why are american cars so big?
443234
America is a big country without millenia of cities and roads built around vehicles the size of horse carts and carriages. It has pretty much always been easier in the US to build out, and build big, than to build compact and dense. Distances between cities is larger. Fuel has historically been cheaper.
480179
In fact, as opposed to Volkswagen, most of the vehicles that Audi sells in the U.S. are built in Europe. According to sales volume increases, the company has the ability to export its cars to the U.S. from additional Audi factories around the world.
1265752
Despite the large interior size and 8 seats the car is not much bigger than a standard saloon, so can happily squeeze it's way down the local country lanes. We have had our Bongo converted to run on Autogas so make big savings on fuel. Coming from Japan it's been well looked after and has lots of electric gadgets.
754362
American automakers are concerned about the availability of so many foreign cars to U.S. consumers, which they fear could cause loss of jobs in the American auto industry. To address the situation, they encourage Congress to: -increase export quota. -enact export embargo.
874405
Full-Size Rental Cars These cars are usually slightly more spacious than the standard car, giving the passengers more leg room as well as extra storage space. ... For example, the standard two-by-four Hyundai Sonata has a 25/36 mpg, while the full-sized Toyota Camry will only have a 21/30 mpg.
912161
The car is not without its eccentricities, chief among them the transmission. The car has a harshly shifting gearbox described by smart USA as an "automated manual," basically a manual transmission in which the clutch engages automatically.
1239421
Compared to the U.S., fuel is very expensive in Europe. In the old days, cars with automatic transmissions would eat up a good part of the engine power, so the car would lose performance and fuel efficiency. ... Compared to the U.S., fuel is very expensive in Europe.
296716
Small on the Outside, Big on the Inside The expansive interior you get in a hatchback usually equals those of larger cars but without the additional exterior dimensions. In fact, hatchbacks are sometimes smaller than their sedan counterparts in terms of their footprint.
664290
New cars currently in production will be very expensive to repair because the parts being made by the factor are needed to build new cars. That's part of it. The older a car is the less demand there will be for parts no matter where they come from.
789282
The reason why cars can go so fast is because the engines we have now are a lot more efficient and powerful than say 100 years ago. ... In order to have acceptable acceleration, you need a certain sized engine. It turns out that an engine that big will give you a far greater top speed than most speed limits.
618151
Large cars tend to be more difficult to drive because of their massive weight as well as the extra space they take up on the road. ... Large cars tend to be more difficult to drive because of their massive weight as well as the extra space they take up on the road.
998525
Because there is a ton of R&D behind them. The engine, transmission, suspension, and overall feel takes a lot of money to achieve the performance people want. We're at the point where we're seeing close to 200Hp out of these things with over 20 inches of suspension travel.
1298479
Vans are wider, longer and higher than a car, which makes them more susceptible to high winds. A van's height also requires more overhead clearance.
613061
They are still good cars, and run very well for their age, but it's the smaller stuff that is noticeably different between the years. The Japanese are better disciplined it seems at building stuff, and they care more about quality and engineering than American companies.
1362577
ABSOLUTELY Japanese manufactured cars are BETTER made than their American made counter parts. Much of the time the metals are slightly thicker, and the fit and finish is much much better.
369707
Shanken law is the main reason why engines imported from Japan have extremely low mileage. - Japanese vehicles have less wear & tear compared to the vehicles in United States. Public transport in Japan is convenient and cost effective. Most people take public transport to work and drive only on weekends.
1130649
Full-size vehicles are typically larger and more spacious, but they do not always mean SUVs. ... The reason why full-sized vehicles might cost less to rent than standard vehicles is due to their mileage.