WESTWAYS MAGAZINE Mini Revolution HHR mention
09-03-2006, 10:17 AM
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WESTWAYS MAGAZINE Mini Revolution HHR mention
As published in WESTWAYS MAGAZINE Sept/Oct 2006 issue. AAA Automobile Club of Southern California. Better known as Tripple A!
HHR is one of the five cars listed in this article. The word about the HHR is getting out there!
In part:
Small Change
Will smaller cars become big in America?
By Peter Bohr
Photograph by Rick Graves
Mini Revolution.
Roomy. Yes, it's possible to build vehicles that are small on the outside and big on the inside. One way to do it is to expand upward. Japanese automakers have been building "tall-smalls," as some have dubbed such cars, for years. We've recently seen them in the form of the Chevy HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Element, and Scion xB.
Peter Bohr writes the Overdrive column for Westways and is a contributing editor to Road & Track.
HHR is one of the five cars listed in this article. The word about the HHR is getting out there!
In part:
Small Change
Will smaller cars become big in America?
By Peter Bohr
Photograph by Rick Graves
Mini Revolution.
Roomy. Yes, it's possible to build vehicles that are small on the outside and big on the inside. One way to do it is to expand upward. Japanese automakers have been building "tall-smalls," as some have dubbed such cars, for years. We've recently seen them in the form of the Chevy HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Element, and Scion xB.
Peter Bohr writes the Overdrive column for Westways and is a contributing editor to Road & Track.
09-03-2006, 10:54 AM
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Join Date: 05-28-2006
Location: Eastern Kansas
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What am I doing wrong SindySindy? when I followed, (clicked on) your link it took me to the home page for AAA, not to the article. It's early so I probably screwed something up, just don't know what.
09-03-2006, 11:03 AM
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Join Date: 03-12-2006
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Here is the article text.
Small Change
Will smaller cars become big in America?
By Peter Bohr
Photograph by Rick Graves
When that future American icon, Elvis Presley, started down his road to stardom, the first thing he bought himself was an established American icon — a big pink-and-white Cadillac sedan. What greater symbol of success was there in the mid-1950s than a grand, gaudy automobile?
Americans continued their infatuation with "Big Iron" in the decades that followed. But instead of a Cadillac Eldorado, in recent years, the coveted car has been a Cadillac Escalade SUV — or maybe a Lincoln Navigator or Hummer H2. "Americans have always preferred the largest, most comfortable vehicles they can afford," says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director for Kelley Blue Book.
In recent years, roughly half the vehicles Americans bought were light trucks — a category that includes SUVs and pickups. Indeed, for 2005, the best-selling vehicle in the country was a full-size pickup truck (Ford's F-Series).
But we may be rethinking our love affair with Big Iron, thanks to the astonishing run-up in gas prices that has forced motorists in Southern California and elsewhere to pay more than $3 a gallon for unleaded regular. Through May 2006, according to Kelley Blue Book, sales of full-size pickups fell nearly 6 percent, while sales of full-size SUVs dropped 10 percent. And in a survey earlier this year, Consumer Reports found that 37 percent of new-vehicle shoppers want a more fuel-efficient vehicle than they already own — a jump from previous surveys.
"Most motorists don't really need a midsize SUV or pickup," says George Hoffer, a Virginia Commonwealth University economics professor who specializes in the auto industry. A seemingly modest increase in fuel economy can make a huge difference to a motorist's fuel budget. Trading a vehicle that gets, say, 18 miles per gallon for one that gets 27 mpg represents a 50 percent increase in fuel economy. "By buying a more rational, fuel-efficient vehicle, it's relatively easy for consumers to transform $3-a-gallon gasoline back to $2-a-gallon gasoline," Hoffer says.
Because a vehicle's weight and size are inversely related to fuel economy, a more fuel-efficient vehicle generally means a smaller vehicle. But that doesn't necessarily mean swapping that roomy SUV for a little Chevy Aveo, Honda Fit, or Toyota Yaris. Nor does it necessarily mean switching to a hybrid or some other exotic power train. And it certainly doesn't mean giving up style and comfort for sackcloth and ashes.
Mini Revolution
Many of the world's automakers are ready to ease the transition for American motorists from Big Iron to "Rational Vehicle" with innovative, imaginatively designed small cars — and yes, even small SUVs (perhaps a new term, "rational urban vehicle," or RUV, is in order). Though small by traditional American standards, these vehicles are imbued with many of the same attributes that have so endeared big SUVs to many Americans.
Mini Cooper
Chic. Back in the ’70s and the days of AMC Gremlins, Ford Pintos, and Chevy Vegas, small cars were considered déclassé — vehicles for those who couldn't afford anything else. No longer. Audi with its A3 and BMW with its Mini Cooper are mining a new market niche — premium small cars. Today's compact vehicles can be hip and well-equipped, with everything from leather seats to iPod jacks.
Toyota RAV4
Versatile. In many of these vehicles, it's possible to rearrange the furniture for the best use of space. Chrysler boasts that there are 25 different interior and seating combinations possible with the PT Cruiser. The multipurpose Honda Element has second-row seats that lift and fold flat along the sidewalls to make a cargo hold that can carry bicycles or lawn mowers. And Toyota's new RAV4 has lots of room, a high seating position, and an excellent reputation for reliability, and it gets great gas mileage.
Volkswagen GTI
Fun. The world's best-handling production vehicles — Corvettes and Porsches, for example — are relatively small. Small cars with plenty of ponies under the hood can be especially exciting, yet still miserly with fuel. West Coast kids have understood the potential of small cars for years, as they've hot-rodded Civics and Sentras. Now automakers are cashing in on the trend with such pocket rockets as Chevrolet's Cobalt SS Supercharged Coupe, Honda's new Civic Si, and Volkswagen's GTI.
Chevy HHR
Roomy. Yes, it's possible to build vehicles that are small on the outside and big on the inside. One way to do it is to expand upward. Japanese automakers have been building "tall-smalls," as some have dubbed such cars, for years. We've recently seen them in the form of the Chevy HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Element, and Scion xB.
Honda Civic
Safe. You can't skirt the laws of physics. Going head-to-head, a big, heavy vehicle will beat up a small, light vehicle — bad. But a plethora of new safety systems, from antilock brakes to electronic stability control, can lessen the risks. In addition to having up to six air bags, for example, the Mini has breakaway engine mounts so the engine slides under the footwell to protect the legs of the driver and front passenger in the event of a head-on crash. And the new Honda Civic's ACE body structure improves frontal-collision safety.
Small Change
Will smaller cars become big in America?
By Peter Bohr
Photograph by Rick Graves
When that future American icon, Elvis Presley, started down his road to stardom, the first thing he bought himself was an established American icon — a big pink-and-white Cadillac sedan. What greater symbol of success was there in the mid-1950s than a grand, gaudy automobile?
Americans continued their infatuation with "Big Iron" in the decades that followed. But instead of a Cadillac Eldorado, in recent years, the coveted car has been a Cadillac Escalade SUV — or maybe a Lincoln Navigator or Hummer H2. "Americans have always preferred the largest, most comfortable vehicles they can afford," says Jack Nerad, executive editorial director for Kelley Blue Book.
In recent years, roughly half the vehicles Americans bought were light trucks — a category that includes SUVs and pickups. Indeed, for 2005, the best-selling vehicle in the country was a full-size pickup truck (Ford's F-Series).
But we may be rethinking our love affair with Big Iron, thanks to the astonishing run-up in gas prices that has forced motorists in Southern California and elsewhere to pay more than $3 a gallon for unleaded regular. Through May 2006, according to Kelley Blue Book, sales of full-size pickups fell nearly 6 percent, while sales of full-size SUVs dropped 10 percent. And in a survey earlier this year, Consumer Reports found that 37 percent of new-vehicle shoppers want a more fuel-efficient vehicle than they already own — a jump from previous surveys.
"Most motorists don't really need a midsize SUV or pickup," says George Hoffer, a Virginia Commonwealth University economics professor who specializes in the auto industry. A seemingly modest increase in fuel economy can make a huge difference to a motorist's fuel budget. Trading a vehicle that gets, say, 18 miles per gallon for one that gets 27 mpg represents a 50 percent increase in fuel economy. "By buying a more rational, fuel-efficient vehicle, it's relatively easy for consumers to transform $3-a-gallon gasoline back to $2-a-gallon gasoline," Hoffer says.
Because a vehicle's weight and size are inversely related to fuel economy, a more fuel-efficient vehicle generally means a smaller vehicle. But that doesn't necessarily mean swapping that roomy SUV for a little Chevy Aveo, Honda Fit, or Toyota Yaris. Nor does it necessarily mean switching to a hybrid or some other exotic power train. And it certainly doesn't mean giving up style and comfort for sackcloth and ashes.
Mini Revolution
Many of the world's automakers are ready to ease the transition for American motorists from Big Iron to "Rational Vehicle" with innovative, imaginatively designed small cars — and yes, even small SUVs (perhaps a new term, "rational urban vehicle," or RUV, is in order). Though small by traditional American standards, these vehicles are imbued with many of the same attributes that have so endeared big SUVs to many Americans.
Mini Cooper
Chic. Back in the ’70s and the days of AMC Gremlins, Ford Pintos, and Chevy Vegas, small cars were considered déclassé — vehicles for those who couldn't afford anything else. No longer. Audi with its A3 and BMW with its Mini Cooper are mining a new market niche — premium small cars. Today's compact vehicles can be hip and well-equipped, with everything from leather seats to iPod jacks.
Toyota RAV4
Versatile. In many of these vehicles, it's possible to rearrange the furniture for the best use of space. Chrysler boasts that there are 25 different interior and seating combinations possible with the PT Cruiser. The multipurpose Honda Element has second-row seats that lift and fold flat along the sidewalls to make a cargo hold that can carry bicycles or lawn mowers. And Toyota's new RAV4 has lots of room, a high seating position, and an excellent reputation for reliability, and it gets great gas mileage.
Volkswagen GTI
Fun. The world's best-handling production vehicles — Corvettes and Porsches, for example — are relatively small. Small cars with plenty of ponies under the hood can be especially exciting, yet still miserly with fuel. West Coast kids have understood the potential of small cars for years, as they've hot-rodded Civics and Sentras. Now automakers are cashing in on the trend with such pocket rockets as Chevrolet's Cobalt SS Supercharged Coupe, Honda's new Civic Si, and Volkswagen's GTI.
Chevy HHR
Roomy. Yes, it's possible to build vehicles that are small on the outside and big on the inside. One way to do it is to expand upward. Japanese automakers have been building "tall-smalls," as some have dubbed such cars, for years. We've recently seen them in the form of the Chevy HHR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Honda Element, and Scion xB.
Honda Civic
Safe. You can't skirt the laws of physics. Going head-to-head, a big, heavy vehicle will beat up a small, light vehicle — bad. But a plethora of new safety systems, from antilock brakes to electronic stability control, can lessen the risks. In addition to having up to six air bags, for example, the Mini has breakaway engine mounts so the engine slides under the footwell to protect the legs of the driver and front passenger in the event of a head-on crash. And the new Honda Civic's ACE body structure improves frontal-collision safety.
09-03-2006, 11:05 AM
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Join Date: 02-23-2006
Location: Mesa Arizona
Posts: 2,529
Originally Posted by riverwind
What am I doing wrong SindySindy? when I followed, (clicked on) your link it took me to the home page for AAA, not to the article. It's early so I probably screwed something up, just don't know what.
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