The negative impact on the climate from passenger vehicles, which is considerable, could have dropped by more than 30% over the past decade if not for the world’s appetite for large cars, a new report from the Global Fuel Economy Initiative suggests.
Sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, now account for more than half of all new car sales across the globe, the group said, and it’s not alone. The International Energy Agency, using a narrower definition of SUV, estimates they make up nearly half.
Over the years these cars have gotten bigger and so has their cost to the climate, as carbon dioxide emissions “are almost directly proportional to fuel use” for gas-powered cars. The carbon that goes in at the pump comes out the tailpipe.
Transportation is responsible for around one-quarter of all the climate-warming gases that come from energy, and much of that is attributable to passenger transport, according to the International Energy Agency.
I prefer smaller cars. Every once in a while I browse what’s available in new cars. Every time there are fewer and fewer options in the compact/sub compact category. I guess I’m just going to hope nothing ever happens to my Civic (which is honestly larger than I’d wish) because I don’t know what I’d replace it with.
Of course giant vehicles as a share of sales is going to increase, when that’s 75%+ of what is available to buy.
There are almost no truly small cars available in the U.S. The only recent one I can think of is the Smart, and they’re pieces of shit.
I was going to say the Ford Fiesta but then I saw it was apparently axed in 2019? And took the Mazda 3 with it (same platform). I think you can still get the Honda Fit.
Uh, as your attorney I advise you to buy a Miata. I guess.
Honda Fit is gone too. The VW golf and Toyota Corolla are still around!
Are they even selling Miatas anymore?
Yes. They also teased an “electric powertrain” version a little while ago, although there are no details on it (i.e. whether it will be a BEV or hybrid).
Nice. If I could ever afford another car, maybe they’ll make them as BEVs.
I would not recommend a Ford Fiesta. I have a 2012 and it’s laterally falling apart. Side mirror started to sag on the passager side guess it was a common issue. Trim around the windshield is dry rotted along with all the other trim. Only saving grace for me is that’s it’s a manual. The automatics liked to explode because of really bad Ford designs in that era of car. Focus has the same tranny issues as well
Yeah, we had a Focus of that era for a while which was an automatic, and the transmission was a pain in the ass too. It started bucking and juddering and jerking every time you took off from a stop, and I ultimately cured it by draining and refilling the special $40/quart Ford DCT transmission fluid. We got rid of it shortly thereafter.
I drove a rental Chevy Spark around on one trip. The size was fantastic. The engine was crap.
Hey! Smart cars are/we’re awesome!
The only smart car I’ve driven was the single worst driving experience of my life. I think that was in 2010 though? Maybe they’re better now?
I mean they aren’t a comfortable ride with the short wheel base, but for the utility that is driving they’re pretty great.
Really? I’ve never been in one, but I have read that the interior doesn’t muffle very much of the noise and the suspension is really poor (the tiny wheels probably don’t help there).
Yeah they aren’t a Buick and to expect them to be is the wrong way to look at them. As a “point A to point B” vehicle they’re perfect.
I drive a mid-size sedan, and I feel like a minnow swimming with whales when I drive. I’m not planning on buying a bigger vehicle myself. But I really hate how SUVs and stupid-big pickup trucks are 80% of what I see on American roads.
I used to love mini coopers because they’re tiny. Apparently not even that’s true any more :(
Yep, Mini Coopers are quite popular in my neighborhood. They used to be a dream car for me, but now they are just as big as everything else.
Bullshit! Auto makers are not offering small vehicles anymore.
This is because it’s harder to pass new emission standards if the vehicles are smaller. So they take the easy way and build larger vehicles. This is nothing new and blaming customers or the market for this trend is short sighted.
My wife used to drive a Smart Car for work in Boston. Smart is owned by Mercedes, and they shuttered their Boston Smart dealership a few years ago. There was virtually zero demand for them in the area, despite being perfect city vehicles.
My wife and I would regularly drive it in the city and never had an issue finding parking. I couldn’t tell you how many times we encountered SUVs trying to squeeze into a tight parking spot and eventually giving up, only for us to pull in and park with no problem.
Automakers also just aren’t making enough small EVs, and we can’t afford/don’t want a bigger one. We want a small, efficient about-town car that we can use for doing groceries and going downtown. We both work mostly from home, and the only reason we were even considering another car is because we have a kid on the way and might sometimes need 2 cars to split between errands and kid duties. We’ll just stick to our current, fully paid off car for now and wait either until the prices for new cars drop or the battery technology improves so I feel better about buying a used EV.
I agree, but most customers are still buying. I haven’t liked any of the new offerings so I’m driving my old car and fixing it. If I had to buy, I’d go straight to the used market.
I think this is a double edged sword; It is easier for auto makes to make a profit on larger vehicles. Example of Ford discontinuing all cars in US except mustang in 2019 because of profitability. Americans feel they must compete in the road arms race because they do not feel safe with larger and larger vehicles. There is more demand for bigger vehicles and bigger vehicles make more profit, naturally this will explode into every manufacturer making larger things.
Next up: Caterpillar will release their ASV (armored security vehicle) to the civilian market and it sells like hotcakes!
Auto makers are not offering small vehicles anymore.
…what? You can’t buy sedans? Mid-size? Compact?
In the US? We’ve got four door sedans and basically nothing smaller. When it comes to trucks, everything’s huge. No mid-size or compacts.
Yes, it’s all individuals fault… Nothing to do with lack of regulation via political corruption…
People commonly overlook that safety standards for SUVs and light trucks are less stringent than they are for cars. That’s one reason they are marketed so hard to the public. They are cheaper to make and they can charge more.
And yet people believe they are safer.
SUVs also have easier emissions restrictions than small cars. Regulatory bodies have been really dropping the ball.
Huge cars are a problem enough in the U.S., which has fairly modern, and thus wide, streets. I don’t know how people can even drive around on narrow medieval European roads with those.
Tax by weight, because heavier cars mean more wear on the roads.
It could work! Although, if you’re already getting a $50,000++ SUV it’s going to take a pretty big number to make you rethink your purchase.
Some other regulation to dissuade companies from selling bigger vehicles would help.
Maybe do something to raise the price of gas so filling up a 20-40 gallon SUV looks a lot less affordable than an economy car. (Of course that would also fuck the economy silly but so will climate change).
I kind of miss the small 2000-2400 lb cars of the 90s. My little 2 door Sentra SE-R got 25 mpg city and 35 mpg hwy and always fast passed the emissions dyno test.
I was comparing the Corolla, 2000 and 2023 model years. While the new one gets slightly better mileage, it is 600 lb heavier. I’m assuming the weight is in part due to the reinforced cabin and doors and a bazillion miles of wiring for all the additional computers and electronics. I wonder what kind of mileage a 2500 lb car would get with a modern drivetrain.
We already do. Gas taxes are incredibly common and bigger cars use more gas (thus pay more tax).
Gas taxes aren’t enough. They’re a fixed amount, rather than percentage and rarely change so have dropped way below inflation. I remember seeing an infographic here that they’re well under half the road cost in most states
California already does this through registration fees. My 2010 Wrangler was $280 to renew the past October, my new work truck will probably be close to $900/year.
Restrictions on bigger cars would also help.
We need a banksy type movement. Putting stickers on oversized cars in urban areas. We can’t stop you from buying a pickup truck and driving it in an area with perfectly good mass transit but we can make you annoyed while you peel a sticker off
