Re:GM is launching a $5K tiny electric car in China made for...
by usrusr on Wednesday September 27, 2017 @05:28AM
(#15346131)
Public transit replaces short routine trips, which is exactly what those small cars are tailored for.
One big difference is car infrastructure, mostly parking: in many European settlements, from most capitals to the smallest village, an unnecessarily big car is a serious inconvenience. Whereas in the US, even on Manhattan a smaller car won't improve the driving (and parking) experience a lot as everything is built to accommodate big cars, just not in unlimited quantity.
This does not keep most Europeans from theoretically desiring a big car, but it makes not spending on one so much more bearable. The narrow streets use-case makes small cars common enough to make them non-exotic, non-stigmatizing also where streets are wide and parking is one size fits all.
One big difference is car infrastructure, mostly parking: in many European settlements, from most capitals to the smallest village, an unnecessarily big car is a serious inconvenience. Whereas in the US, even on Manhattan a smaller car won't improve the driving (and parking) experience a lot as everything is built to accommodate big cars, just not in unlimited quantity.
This does not keep most Europeans from theoretically desiring a big car, but it makes not spending on one so much more bearable. The narrow streets use-case makes small cars common enough to make them non-exotic, non-stigmatizing also where streets are wide and parking is one size fits all.