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Have We Reached Peak Car?

posted by martyb on Wednesday December 19 2018, @04:34AM   Printer-friendly
from the now-they're-buying...trucks? dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Phys.org:

General Motors has announced it's shuttering five production facilities and killing six vehicle platforms by the end of 2019 as it reallocates resources towards self-driving technologies and electric vehicles.

[...] North American car production hit 17.5 million vehicles in 2016, and dropped marginally to 17.2 million in 2017. Interesting, but perhaps not significant.

More telling are changes in driver behaviour. In North America, for example, fewer teens are getting driver's licences. In 1983, 92 per cent of teens were licensed, while by 2014, that number had dropped to 77 per cent. In Germany, the number of new licences issued to drivers aged 17 to 25 has dropped by 300,000 over the last 10 years.

Are we over our love affair with cars?

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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Wednesday December 19 2018, @02:07PM

    by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 19 2018, @02:07PM (#776306) Journal

    Because living in an apartment is more socially responsible, for example.

    Funny how adding the word "socially" neutered the word "responsible". Particularly weird given that you talked about a glaring reason why the apartments weren't more responsible (inadequate wiring that wouldn't be replaced any time soon - at least a home owner could fix that problem right away).

    Because it is safer.

    Sure. You don't have control over who is in either neighborhood. But there will be more irresponsible and relatively dangerous people living near you in an apartment complex than in a residential home neighborhood. Higher population density means more crime and idiots near you.

    I have no need for a house, and everyone knows now that a house is not an investment - it's dead money on which you could be getting interest/dividend or not paying mortgage.

    That's a better point. Homes are well overpriced in many markets now.

    Houses are sold for "stability," but in practice they are a box of surprises - and you still pay ever-rising property taxes, so houses are anything but stable.

    You'll pay for the property taxes on the rental property too.

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