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Car and Trucks: Inch Up, Put on Pounds

Lots of auto manufacturers think they know the answer. But how would they explain the fact that notwithstanding the rising gasoline prices, shoppers still opt to own bigger vehicles. The sales of bigger cars and trucks have ballooned as a result.

The average 2007 midsize SUV has grown ten inches in length, four inches in width and gained 474 pounds over the past decade, according to Edmunds.com, an auto-shopping research Web site. Additionally, compact sedans are an average two inches longer, two inches wider and 374 pounds heavier than in 1997. Midsize and large sedans weigh hundreds of pounds more as well.

Some cars have immensely increased in size that they have switched classifications. The 2007 Honda Civic has nearly the same legroom as a 1990 Accord, the model that is traditionally the next size up. The old Accord and current Civic weigh within about 100 pounds of each other. Later this year, the Accord will strike back, becoming even larger just as it has in each previous redesign. This is why auto parts such as the Honda Accord fuel injector have been enhanced to complement the redesign.

Automakers said that they are just catering to the desires of customers. Boosting the size of vehicles helps promote brand loyalty as shoppers stick with models they know and love even as their incomes and wants increase. "They'll say, 'I love the Rio. I just wish it were a little bit bigger,'" said Len Hunt, the executive vice president of Kia Motors America, referring to his brand's entry-level subcompact.

For validation of their auto shopping analysis, automakers need go no further than J.D. Power and Associates, a consultancy that gauges the top reasons why purchasers walk away from a showroom. For each year the study was conducted since 2001, the consultancy found twice as many purchasers rejected models as being too small as discarded them for being too big.

The more-for-the-money mentality has been inculcated in auto executives for decades. "Have you ever been at a press event and heard them say, 'We've shrunk the car this year!' Nobody wants to say their car is getting smaller," said Edmunds.com editor Karl Brauer.

There is no denying that the industry's fascination with big comes at an awkward time, given how gas prices have increased. More weight needs more horsepower, and more fuel, that is.

Despite the growth in vehicle size, the average was 25.4 miles a gallon in 2006, latest government figures show, about the same as in 1986. Automakers have done that by equipping their bigger models with new, high-technology engines to promote a better auto mileage.

"I don't hear people running around complaining their minivan isn't big enough. But I do hear them complaining their gas costs have increased compared to a few years ago," said David Friedman, the research director for the vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Americans have a subconscious liking for huge things. As a fact, all things oversized are favored by many Americans, whether it be cars, houses or food. "Let's face it. Americans are getting bigger," said Ian Beavis, Kia's lean marketing chief when asked about how cars are gradually being upsized, including several Kia models.

Ford spokesman Jim Cain said that the automaker learned the importance of position after the original midsize Taurus slipped out of the "sweet spot" of optimal size by not keeping up with those ever-growing Japanese models. "If you have a midsize car that's a little too small, you might be limiting your (sales) volume potential," he noted.

Now it is pretty apparent that both domestic and foreign automakers are feeding American appetites leading to auto bulk-up.

About the Author

Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

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