, that doesn't include investing the $1600 savings but you would need to make 25% on your investments to beat the gas savings from driving the hybrid vs the 1.5T.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

But if you want to go all out and reduce your transportation cost as much as possible, buy a cheap $1000 Toyota or Honda; overall that'll have a far lower cost per mile than a new car.

You save some, you lose some. It's all about where and what you want to cut and where/what you want to save.

[Xist]

How long does the hybrid battery need to last to save money long-term?