Carbon Trace

The New York Times today has a special section on cars today. The lead story asks the question: Is happiness still that new car smell?

What I find fascinating about this article is that, despite the reported evidence, the tone and point of view are decidedly sympathetic to the car culture (well, duh, it is a special section on cars). This passage is illustrative:

“The behavior that changed in the past year is going to take a while to change back,” Mr. Toprak [vice president of industry trends and insights for TrueCar] said. “It’s engrained in our memories now that we shouldn’t splurge on car purchases because we don’t know what’s going to happen next year. It is not a massive exodus from car ownership, but it is a trend that will be with us in the future.”

In an earlier time, automakers might have turned a blind eye to all these developments, writing the period off simply as the latest cyclical downturn.

And here’s the conclusion:

At least in the short term, automakers face an imperative to make sure that the fundamental basis of their business — selling cars — remains intact. If public opinion swings too far away from cars, some environmentalists warn that the car industry could find itself in the same circumstances as cigarette manufacturers, who have hung on to their most fervent users even as public policy, health concerns and public opinion have cast a shadow over their products.

No one in the industry wants to face the prospect that cars could someday find themselves in the same struggle for acceptance as cigarettes. And reality will be enough to keep the industry going, at least for now. Said Mr. Casesa: “There’s no doubt that Americans will still need cars in great numbers. This is a vast country, with lots of space, dominated by a suburban life style. But it doesn’t mean they’ll need a second car or a third car, or as big a car with as much stuff in it.”

Here, some manufacturers may find solace in those who have abandoned their cars but still long for them and hope to return, when circumstances are right. Despite selling her BMW, Ms. Vallance said she could consider purchasing a car again if she moves to a less pedestrian-friendly locale.

Added Mr. Deason, “Call me a Detroit kid at heart, but I miss driving.”

What this story needs is a strong authoritative voice that questions the car culture outside considerations of the business of making and selling cars, i.e. a voice that believes this cultural change is a good thing.

It’s true that many Americans are stuck — stuck in suburbs with long commutes and little choice but to drive. It may also be true that car companies can build something that will take the sting out of that lifestyle.

But it seems to me that the alternatives as offered in the article are going in an odd direction. For example:

So companies that previously pushed horsepower are devoting resources to developing “personal mobility devices,” a category meant to fill the space between car and carless.

Initial efforts have led to some offerings that look like unicycles, such as the U3-X, an experimental electric-powered device that Honda introduced in September. Thanks to a special balance device, the U3-X remains permanently upright and sets off when the driver leans backward or forward.

G.M. has a device called P.U.M.A., for personal urban mobility and accessibility, which it developed with Segway. Some have likened it to a covered scooter or even a baby carriage, but such devices show that even if car companies can’t sell cars, they want to stay in the transportation business.

For now, the devices most likely are headed for emerging markets like India and China, where car ownership can be impractical because of both cost and congestion, said Christopher E. Borroni-Bird, G.M.’s director of Advanced Technology Vehicle Concepts. Even if someone can afford a car, he said, dense traffic might defeat the purpose.

Here’s a video of the U3-X. I have one question: WTF? Are they kidding? Ooops. That’s two questions. I enjoy sci-fi stuff and “high concept” gadgets as much as the next geek. But let’s not kid ourselves that the U3-X is anything more than a toy.

The P.U.M.A. is kinda like a Segway with a seat and a cover. I have one question: Do you have to wear those funny suits to drive it?

A gentle suggestion: An efficient, useful, and fun personal transportation device already exists. Here’s a picture of one:

Rather than compete with this intelligent contraption, methinks Detroit ought to be re-tooling for a limited-resource future. And, maybe, investing in public transportation.

Technorati Tags: bicycle culture, car culture, cycling, green transportation, sustainability