RE: Can't get no love from me | PH Footnote

RE: Can't get no love from me | PH Footnote

Monday 20th March 2023

Can't get no love from me | PH Footnote

Young people are apparently losing their affection for driving. Who can blame them?


Not so very long ago, an article appeared in The Economist titled: ’Throughout the rich world, the young are falling out of love with cars’. This triggered much discussion at PH HQ. The article concedes that while car use continues to rise globally, there is good reason to think that a fundamental shift in attitude is upon us. Put simply, it contends that earning a driving licence is no longer viewed as a rite of passage into adulthood. Being The Economist, it has data to support this claim. In 1997, it reckons 43 per cent of 16-year-olds had licences in America. In 2020, that had dropped to 25 per cent. In Britain, in the last 20 years, the proportion of teenagers able to drive has reportedly slipped from 41 per cent to 21 per cent. 

The reasons given for this decline, as you might imagine, are myriad. For one thing, it seems that while a preference for car ownership has not tapered, people are generally disinclined to drive as far as they once did. You can thank the internet for that, alongside a seismic shift toward working from home following the pandemic. Obviously, concern for the environment is cited as a major consideration for younger generations, as is the availability and convenience of taxi-based apps like Uber and Lyft. The growing tendency for urban planners to reject the car as an appropriate means of mass transport has doubtless taken its toll in big cities, and that longstanding mentality has helped to influence policymakers more broadly. Anti-car campaigners do not find it difficult to communicate their message to young people. Quite the opposite. 

Needless to say, this all makes a good deal of sense. It would be a brave soul to argue that a 17-year-old in 1997 (take it from me) was more sensitive to the looming effects of climate change - or considered their own actions as a meaningful and necessary part of the solution - than today’s equivalent. An inclination toward activism, turbocharged by social media, is one of the defining characteristics of a more engaged adolescent population - and its effect on long-term political strategy is likely to prove a virtuous circle, given enough time. Nevertheless, when it comes to the question of ‘love’ and the comparative lack of it, it is important to consider the extent to which the electric car revolution generally - and carmakers specifically - are currently guilty of failing young people. 

Generally speaking, of course, this has always been true. Owing to their complex nature, new cars have always been expensive to buy, and therefore marketing them to teenagers or anyone in their early twenties has rarely been to the advantage of a manufacturer's bottom line. But in previous generations, anyone newly endowed with a licence could look forward to a veritable smörgåsbord of very cheap-to-buy, cheap-to-run hatchbacks. And while no one would confer God-like status on otherwise very humble examples of the Vauxhall Nova or Peugeot 205 or Citroen Saxo or Volkswagen Golf, their rudimentary design and hollow build quality were all part of the appeal. Front-wheel drive and naturally aspirated petrol engines coalesced splendidly with everyone’s take-no-prisoners driving style: not too fast to be unavoidably lethal, but just light and spritely enough to seem fun. Cheap to mend, too. 

For the most part, that generation of hatchback has all but vanished. And while their various replacements can justly claim to have improved in virtually every measurable aspect, they have typically failed to replicate the mechanical joie de vivre that marked out their much simpler predecessors. A surge toward upmarket sensibilities and the (well-meaning) pursuit of greater safety and emission standards has neutered most hatchbacks in dynamic terms, while simultaneously making them more expensive to buy. Who can blame a 17-year-old for preferring the train to the prospect of a heavily used Peugeot 207? Especially when petrol prices might soar to the value of molten gold at any moment. 

Accordingly, the stage ought to have been perfectly set for electric cars to shine an LED headlight on the way forward. Something like the Cupra Born ought to tick every box. If we sidestep for a moment the questionable environmental benefit of electric cars in manufacturing terms, the plug-in supermini can at least be unequivocal in its rejection of fossil fuels as a power source. It is also likeably compact, which is great for city driving and convenient for parking, yet large inside, which is convenient for transporting friends. It is very easy to drive and brisk in the way that virtually all electric cars manage to be, and, perhaps more so than any car before it borrowing the fashion industry’s design cues, it has been made to look like an oversized trainer. Also, it is called the ‘Born’, which is about as pointed as you can get. 

With all that virtue signalling, it is obviously not to the Born’s immediate advantage that the range-topper costs £44,955 as tested. Even allowing for the unspoken disclaimer that when the car industry talks about marketing to a ‘young’ audience it means people in their thirties, the price is prohibitively high. This is not limited to Cupra, of course (Volkswagen’s ID2All concept, revealed this week to much fanfare and previewing a sub £25k EV, is indicative of a hot-button issue) but for now understandable problems related to scale and return on investment will continue to bedevil battery-electric cars. And slapping exorbitant price tags on things is a surefire way of removing them from the thought-radar of anyone genuinely young. It’s like asking them to dwell on the prospect of buying a four-bed detached house. Why bother?

There are other problems, too. The Born is perfectly adequate to drive. In its latest 230hp e-Boost format and with a 77kWh battery, it will get to 62mph in 7.0 seconds and Cupra reckons you should get more than 300 miles from a full charge in ideal conditions. It is a well-made, plausible solution to personal mobility. But as a legitimate generator of affection, it is about as interesting as an electric kettle. Its maker may have furnished it with nearly twice as much power as a 20-year-old Saxo VTS, but at 1,950kg it also weighs more than twice as much. At low speeds in town, armed with 310lb ft of immediate torque available, it’s very agreeable. At high speeds, it’s about as sporty as having concrete bollards for legs. I almost recommended it to my EV-curious parents. That’s how thoroughly decent and boring it really is. 

If this is what zero-emission hot hatches are going to be like, what's the real-world incentive for a young person to start the long, expensive journey to becoming a proper car (buying) enthusiast? Especially as the other conceptual nail in the EV coffin is their current requirement for forethought. To most grandparents, driving more than 300 miles is a distance roughly comparable to an interstellar journey. To a suitably fired-up young person, it's nothing. Historically speaking, cars (any car, really) were worth falling in love with not just because internal combustion offered hitherto unknown freedom, but because it was implicitly available on the spur of the moment. There has been no greater enabler of brilliantly rash, often regrettable decisions in the history of the planet. Pick a faraway destination, go. Who wants to pick a faraway destination, then, thanks to limitations of existing infrastructure, painstakingly plan for at least one 45-minute refuelling stop (assuming you’re lucky enough to locate the right type of charger along the way), then go? That’s right - grandparents. The industry is targeting them brilliantly. It might end up paying for it. 


Author
Discussion

samoht

Original Poster:

5,633 posts

145 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all

I don't think these two things are that closely tied together. Today there are still plenty of used cheap petrol cars, the loss of the Fiesta etc has yet to play out in the market where 18 year olds buy 18 year old cars.

Also, if the need was as marked as people make out, then everyone can still buy a Mazda 2, a nice and affordable traditional Fiesta-like small hatchback.


In cities, it's still the case that car ownership is the outward marker of embarking on a new phase of life, it's just that where before it marked graduation to adulthood, nowadays a set of car keys is the marker of new parents, clutching their oversized safety car-seat in one arm and their beloved infant in the other. No longer the end of childhood, but the start of parenthood. Because fundamentally while a fit young person can perfectly well get around the average european metropolis with a bike and a bus pass, once you start bringing small children along it's completely unsatisfactory.

So no, there's no generational shift away from driving per se. What there is is a shift in the phase of life where car ownership starts to tip the balance to make sense. And this only really in urban areas; in the countryside with bus services being 'streamlined' ie cut to the bare bones, the old cold logic of stay home or drive still holds.


So yes things are changing, but if anything the reduction in small cars is a response to changes in society not a cause, and the change is much less ominous than one might fear.



CSK1

1,598 posts

123 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
Electric cars can’t get no love from me either!
But your article on sub £10K convertibles shows that there are plenty of affordable and interesting cars available on the used market.
My accountant was trying to convince me to buy an electric car because of the tax incentives.
He was showing me his Porsche Taycan but I can’t see myself falling in love with such a vehicle.
It’s an appliance, albeit a nice one, but still an appliance.
And if your accountant says you should buy it, that’s another reason not to buy it.
Only my opinion of course.

996TT02

3,308 posts

139 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
More people living in cities - Cars fairly un-useful in cities - Public transport quite good in cities - Little incentive, more disincentive to drive.

jhonn

1,556 posts

148 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
A well written, insightful article; I enjoyed it and it made me reflect - my compliments to the author.

Optevoz

1 posts

48 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
Very well thought out article.
You could argue that this trend is not limited to cars.
You could argue that in the search of an utopian society where risk is removed, we are a society ruled by the old for the old.
Aka known as eaten our young

Talksteer

4,843 posts

232 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
An unsubtle attempt to connect two unrelated things.

Cars are not more expensive today than they were back in 1997. Incomes have increased by 210% since 1997, so a £25k car is now equivalent to £12k one.

Only it isn't because interest rates are much lower now so from an affordability perspective a £25k is probably equivalent to a sub £10k car in 1997.

Furthermore today's used cars are vastly different to those available at peak youth driving in the 90's. Cars back then basically started falling apart once they hit about 10 years. Whereas who would be particularly scared about owning a properly serviced 2010 car.

The things which have changed.

  1. The driving test has become harder, you need more lessons and they have got more expensive
  2. Far more teenagers lack income and employment
  3. The NHS started billing insurance companies for treatment and the insurance companies started loading this on premiums
  4. Car repairs became a complete racket, and cars became more expensive to repair in accidents, see body coloureds bumpers, see above for impact
  5. Volumes of traffic have vastly increased and as a consequence free parking has reduced. Teenagers are more sensitive to the marginal cost of using a car, particularly if it isn't theirs anyway
This lot was what initially reduced the amount of young people driving in the 2000's. We can then add:

  1. Much more young people going to uni, which now costs a lot more money.
  2. Universities basically are car free 15 minute cities, they are also frequently the happiest years of many people lives, something to ruminate on.....
  3. Property prices also mean that young people trying to get on the property ladder have much less disposable cash.
What all these stats about going people falling out of love with driving don't normally talk about is that once said young people get a job or a family they often do end up getting a licence!

From a car culture perspective, most modern small cars come straight out of the factory with alloy wheels of a width a 90's GT car would wear, they come with spoilers, faux diffusers, "sports seats" straight from the factory too.

None of the above had anything to do with electric cars, other than Tesla is pretty popular with going people.






AmyRichardson

1,007 posts

41 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
As other have noted we're still ~ a decade away from the drying up of the supply of small, cheap, ICE cars; the cars that are available just aren't the issue.

And many of us didn't have sparkling, tactile little cars back in the day; my "breadvan" Polo was no entertainer and the 1.1 Clio that followed was scarcely any better!

Other, genuinely influential, factors are at play.

Angelo1985

223 posts

25 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
So, young people do not like cars as we used to do at their age therefore don’t buy them, modern cars are heavy and cost an awful lot more than in the past, the petrol is very expensive…but the fault is in the electric car?

Fighting windmills like Don Quixote

MitchT

15,788 posts

208 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
I'm 48. I was raised on a diet of TV shows where, if the motor vehicle wasn't the main feature, there'd at least be one of distinct character used by the star(s) of the show. Off the top of my head...

The Dukes of Hazzard
C.H.I.P.S.
Knight Rider
The A Team
The Fall Guy
Streethawk
Starsky & Hutch

What is there for today's young to stimulate an emotional connection with motor vehicles?

Terminator X

14,921 posts

203 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
Imho it is the clear direction of travel. Every year cars sound worse Vs before, have a shed load of tech that no one asked for or wants and are heavier etc, arguably worse than the version before. I am not surprised that youngsters simply don't care about cars now.

I don't blame the manufacturer as it is the Regs that are killing it.

TX.

Alias218

1,485 posts

161 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
I’m mid-thirties so whether you’d put me in the young adult bracket is up for debate (I’d say probably not).

I’m finding myself less and less interested in cars as times goes on partly because most new cars are so artificial that they just feel a little try hard (farting exhausts abound round my way), and partly because driving in the south east in general is such a bore. It’s too busy, too heavily policed by cameras, and too full of people who seem to have forgotten how to drive in a competent fashion over the last 5 years or so.

It’s boring, and it’s frustrating.

I used to love driving and would frequently go out just to drive. Now, I just can’t be arsed with it all.

Speedgirl

291 posts

166 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
Interesting article. And who are we to argue with the Economists statistics. But there are others. Despite a Covid/Brexit slump in new registrations and driving tests the numbers of cars on the road keeps on rising. It might not be young people, but more people are driving, because the population is growing strongly and public transport options are deteriorating. But it’s true that the national economic decline, taxation increases and regulatory burdens make it more expensive and difficult to run a car, especially for young drivers on a budget. However one thing is certain, youngsters move on and find something else to enjoy. I expect car culture will become more of a minority interest and spectator sport.

anonymous-user

53 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
Young people dont have the money. They are the worst paid, have to save the most to buy a house, end up in the most debt from university, and are now faced with some of the worst driving vehicles in the history of motoring, the plethora of st SUV's they have been driven around in by their parents, and now after all that they will get charged for every city they drive in and have to buy a ludicrously expensive 3 tonne st box if they can stump up the funds, all this plus insurance costs which are a grand for a 1 lite 20 year old fiesta ! A tesla is the most expensive insurance group....imagine being 17 and asking for a quote, url that will be 10k sir.....
I wouldn't drive under that influence either
The government wants 20 something in debt, and manageable so they can be good slave units to the workforce of the rich ! They want them sat at home jerking off and working on teams 20 hours a day....

Stick that in your hashtag !

TonyRPH

12,963 posts

167 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
Simple answer.

Cars are portrayed as anti social, and therefore the vast majority of youths see them as such.

I believe this has prevailed for well over a decade now, and it's only going to get worse.

You only have to observe a lot of youngsters in the street when a 'nice*' car passes by - there is little to no interest.

Whereas 25 - 30+ years ago, such a car would draw the attention of most youngsters.

  • nice car = could be anything like a Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche etc. etc. etc. (doesn't even need to be a supercar)

horseshoecrab

431 posts

207 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
When I was 17 everyone was desperate to get a car as it gave you freedom to see friends and women whenever you could.

Today my kids still spend every minute of the day happily playing or chatting to friends and chasing boys but it's all online. Despite my best efforts they have little need, desire or in interest in cars. They're just more into spunking money on digital clothes and being addicted to the misery that is tiktok.

forzaminardi

2,281 posts

186 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
Younger people are increasingly less desirous of being physically present or together in an experience. The decline of places where young people tend(ed) to congregate - libraries, community centres, pubs, nightclubs, etc - is evidence of this. If you're orientated toward such a lifestyle, it's perfectly possible to live a satisfying and full life without leaving your house. If you want a car, and to drive it, there's probably more readily accessible enjoyment to be had by 'driving' it on a computer screen anyway.

sidesauce

2,456 posts

217 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
CSK1 said:
if your accountant says you should buy it, that’s another reason not to buy it.
Why?

MrGTI6

3,157 posts

129 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
I've felt this way for a while now with regards to most new cars, specifically electric cars. I just put it down to getting older, though I'm only 27. I used to recognise any car from the smallest of details, and now I see things on the road and I've not got a clue what they are as they all look the bloody same!

I'm guessing manufacturers are largely restricted by regulations, platform-sharing and not particularly diverse consumer demand.

Take that car in the photos in this article for instance. I understand that SEAT's Cupra division is now a standalone brand, and you'd expect them to be producing some really exciting stuff. Sports cars, hot hatches, etc. And yet the car in the photos is a mini-MPV that looks like something you'd get on the Motability scheme.

Why would young people be interested in new cars when manufacturers are reduced to churning out such dross?

bloomen

6,845 posts

158 months

Sunday 19th March 2023
quotequote all
I can see young folk being turned on by cars that deeply, and creatively, fuse tech noodling and cariness. Expectations and desires have changed. They won't change back.

So far most manufacturers really haven't found their feet with that.

However in this day and age you'd have to want it more than olden times, but at the same time the barriers are higher, you receive less and are deprived of more for the honour.

Easy to see why people don't bother if they can live life without it. And I'm sure plenty of oldies feel just the same.



oedipus

363 posts

65 months

Monday 20th March 2023
quotequote all
Interesting article - I’d far rather such thought pieces than yet another barely discernible Porsche variant or anything BMW.
For me, the car seems a poor second as a means of asserting independence - back in the day a car was a must-have, now the mobile phone has claimed that spot and along with it much of a finite disposable income. Also, though it does nothing for me, an older generation had the sound and smell of cars as key stimuli of their youth whereas these sensations are barely discernible in the cars affordable to those on limited income.
It’s perverse to lay this at the feet of electric cars as much as it is to cling on to the notion that the decline in cars is something to be contested: they do not make as much sense now as they used to and mobility is now a concept that doesn’t need to presume car ownership. I will continue to be overwhelmed by the aesthetics of some cars but even at an age well beyond youth I can see how they will be a diminishing aspect of many people’s lives.