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The $25k car is going extinct?

(media.hubspot.com)
319 points pseudolus | 2 comments | 29 Jun 25 15:59 UTC | HN request time: 0.41s | source
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puzzlingcaptcha ◴[30 Jun 25 06:20 UTC] No.44420041[source]▶
You can still buy a new subcompact car (like a Renault Clio or Skoda Fabia) in Europe for under 20k EUR.

The more interesting question is why these cars disappeared in the US. And while many of the factors discussed here are true for both EU and US (inflation, interest rates, manufacturer profit margins etc) I am surprised no one mentioned the 'SUV loophole' of US regulations that effectively boosted the SUVs (off-road vehicles are classified as non-passenger automobiles with everything that entails, notably much less stringent emission standards) and made the small cars unprofitable to make in comparison.

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rmnwski ◴[30 Jun 25 07:31 UTC] No.44420471[source]▶
Also, the more SUVs are driven, the less safe people feel (and arguably are), accelerating the need to buy an SUV for safety reasons.
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amelius ◴[30 Jun 25 09:18 UTC] No.44421146[source]▶
On the other hand, if you kill someone in a traffic accident, you feel shit the rest of your life.
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CalRobert ◴[30 Jun 25 10:05 UTC] No.44421430[source]▶
I’m not sure, a lot of people seem quick to blame children for “darting” in to the road instead of accepting responsibility for operating a dangerous machine.
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1. dismalaf ◴[30 Jun 25 11:57 UTC] No.44422189[source]▶
If the child darts into the road without space for you to stop, not even you driving a subcompact can save them...
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2. ethagnawl ◴[30 Jun 25 15:46 UTC] No.44424686[source]▶
If nothing else, they'll roll up and off the hood of a typical subcompact instead of be pancaked by the 60" vertical wall that is the front of most modern trucks and SUVs.