FlyerTalk Forums - Car class deflation?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by IAHtraveler (Post 30077020)

I'm curious how you feel manufacturers are to blame? They make vehicles that (they hope, sometimes incorrectly) people/fleet buyers want to purchase. The arranging into classifications is done by the rental agencies and the EPA (for fuel economy standards), not manufacturers.

As an aside, but relevant for this thread: I wish the EPA standard classifications would be forced upon rental agencies (similar to how the federal government regulates nearly everything with airlines). Then the rental companies could differentiate based upon options ("Medium Car - Basic" or "Large Car - Basic" could have basically zero options; "Medium Car - Premium" or "Large Car - Premium" could have leather, GPS/etc; "Medium Car - Luxury" or "Large Car - Luxury" could have heated seats/wheel, full safety gear, auto parking, etc). But I think that's just a pipe dream of a frequent renter.

+1 to this - When I’m traveling alone or with my wife (no kids), I don’t want an “upgrade” to a basic large car, I want a small-ish car that’s nicer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cestmoi123 (Post 30078711)

Except the cars have gotten bigger. As an example, a Taurus used to be a fullsize, but is now typically a size up. Except today's Taurus is more than a foot longer than the Taurus of 1990.

That one might not be the best example since the Taurus is a completely different model from what it used to be - from 1989 to 2005, it was a midsize, which was then replaced with the Fusion, while the full-sized Ford Five Hundred was renamed Taurus. You’re right that many individual models (particularly with the Japanese brands) grow a few inches each generation (until eventually the model bumps up a class), but the largest models on sale (particularly by the American brands) do tend to be smaller than they were until the 80s and 90s. That might have been a longer explanation than anyone wanted, but I work in the automotive industry. I tend to agree with the poster who suggested big cars don’t sell anymore since those buyers have shifted to SUVs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by strickerj (Post 30107657)

+1 to this - When I’m traveling alone or with my wife (no kids), I don’t want an “upgrade” to a basic large car, I want a small-ish car that’s nicer.

That one might not be the best example since the Taurus is a completely different model from what it used to be - from 1989 to 2005, it was a midsize, which was then replaced with the Fusion, while the full-sized Ford Five Hundred was renamed Taurus. You’re right that many individual models (particularly with the Japanese brands) grow a few inches each generation (until eventually the model bumps up a class), but the largest models on sale (particularly by the American brands) do tend to be smaller than they were until the 80s and 90s. That might have been a longer explanation than anyone wanted, but I work in the automotive industry. I tend to agree with the poster who suggested big cars don’t sell anymore since those buyers have shifted to SUVs.

Today's sedans have a smaller footprint but there has actually been a class inflation in the last 10 years. Fusion was a midsize, 2013 redesign made it a larger full-size. Same with most of its competitors.