Hacker News Reader

Look at what consumers buy. You can't dispute the actual sales data.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g64457986/bestselling-cars...

It's trucks and SUVs.

It doesn't matter if regulations favor small and fuel efficient. That's not what consumers buy. In fact, they flock to the exact opposite.

Occam's razor here is that American auto isn't stupid. It's just building what the consumers want.

American preferences don't match that of the broader world.

View on HN

You are missing the point. I don’t dispute the sales data, I agree with it, it supports my point. It’s not out of preference, it’s enforced by regulations and encouraged by the tax code.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24139147/suvs-trucks-popu...

There are plenty of cheaper cars people can buy, but they're not buying them.

But large cars are not cheap - they're significantly more expensive than the small cars available on the market.

Consumers aren't buying trucks because they're incentivized with money - because the truck is double the cost. Theyre buying trucks because they want them.

Does that make American consumers stupid? Yeah probably.

Id sooner blame marketing and advertising than regulations and tax codes. The reality is that when these gas guzzlers are priced outrageously, Americans still want them.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com