AHC: U.S. goes for smaller cars post-'73 energy crisis.

In OTL, even after the second energy crisis in 1979, a lot of U.S. citizens still went back to bigger cars.

Give me a medium-scale POD or two in which this is different.
 
I think that in the early Reagan years, outside sales reps and other persons who could deduct vehicles expenses off their income could use accelerated depreciation for "light trucks" and SUVs, but not for regular cars.
 
Index the gasoline tax to construction inflation would help. This would put upward pressure on gas prices and send a message that there is a floor on gasoline prices. Used the extra money to avoid the breaking down of the American highway system.
 
high gas prices. Really high gas prices. Nothing else is going to do it...
Index the gasoline tax to construction inflation would help. This would put upward pressure on gas prices and send a message that there is a floor on gasoline prices. Used the extra money to avoid the breaking down of the American highway system.

That's pretty much what it would take to keep "Murica" from switching over to pimped out pick up trucks (AKA SUV), when they discovered that smaller cars weren't very "nice".
 
high gas prices. Really high gas prices. Nothing else is going to do it...
This. The stigma against economy cars is a part of American culture, and nothing short of a oil crisis and/or economic collapse that makes all but the most poverty-spec cars untenable is gonna change that.
 
Why is a smaller car viewed as an economy car? Why would being interested in a car's MPG be thought of as something almost in-American?

There are though differences with the US that may explain it:
- Americans are on average taller and heavier than Europeans,
- Distances between places to travel by car, can be quite long by European standards, so need cars with engines that can cope.
- The US has a more diverse climate - so air-conditioning is not a luxury.

It's curious though, the lack of interest in diesel vehicles, which can handle the above and give better fuel consumption.
 
It's curious though, the lack of interest in diesel vehicles, which can handle the above and give better fuel consumption.

besides that the early diesels common for US were loud, underpowered, not reliable, and weren't great for starting in cold weather, and you were screwed if you had summer Diesel in the tank during a sudden cold snap, like in the Dakotas you can get snow in September, as the stuff would turn to jelly.

It took the Cummins straight Six to get the pickup crowd onboard that they were better than the gas V8s

Don't get me wrong, there were good Diesels before that, but you had to buy a Mercedes to get one.
 
Higher prices would do it, during the second oil crisis in 1979-1981 one has only to look at the leading cars sold in the U.S. Below are U.S. sales figures for 1981, with the largest cars in the top 10 being the Buick Regal, Ford Fairmont and Chevrolet Malibu, all of which would have been considered "compact" before 1974. Between 1959-1973 the sales leader in the U.S. was the full-size Chevrolet Impala and usually second was the fullsize Ford Galaxie/LTD lineup.

Pos Model 1981 vs 1980 Sales with previous year's position
1 Chevrolet Chevette 346,307 (-7%) 373,988 2.
2 Chevrolet Citation 300,184 (-20%) 374,706 1.
3 Ford Escort 284,907 (new model)
4 VW Rabbit 282,240 (59%) 177,118 10.
5 Toyota Corolla 241,639 (-6%) 257,315 6.
6 Chevrolet Malibu 211,130 (-21%) 267,732 4.
7 Buick Regal 208,329 (5%) 199,207 9.
8 Buick Skylark 200,350 (new model)
9 Plymouth Reliant 196,997 (new model)
10 Ford Fairmont 189,330 (-34%) 285,272 3.
 
Found 1979 numbers for Ford trucks
  • F-100 - 225,893
  • F-150 - 400,399
  • F-250 - 189,743
  • F-350 - 72,674
  • Bronco - 93,536
  • Ranchero - 24,300
  • Econoline - 213,654
  • Club Wagon - 47,712
 
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