On 22 Apr 2021 at 12:52, paul dove via EV wrote: > Most people buy used cars not new.
It would be correct to say that more used than new cars are sold. In 2018 in the US, 40.42 million used vehicles were sold, compared to 17.21 million new ones. So, 70% of sales were used vehicles that year. I suspect, but would have to research to make sure, that the reason for rising interest in used vehicles is the rising price of new ones (last I heard averaging over $36k). Low income folks and those just starting out used to buy cheap small cars, but those mostly aren't offered any more. Hence used. That drives up used car demand and prices. They can't win. Also worth considering: the huge, jaw-dropping depreciation on some EVs should give us pause. That tells us what value vehicle customers actually attach to them, and it's not good news for the EV movement. Tesla is a notable outlier, however. > People who buy new cars mostly don't care about cost. It's not the most frequently cited concern, but according to Statista's Global Consumer Survey 2018, 44% of vehicle buyers say that a low price is their most important consideration. In general, this means "low payments," as opposed to the actual life-of-loan-or-lease cost. > Most people who buy new cars are over 50. According to Hedges Company, "People ages 25-54 purchase the most new vehicles, with SUV buyers tending to skew a bit older." > They want to sit up high and not have to bend down to get in the > vehicle. Citation needed. This sounds to me like a personal anecdote. > Maybe manufacturers need to ask the customer what they want which they > don´t. You'd be surprised. Vehicle design is actually quite research-driven. Automakers routinely convene focus groups to evaluate their proposed new features. At the same time, the automakers don't let consumer preference stand in their way of maximizing profit. Otherwise their stockholders would crucify them. To an instittuional investor, nothing, for sure not environmental responsibility, is more important than the blessed rate of return. > Read the book the car that could for a better understanding or > corporate car manufacturing. Shnayerson's The Car that Could is a great tale, if you're interested in the story of the GM EV1. It was published 25 years ago. I think it's now out of print, but used copies are available. David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Permission is hereby granted to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated materials to make use of the software and associated materials according to the terms of the MIT License (see included file `LICENSE_MIT`) IF AND ONLY IF they have not read any portion of this file. Any person who has read any portion of this file may not make any use of the software and associated materials for any purpose whatsoever. Any permissions previously granted to any person to use this software and associated materials terminate and are revoked with immediate effect upon their reading of any portion of this file. -- Voynix software license = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub ARCHIVE: http://www.evdl.org/archive/ LIST INFO: http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org
