
Ford to end almost all US car sales, focusing on SUVs and trucks - artsandsci
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/04/ford-to-end-almost-all-us-car-sales-focusing-on-suvs-and-trucks/
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dmoy
Many manufacturers only sell small cars as a way to get average fleet
emissions numbers within complaince. If they can do that with bigger more
profitable vehicles instead, this makes sense.

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dublinben
This is a duplicate of
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16926050](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16926050)
from yesterday.

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macinjosh
Interesting move. I think they see the writing on the wall for the car
indicating a commoditized future of self-driving cars as a service and
therefore the meat of the consumer facing auto business will be in vehicles
used for recreation and utility.

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combatentropy
That may have something to do with it. But it just reminded me that U.S.
drivers prefer trucks and SUVs, [https://www.npr.org/2016/05/09/477301486/why-
americans-are-b...](https://www.npr.org/2016/05/09/477301486/why-americans-
are-buying-more-trucks-and-suvs-than-cars) \--- which is another reason I feel
so out of step with American tastes. Even the Civic to me is a boat. Just give
me my MGB.

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squozzer
This news rhymes a bit with events from the mid-2000s.

That said, I can see a future where most "full-line" automakers have 1 or 2
economy car models (e.g. Toyota Yaris and Corolla), a couple of crossover SUVs
to occupy the mid-range, and a pickup / full-size SUV.

I don't see Toyota ridding itself of the Camry for now, or BMW trashing its
5-series.

People who have reached a certain age probably find getting into and out of
crossover SUVs easier because the ride height doesn't require as much bending
and lifting oneself.

In my case, a Honda CR-V is much easier to use than a Mazda 3.

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amorphid
Maybe cars actually are on the way out, but I am reminded of a quote. I can't
find the original, but it went something like this...

Executive: "Think about how much we'd save if we close a few factories!"

CEO: (with sarcasm) "Think how much we'd save if we close all the factories!"

