I don't think people care about cars nearly as much these days, in part because they don't have to. Cars last a long time and repairs can almost never be done without a shop, so it's suddenly a lot less engaging to be "into" cars. Now it's more like buying a new refrigerator - a major purchase that is expected to do it's one job very well and for so long that you don't even have to think about how long that might be.

So, maybe it's not surprising that cars are becoming the same color as appliances.

There's also a noticeable pro-transit, meh-cars sentiment among Millennials/younger people that is in stark contrast to previous generations who seemed to place a lot of personal and cultural significance on their car. But between rideshares and more urban living, Millennials are probably the first generation to have less need of a personal car since there's been cars.

Come to think of it, I can't think of anyone I know who owns a car that was not chosen in the same way we'd choose an appliance. There's no sports cars, nothing luxury beyond the average luxury sedan, no pickup trucks or jeeps or anything other than practical 4 door vehicles of various sizes with lots of safety features and good gas mileage (if not electric).