An occasional update on items from Motordom – the world of auto dominance
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HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD
From page 4 of The Sun, October 17 1960:
Thanks to David Banks.
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DRIVING NEITHER COOL … NOR NECESSARY
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It’s not just that cars have become less affordable for cash-strapped young adults, it’s also that, well, driving simply doesn’t seem as cool as it once was.
More than a third of young adults who don’t drive say they are too busy to get a driver’s license, and more than a fifth don’t plan to ever learn to drive, according to a new study released Wednesday by the University of Michigan.
In a survey of 618 adults under 40 years old who don’t have a driver’s license, the university’s Transportation Research Institute reaffirmed a 2010 study and found that the allure of driving has continued to fade. Of those surveyed, 37% say they are too busy or do not have enough time to get a driver’s license; 32% say that owning and maintaining a vehicle is too expensive and 31% are able to catch a ride with others.
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GENERATION NEUTRAL
Time takes a look at the same question: Do Millennials Really Want Cars, or Not?
Overall, the impression one gets is that millennials just don’t have the passion for driving and owning a set of wheels that previous generations have had — at least not to the extent that they’ll devote a significant portion of their income to owning a car. …
Instead of accepting the premise that millennials see car ownership as “not cool,” automakers are insisting that low rates of driver’s licenses and vehicle purchasing by young people come mainly as a result of car ownership being out of reach financially for this group right now.
As the economy improves, and as millennials get a little older and have more need for cars due to work and family responsibilities, auto experts assume that this generation will have to embrace car ownership to a much larger degree. They see the car-ownership alternatives — public transportation, as well as services like ride sharing and car sharing — as having only a negligible impact on the auto-sales business in the future.
That’s why automakers keep spending millions to market to young consumers at a time when, in the short term at least, the money might be better spent trying to woo customers ages 50 and up.
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UPDATE: PEAK CAR IN VIENNA
In Vienna, fewer and fewer trips are done by car and car ownership is also declining. According to Statistics Austria, Vienna has an average rate of 506 cars per 1000 inhabitants. In 16 out of 23 districts, the car ownership rate is below 400 cars per 1000 capita. More and more people are switching to public transport.
I’m reminded of this comment, reputedly from a Ministry of Transportation staffer: “You (TransLink) think you’re building Vienna; we’re building Houston.”
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Reblogged this on Metro Van Musing and commented:
Interesting. Cars used to be so cool. Now not so much.
At least not so much with young millennials, and they should know.