Why Isn’t the Younger Generation Buying Cars?
April 2, 2012 in Daily Bulletin, Signature
Jordan Weissman discusses an emerging trend: the younger generation just doesn’t seem to be interested in driving. Not only are they buying fewer cars, fewer of them even have licenses. An outline of the problem incudes:
- Younger people now seem more interested in buying smart phones and gaming consoles rather than cars.
- Younger people also prefer living in urban environments where things are at a walking distance.
- The younger generation has also been through rough economic times and has learnt to make do without automobiles.
- GM has appointed a ‘youth emissary’ to remedy this problem.
- Chevrolet has started selling colours such as “techno pink”, “lemonade” and “denim” to appeal to a younger market.
To read about whether or not this shift is permanent, how successful the automobile-maker’s efforts have been, the types of cars that might appeal to the young, and what exactly Millenials are, click here.
Source: The Atlantic
Yup… I’m seeing this. People can stay in constant contact now via texting (along with picture messaing), google talk, twitter, facebook, and so on (and I suppose voice calls and E-Mail if they want.) The economy is bad, lots of younger people are either out of work or making far less than they were a few years back.
Gas prices are very high, new cars are too costly to be affordable in these cases. Used cars, the high-MPG ones get driven way up in price, and the lower-MPG ones are no longer affordable to drive unless absolutely necessary. These people feel in good enough contact that they do not feel it necessary to go on trips to visit friends or relatives, and try to arrange the in-town situation so they can be within walking, biking, or public transport distance of work and some hangouts. This ignores parking prices and such which are also a factor.
I am just old enough to love my car, but still am feeling the squeeze, if I didn’t live so far from downtown I’d probably ditch my car too.
Interesting, so that would mean that the things that car makers are trying to do like offering different colors are unlikely to be successful. They need to make the car more social…except not really because people don’t really need to be in touch with others in more ways, their phone or whatever can do it already.
So basically the shift away from cars is permanent.