View Poll Results: Do you agree with GM's exec's
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Do you agree with GM's exec's
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From: Mish-she-gan
Do you agree with GM's exec's
We all know there are exceptions to every rule. But on the whole I do not think today's youth have a love affair with cars. Maybe it starts with how expensive they are but we all know they love smart phones, facebook, twitter, etc. and cars fall way down the list but I believe most view them as an appliance...... so I do not agree with his saying they have a passion for cars. What say you?
GM exec: Young people still have a passion for cars
The auto industry can stop wringing its hands over the notion that young people seem to be losing interest in buying cars.
According to General Motors' top economist and others, young people are not drifting away from driving in favor of the Internet and cool gadgets.
Instead, it's their ballooning student loan debt. And the rising cost of insuring young drivers. And difficulty finding a job.
In short, younger buyers are broke.
"I don't see any evidence that the young people are losing interest in cars," says Mustafa Mohatarem, GM's longtime chief economist. "It's really the economics doing what we're seeing, and not a change in preferences."
Economic data suggest that consumers aged 18 to 34 are delaying marriage, having children and even moving out of their parents' home. That's not surprising, given that their net worth as a demographic has declined 44 percent since the recession, while outstanding student loan balances have nearly doubled since 2003.
For those whose livelihoods depend on selling cars, SUVs and pickups, all this is good news over the long term.
You see, debt gets extinguished. The cost of insurance goes down with age. Most people eventually find jobs. These things change, but passion for driving and automobiles? That can't be replaced.
Source: Larry P. Vellequette for Automotive News, Aug 6, 2013
The auto industry can stop wringing its hands over the notion that young people seem to be losing interest in buying cars.
According to General Motors' top economist and others, young people are not drifting away from driving in favor of the Internet and cool gadgets.
Instead, it's their ballooning student loan debt. And the rising cost of insuring young drivers. And difficulty finding a job.
In short, younger buyers are broke.
"I don't see any evidence that the young people are losing interest in cars," says Mustafa Mohatarem, GM's longtime chief economist. "It's really the economics doing what we're seeing, and not a change in preferences."
Economic data suggest that consumers aged 18 to 34 are delaying marriage, having children and even moving out of their parents' home. That's not surprising, given that their net worth as a demographic has declined 44 percent since the recession, while outstanding student loan balances have nearly doubled since 2003.
For those whose livelihoods depend on selling cars, SUVs and pickups, all this is good news over the long term.
You see, debt gets extinguished. The cost of insurance goes down with age. Most people eventually find jobs. These things change, but passion for driving and automobiles? That can't be replaced.
Source: Larry P. Vellequette for Automotive News, Aug 6, 2013
Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Randolph, NJ
My younger son, Adam, has a passion for cars. His Si is his prized possession. He washes and waxes it whenever he gets the chance. He's done mods to it. He belongs to the Virginia Tech car club, Formula SAE, and goes to Honda Day, American Le Mans and any car show he can get to.
Unfortunately, he is in the minority. My older son is more like the average young person today. He drives a 2006 Honda Civic, and as long as it gets him from point a to point b he is happy with it. He doesn't have anything near a passion for cars nor do any of his friends. I don't see a passion for cars in most of the young people I run into.
Adam is the exception. Most young people are more like my older son.
I don't think college loans or the economy has anything to do with it. I think young people have too many distractions to focus on cars, and I think affordable cars, in general, haven't been very exciting for the last two decades.
Unfortunately, he is in the minority. My older son is more like the average young person today. He drives a 2006 Honda Civic, and as long as it gets him from point a to point b he is happy with it. He doesn't have anything near a passion for cars nor do any of his friends. I don't see a passion for cars in most of the young people I run into.
Adam is the exception. Most young people are more like my older son.
I don't think college loans or the economy has anything to do with it. I think young people have too many distractions to focus on cars, and I think affordable cars, in general, haven't been very exciting for the last two decades.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Mish-she-gan
I agree Rob. None of my three kids have anything close to my passion for cars. My youngest daughter relates to the MGA more than the other two and carries a little of my passion. She was thrilled when I handed over the keys to the S2000 and told her to take it for the day when she and her husband to be visited. The other two could care less. I know my son, who has three of his own, would much rather play a video game.
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: bolton
I agree that debt certainly is an issue so they are probably right there.
but I think they are delusional that kids have the same level of car lust as earlier generations.
My cheap son doesn't want the expense of owning a car but he always has has a vehicle available for his use.
Why buy a cow when you get the milk for free.
He's also a bit confused, " I don't want anything special, I just want something like your car." ( which happens to be an MB E430 4-matic)
I think he needs some serious seat time in a 12 year old chevy cavalier.
Virtually all of his driving experience has been in MB's or the S2000.
but I think they are delusional that kids have the same level of car lust as earlier generations.
My cheap son doesn't want the expense of owning a car but he always has has a vehicle available for his use.
Why buy a cow when you get the milk for free.
He's also a bit confused, " I don't want anything special, I just want something like your car." ( which happens to be an MB E430 4-matic)
I think he needs some serious seat time in a 12 year old chevy cavalier.
Virtually all of his driving experience has been in MB's or the S2000.
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,408
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From: Exeter, NH
I think boltonblue got it right. They are delusional.
I don’t see how kids now days can have a passion for cars for all the reasons mentioned in other posts….at least in and around urban areas. Maybe still in rural area's there's a chance.
How can you develop a “passion” for automobiles when you can’t really work on them any more. It’s getting more and more difficult to even change the oil or a filter or a belt because the engine compartment is so congested. I used to buy the shop manual for every car I purchased. After one look under the hood I decided not to bother to get one for the Nissan Murano we bought last year.
And long gone are the days when you could change out an engine using a chain-fall rigged off a tree limb in the back yard or use the neighborhood garage at night after hours to change out a clutch plate or transmission.
And don’t get me started on the problems associated with just driving on the roads with all the idiots yapping on cell phones or texting. The only real fun I have driving any more is the two or three car meet drives I get too every year.
Only one of my three step-sons had any real interest in cars and of their three children, who are old enough to drive, one son is not even interested in getting his drivers license [even though we offered to give him one of our cars that we were going to sell]. And one granddaughter has her license but is scared to death to drive anywhere. The others, old and young, just drive out of necessity.
I don’t see how kids now days can have a passion for cars for all the reasons mentioned in other posts….at least in and around urban areas. Maybe still in rural area's there's a chance.
How can you develop a “passion” for automobiles when you can’t really work on them any more. It’s getting more and more difficult to even change the oil or a filter or a belt because the engine compartment is so congested. I used to buy the shop manual for every car I purchased. After one look under the hood I decided not to bother to get one for the Nissan Murano we bought last year.
And long gone are the days when you could change out an engine using a chain-fall rigged off a tree limb in the back yard or use the neighborhood garage at night after hours to change out a clutch plate or transmission.
And don’t get me started on the problems associated with just driving on the roads with all the idiots yapping on cell phones or texting. The only real fun I have driving any more is the two or three car meet drives I get too every year.
Only one of my three step-sons had any real interest in cars and of their three children, who are old enough to drive, one son is not even interested in getting his drivers license [even though we offered to give him one of our cars that we were going to sell]. And one granddaughter has her license but is scared to death to drive anywhere. The others, old and young, just drive out of necessity.
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Canton, MA
For us, cars were freedom. Today's kids were given everything and taken everywhere with mom and dad, other relatives, friends and their families, schools and organizations and then we paid for their travels while they were in college. It cost them nothing and they had been to more places in thier early 20s than I ever went to when I was 45. What can they see in a car that they have not already seen? Where can they go that they have not already been? Their escape is in the world of video and the internet.
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From: Houston/Durango
Still there is a huge car culture out there among the teens and twentyyearolds that is focussed on FWD cars of their generation. It is amazing to see the extent of their mods, both for performance and bling. You can see that for instance at SEMA every year. And the guys are fast! There are places where they are more likely to be obvious on the street, like California, for instance. And hey, a lot of the guys who have done the most things with their S2000s have been young car guys with good ideas. A large part of the aftermarket is aimed at guys who barely have to shave. Cars move, ergo they are interesting, regardless of enthusiast age. It is just that this generation is different as Bill points out. i couldn't agree more with his characterization. I have a seventeen year old. They are "ENTITLED"!! AAARRRRGH 
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Mish-she-gan
Here's another interesting subject to come out of the annual meeting Car Folks have here in Mich-she-gan.
[quote]TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- To hear a panel of industry experts describe it Tuesday afternoon, taking consumers into the world of fully autonomous self-driving cars is going to be a long and challenging trip.
For starters, consumers don't particularly want it.
A survey conducted in April for the Alliance of Automobile Manufactures found that 42 percent of men think the technology is simply a bad idea. Nearly a fourth of those surveyed said autonomous cars should be "banned," reports Alliance CEO Mitch Bainwol.
In a consumer sampling that might give automaker legal departments pause, more than a third said that if autonomous vehicles come to market, automakers and their software suppliers ought to bear legal responsibility for traffic accidents.
More than 80 percent were concerned that computer hackers would take over control of their cars. Bjorn Giesler, project leader for Audi AG Piloted Driving program, told an audience that the industry wasn't doing a good job of addressing such security concerns.
"We're all concerned about security," he acknowledged. "But does any automaker actually have a team of hackers working for them to see if they can break in and kill the system?"
There are also technology roadblocks -- satellite mapping, for one, says Scott Winchip, Robert Bosch LLC's regional president for chassis systems control.
"To get to urban driving," he says, "you will need very detailed map data that measures not in feet, but in inches."
Automakers also have failed so far to partner with military suppliers who have been working for years on unmanned and self-guided vehicles.
There are also unresolved questions, including what happens when an autonomous system clicks off, handing power back to the driver -- but the driver is incapacitated, asleep, inebriated or injured.
Winchip says the obvious solution will be to immediately stop the vehicle. But what impact a stopped vehicle might have on a highway of moving traffic remains a question for the future.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...#ixzz2bKWPcWmS
Follow us: @Automotive_News on Twitter | AutoNews on Facebook/quote]
[quote]TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- To hear a panel of industry experts describe it Tuesday afternoon, taking consumers into the world of fully autonomous self-driving cars is going to be a long and challenging trip.
For starters, consumers don't particularly want it.
A survey conducted in April for the Alliance of Automobile Manufactures found that 42 percent of men think the technology is simply a bad idea. Nearly a fourth of those surveyed said autonomous cars should be "banned," reports Alliance CEO Mitch Bainwol.
In a consumer sampling that might give automaker legal departments pause, more than a third said that if autonomous vehicles come to market, automakers and their software suppliers ought to bear legal responsibility for traffic accidents.
More than 80 percent were concerned that computer hackers would take over control of their cars. Bjorn Giesler, project leader for Audi AG Piloted Driving program, told an audience that the industry wasn't doing a good job of addressing such security concerns.
"We're all concerned about security," he acknowledged. "But does any automaker actually have a team of hackers working for them to see if they can break in and kill the system?"
There are also technology roadblocks -- satellite mapping, for one, says Scott Winchip, Robert Bosch LLC's regional president for chassis systems control.
"To get to urban driving," he says, "you will need very detailed map data that measures not in feet, but in inches."
Automakers also have failed so far to partner with military suppliers who have been working for years on unmanned and self-guided vehicles.
There are also unresolved questions, including what happens when an autonomous system clicks off, handing power back to the driver -- but the driver is incapacitated, asleep, inebriated or injured.
Winchip says the obvious solution will be to immediately stop the vehicle. But what impact a stopped vehicle might have on a highway of moving traffic remains a question for the future.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...#ixzz2bKWPcWmS
Follow us: @Automotive_News on Twitter | AutoNews on Facebook/quote]