Comment on Australians are obsessed with SUVs and huge utes, but experts say they are making our roads deadlier
UnfortunateDoorHinge@aussie.zone 3 days agoIt’s expensive to develop a car in general because of ever increasing safety and tech requirements. It’s probably $10k of safety equipment per car. That’s part of the reason why the Yaris is $30k right now. The days of mass producing a small car on razor thin margins is incredibly risky and offers little reward.
The other thing is a change in consumer demand. People will happily fork out more for larger vehicles, and some will fork out tonnes for off-road based cars. These can offer very healthy margins.
There’s is also cleaver marketing, in that in large parts of Australia, you “must” have a big 4wd. I have driven my Suzuki all around Australia can safely say you don’t need a 4wd unless you plan on going off-road.
Salvo@aussie.zone 2 days ago
As a Jimny owner and driver, you don’t need a giant 4WD, even if you do go OffRoad.
I do struggle occasionally when arseholes in giant light-trucks have chewed up the track before me and left huge, impassable ruts.
UnfortunateDoorHinge@aussie.zone 2 days ago
Love the Jimny, yeah sometimes you get to ruts and think “did a Sherman tank just drive through here?”