The End of Rugged Individualism?
The Cash for Clunkers program has come and gone. It was not without problems, some of which persist (the vehicles received were supposed to be scavenged for parts and then destroyed, but there are so many parts to be salvaged that it is likely the deadline for destruction of the last vehicles will be missed by a full year). The list of most traded-in vehicles is interesting. People seem to be done with their SUVs and 4WD pickups. There are two models of Ford Explorer in the top ten, along with two Jeep models. Check it out:
- Ford Explorer 4WD
- Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
- Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
- Jeep Cherokee 4WD
- Ford Explorer 2WD
- Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
- Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
- Ford F-150 Pickup 4WD
- Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD
- Ford Windstar
If tanking sales and the above list were not enough to convince auto manufacturers that we are losing our desire to drive vehicles that have miles per gallon ratings in the low teens, look at the list of most-purchased vehicles for people participatin in the Cash for Clunkers program:
- Toyota Corolla
- Honda Civic
- Ford Focus
- Toyota Camry
- Hyundai Elantra
- Toyota Prius
- Nissan Versa
- Ford Escape FWD
- Honda Fit
- Honda CR-V AWD
The two “off-road” vehicles both get better gas mileage than any vehicle on the trade-in list.