-------->steve turrisi
Friday, April 17, 2009
SUV article
The United States has an extremely steady flow of gasoline, putting it in a different position when compared to other nations. This is a major reason why we can afford to not only purchase, but drive "gas guzzlers" everywhere. These cars get a whopping ten miles to the gallon, and our country was founded on car corporations that pride in the oversized vehicle. Many SUV's have become a status symbol, having pathetic gas milage and realeasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere then cars of smaller sizes. Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern nations that produce large amounts of oil can afford to purchase gas guzzlers also. This may be because they are increasing in wealth as a whole, or because they are the source of the gasoline industry. This shows that these nations have excess money to spend, and choose to purchase inefficient big cars rather than hybrids and smaller cars. Economic influence is proven in data and recent events, including when we got hit hard by the recession. Car companies and SUV dealers were hit extremely hard as people realized they were not only expensive but unworthy of thirty grand. Now a trend is starting to catch on, and cars like the Prius are beginning to outhsine bigger competitors like hummers and escalades. ALthough Prius's themselves might be considered a status symbol, it is competition between neighbors that is slowly conserving gasoline and reducing pollution. As people begin to see this, a shift in the automotive industry will likely develop.
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America is known as being a materialistic country. Therefore, it's implied that we strive for being more technologically advanced than other countries in any way we can. One way of doing this was the invention of the S.U.V. According to Malcolm Gladwell, the introduction of the S.U.V. was an awfully inexpensive way to build an automobile and is a lot more rudimentary. Many people believed that because S.U.V were bigger than most cars, they were safer. However, according to Malcolm Gladwell, they were wrong. In many other countries, people focused mainly on the necessities of life and the poverty and disease that alter their countries advancements rather than on people's wants and desires. Also, in countries like Africa, people cant afford the S.U.V. and they don't have the media and advertisement to aware them about it. However, the sudden popularity of S.u.V's in Saudi Arabia, despite the rising gasoline prices elsewhere in the world, might of been due to their abundancy of resources. If you have the resources why not use them.
Whoops that was me again!!!
~Tylie~
This, in my opinion was a great article. The author made some good points. The one I think is most important is when he says "jettas are safe because they make their drivers feel unsafe. S.U.Vs are unsafe because they make their drivers feel safe. Now as ironic as that might sound I totally agree. When I drive my little truck I feel that if I where to hot someone we would both be screwed. When I am driving the big excursion (what was at the time the expedition limited) I feel that unless I where to hit a semi that whatever I where to hit, I would roll right over. Infact I probially wouldent even feel it. Even with this stigma that bigger is better, I don't understand why SUVs wouldent be popular in foreign countries. Perhaps it's the advertising. There is nothing really pushing them to get the bigger car. Gas is cheaper. Maybe as Americans we can't give up luxuary. We just have to have something big and excessive. Not only that but it's also a lot rosi for Americans to get new cars...... Which is partially why our economy Is the way it is. In addition in other countrys the smaller cars are much more popular than things like the expedition because they are less expensive, they get better gas mialage and they are much smaller. They serve their purpose as transportation not status or safety. I mean in india the most popular method of transport is a scooter ! Ryan~
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