Conclusion Preference of vehicles

Why are Electric cars better than standard fuel intake cars or vise versa? This is the question that I seeked to understand, and how marketing and media publication has affected the sales of each. According to Steve Miller in his “Green is Keen but bigger is still better” shows a great representation of preferable vehicles in our society. Though much of our medias attention is towards hybrids and fuel-efficient cars, “hybrid vehicles only make up 4-5% of all cars on the road” (Miller). Our reputation in America is the bigger the better and every pure electric vehicle hasn’t exceeded the threshold of an average size sports car. Many are small and there lightweight bodies are what make them so fuel-efficient. Though much of media and industry attention is geared toward fuel-efficient hybrid cars, small mini cars is not what attracts our eye, "While there is a greater focus in the industry on producing fuel-sipping cars, Americans traditionally lean toward vehicles that provide more room and more power when gas prices are low-to-moderate like they are now," said AutoTrader.com CEO Chip Perry.  "The dominance of shopper interest in larger cars, big trucks and SUVs has continued for much of the second half of 2010" (Perry). An image is possessed when owning a large vehicle in our society. A “full size” vehicle that was also socially constructed because the public had trouble distinguishing what was “full size” and “mid size” after the U.S introduced the 1960 “Detroit Big Three” of basic Chevy, Ford, and Plymouth cars stating they were larger then luxury Cadillac and Lincoln cars, when they actually were not. Now the standard full size vehicles has to meet specific federal regulations of to meet the criteria of a “full size” vehicle, but this is easily eluded with new names for all shapes and sizes of cars, SUV’s, trucks, vans etc. We have socially constructed the image that these large full size vehicles, implies wealth, power and superiority. Any person who knows someone that owns a large vehicle, also considered “gas guzzlers” will complain about gas prices, but also brag about how they own the road. This preference has really put a hole in Americans pockets with the rise of gas prices, even though major companies are conscious of MPG making larger vehicles fuel-efficient six cylinder hybrids. This trend has continued over the past years, and even with an increase in sales of small and hybrid cars the demand for large-scale vehicles has only increased.  This chart represents the average sale of large full size vehicles in the last year, compared to a year prior.  

Figure: 3

Gas or electric;

I found in America our preference for cars has much to do with the physical features of the car rather then interior of it. The society we have grown up in has been centered on gas-powered vehicles and that is what we know because it has been the one and only vehicle type of our era. Though many want to save money and avoid the raising costs of gas prices, many still cant get away from gas-powered vehicles, and I found that when analyzing luxury sports cars the preferences of Americans doesn’t change; we always prefer standard components of products rather then going green. For reasons such as, “Green products have also been hurt by the perception that such products are of lower quality or don't really deliver on their environmental promises. In a 2002 Roper survey, 41% of consumers said they did not buy green products because they worried about the diminished quality of ecofriendly versions” (Ginsberg and Bloom). There are infant aspects about why we are headed to a green society and the purchases of electric vehicles, from a business standpoint, “regulatory compliance, competitive advantage, stalk holder pressure, ethical concerns, critical events, and top management initiative” (Bansal and Roth). For the baby-boomers, “concern about living longer, and healthier lives” (Ginsberg and Bloom). However, American drivers just can’t break their comfort zone. We don’t know what to expect with a product we have never used before. With the research I have done I am comfortable saying that it is just a matter of time. As these vehicles are administered, slowly but surely and the more people that are smart enough to make the switch to hybrid and electric vehicles, will soon be enough people to influence the public, and in turn have a massive change in vehicle preference. I feel that our digital technology and media will be able to sway peoples decisions in the long run, as we see the positive influences of “being green” and see the positive lives of the people that have already made the switch. All in all analyzing the media and their influence on vehicle preference will ultimately have a positive and lasting affect on our lives as citizens. As it continues to introduce new ideas and continue lasting ones, the society will catch on because the media, and marketing strategies will never die in our era, and only get more sophisticated.