Autos

America builds trucks

The affordable small vehicles that once filled American driveways have been replaced by a parade of increasingly enormous trucks and compact SUVs

ByJackie Snow

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Published 15 hours ago|Updated 6 hours ago

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Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A version of this article originally appeared in Quartz’s members-only Weekend Brief newsletter. Quartz members get access to exclusive newsletters and more. Sign up here.

When President Donald Trump mused about bringing Japan's diminutive kei cars to America (he called them “really cute”) during a press conference last month, he seemed to be channeling a genuine consumer frustration. In Japan, a basic new kei car costs about $10,000. In America, average new car prices have hit $50,000, and buyers are increasingly balking, buying used, or simply holding onto aging vehicles longer than ever. And when they are buying, it’s smaller. Compact SUVs have overtaken their larger siblings in sales. Midsized trucks are gaining ground on full-sized models. 

Too bad Detroit stopped building small cars years ago. Ford $F -0.88% sells exactly one car in the United States........

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