No one is forcing anyone to buy something they can’t afford. And I’m not talking about predatory practices from lenders or shady dealers, that is a whole other story.

I get hindsight is 20/20, but all they really needed to do was move from a paper catalog to an electronic one.

Boy, at least we’ll all have learned that running a company according to the philosophy of an insane fiction author who backtracked on virtually everything she claimed to believe when it affected her was a terrible idea, so nobody will ever give credence to these stupid ideas ever again.

First Gear: So, Ford was the darling of a certain element of our population because they didn’t take a bailout during the financial crisis in 2008-2009, but this was due to the dumb luck and good timing of mortgaging their IP when money was still out there. Meanwhile, their line up is stale with a capital STALE, and…

There’s a whole slew of reasons for both for and against that operating procedure, but a lot of it boils down to preserving morale.

My Sears automotive memory is circling the hell out of this in the Christmas Wishbook:

I’d argue that for a lot of goods, yep, things have gotten way cheaper. You know, all that stuff people take for granted these days that would have been sci-fi in the 80s (smartphones, 50" flat screens, tablets, what have you - all at prices low enough that they’re ubiquitous). And food (if you’re not going gourmet…

Having manuals written in Chinglish could be part of their charm!

No...I used to be a car salesman. I know what I am talking about. Marketing does a damn fine job of getting them into the showroom and people will buy what the neighbours have, etc. So sheep.

Easier yet when you can add the sliding doors of a proper minivan.

No, the article is right. The problem is people do not care about driving anymore, so they gravitate to a shape that is comfy and convenient. CUVs fit the bill. Also, populations are getting more and more out of shape, they are looking at convenience rather than performance, and that is because people are also…

OK, so you are just lazy and don’t care at all about driving. That is OK.

Ok, maybe old, overweight, and generally lazy people buy CUVs. Young people don’t want to be seen in the same vehicles as elders / unfashionables so why are they buying CUVs?

Neutral: In the 1960s and early 1970s, no one took Japanese cars seriously. Then came the oil embargos, and suddenly everyone wanted more efficient cars. American consumers were introduced to Japanese build quality, and the rest is history.

Why Crossovers Are Winning?

Because they don't look "aggressive" or "futuristic" and that's the big thing in car design nowadays.

They’d be so much prettier if they just smiled more!

I feel most of the current Honda lineup is overstyled.

I don’t know...i think toyota gives them a run for their money.

Never change, Jason.