In 1988, when my wife and I returned to Canada, we brought with us a normal-size car – normal for someone who had been living in Europe. We were able to import it duty-free because we had lived abroad for many years.
Since then, I noticed vehicles were gradually getting larger. Perhaps the cars were not getting larger, but people were buying SUVs instead of cars. And they were choosing larger SUVs over more modest ones. Small vehicles weighing less than one-and-a-half tonnes were becoming an “endangered species,” while sales of vehicles weighing more than two tonnes were booming.
Statistics Canada gives the Canadian data. Between 2010 and 2012, car sales held steady at 44 per cent of total vehicles. Then car sales dropped steadily, reaching 27 per cent in 2018 and just 14 per cent in 2023.
In fact, car sales dropped so markedly that the "Big Three” pretty well stopped manufacturing them in Canada and the United States. Our “cars” are now sourced mostly from Asia and, to a lesser extent, Europe.
Several factors drive this change. First, our fuel is cheap by developed country standards. Of course, we complain about the high cost of gasoline. However, Ontario gasoline costs around $1.45 per litre. In the U.S., it’s even less at around $1.20 per litre (CDN).
If you buy gasoline in Germany, it will cost you $2.55 per litre. By comparison, Britain is $2.60, France is $3.07, Spain is $2.30 and in Italy it's $2.71. So stop complaining!
Fuel price (partly) explains why there are few “full-size trucks” in Europe. European tradesmen buy commercial vehicles with 2.0- to 2.5-litre diesels making 80 to 150 horsepower.
Low North American fuel prices play an important role in the selection of vehicles we get to buy.
Also, European cities are far older. Their streets tend to be narrow with limited space for parking making small vehicles more desirable. Small, narrow commercial trucks and vans are well suited to negotiate these streets.
Moreover, European commercial vehicles can still carry two tonnes of cargo, just like our “heavy-duty” trucks. They just cannot cruise motorways at 150 km/h.
However, the most important factor is profit margin. Our domestic vehicle manufacturers enjoy far higher profit margins on large SUVs and pickup trucks than they ever managed on small cars. That drives their advertising budgets and, in turn, the type of vehicles we choose to purchase.
A few months ago, CBC Radio’s What on Earth reported that it's "impossible to buy a new small car," he wrote. "Gone are the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris, GM Spark, Nissan Versa, Ford Fiesta, etc. Apparently, people only want SUVs." The average vehicle in the U.S. weighs two tonnes. That compares to 1.5 tonnes in Europe, while Japanese cars tip the scales at a svelte 1.2 tonnes.
Why should we care? Well, the larger, thirstier vehicles thundering along our 400-series highways emit more greenhouse gases. Their tires generate more particulate matter (dust) for us to inhale.
On a personal level, they are very effective at blocking my small-car view of the road, creating a safety issue at intersections. Two Minis, the car we use for city driving, can fit into a full-size truck parking space.
There is another safety consequence and it is huge. In a crash involving a heavy vehicle and a light one, the latter comes off second best. Between 1990 and 2005, the market share of SUVs in America grew from six per cent to 26 per cent, increasing the average weight of a new vehicle from 1,545 to 1,864 kilograms.
In 2012, it was reported that if a car crashes into a pickup or an SUV rather than another car, the driver is 31 per cent more likely to die. Two years later, this was expressed another way: if one vehicle weighs 500 kg more than another, the occupants of the smaller car are 47 per cent more likely to die than if the two vehicles are the same size.
The Economist, a UK-based news magazine, analyzed police data from 7.5 million, two-vehicle crashes involving 15 million vehicles in the U.S. between 2013 and 2023, across 14 states. "This new, very robust data set shows that ... getting hit by an additional 1,000 pounds of steel and aluminum — roughly the difference between a Toyota Camry and a Ford Explorer — boosts the likelihood of death by 66 per cent.”
That, too, drives customer choice. And who can blame them?
When I began driving, in 1959, automatic transmissions were an optional extra. Despite costing more, they became very popular. Soon it became hard to find a car without one. Power brakes and steering were fitted to cope with the larger, more powerful cars on offer following the Second World War, making them easier to drive.
Ever since, manufacturers have added more extras to their vehicles. Some, like heated seats, steering wheels, and power seat adjustment were comfort driven. Some seats can even give you a massage!
Hand-cranked windows became a thing of the past. Vehicles are often fitted with luxury sound systems, some better sounding than anything we have at home. Cabin air filters helping to keep out urban dust — and reducing seasonal allergy symptoms — are now a common feature.
Over the past two decades, manufacturers have added even more. There are warnings for lane departure, blind spot alerts, reversing cameras, adaptive cruise control (maintaining a safe distance from the car in front), anti-lock brakes, tire pressure monitoring, brake assist (maximizing braking effort) and even cameras checking if your eyes are open and not falling asleep.
Some fancier cars can apply the brakes on just one or two wheels to help counter a skid.
These latest features are all directed to safety. However, they worry me. By taking so much skill out of driving, such add-ons are creating drivers without skill.
Why does that matter? Well, an attentive, knowledgeable driver anticipates trouble well before it occurs. All of the clever systems are only able to respond when the vehicle begins to spin out of control. They attempt to restore stability — an aware driver often avoids losing control in the first place.
Another factor is built into the vehicle’s underlying design. Most modern car chassis and suspensions are designed for stability. This gives its occupants a “solid” feeling of being “planted.”
However, that also makes the vehicle less agile. A skilled driver operating a nimble car is often able to steer around a problem.
And that’s the kind of car I enjoy driving!
Peter Bursztyn is a self-proclaimed “recovering scientist” who has a passion for all things based in science and the environment. The now-retired former university academic has taught and carried out research at universities in Africa, Britain and Canada. As a member of BarrieToday's community advisory board, he also writes a semi-regular column.
