Prediction — Coming Shift in Drivers' Attitudes

“Fun and frivolity are usually the first casualties of a recession, and so are the vehicles that let the good times roll,” says Lawrence Ulrich of MSN Autos. “Buyers, all buyers, have become much more practical,” said Jeff Schuster, an industry forecaster for JD Powers and Associates. “They look at cars like these and say, ‘I just can’t swing that right now.'” Consequently, the sporty side of the luxury car market is in a sales free fall.

Now does this corroborate my views on the impending paradigm shift in driving? Readers may recall that I boldly (foolishly?) predict that American drivers are soon to lose the identity “I am what I drive” as the realization kicks in that “To some degree, what I drive harms me and everyone around me.”

I can’t predict the exact tipping point, but I’ll be stunned if drivers 20 years are still looking to a big piece of chrome and steel with a chic hood ornament as a way to broadcast their affluence. This, as a sociological phenomenon, is on it way out.

The Magnificent Shieldsini has spoken.