Study sounds alarm: Our cars were so fat

5.39 meters long or 2.7 tons in weight: New models keep setting new records – which not everyone celebrates. A study shows where this has led.
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Ever bigger, ever heavier: our cars are overweight. The main reason is the great appetite for SUVs and electric cars (BEV). This is according to new data from the French consultancy firm Inovev.

epa10534736 Models present the newly launched BMW XM Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) at the media preview of the 44th Bangkok International Motor Show in Bangkok, Thailand, March 21, 2023. More than 40...

Accordingly, since the year 2000, the cars produced in Europe have become an average of seven centimeters higher. They grew ten centimeters wide and even twenty centimeters long. And they gained a whopping 20 percent weight.

Status: year 2022

  1. VW T-Roc (165,701 units)
  2. VW Tiguan (137,476)
  3. Peugeot 2008 (137’404)
  4. Tesla Model Y (135461)
  5. Hyundai Tucson (133,223)
  6. Ford Cougar (129’035)
  7. Renault Captur (128’898)
  8. Dacia Duster (122’329)
  9. Ford Kuga (120,387)
  10. Kia Sportage (118,943)

In Europe, SUVs now account for 40 percent of total production – massively advertised by the manufacturers who make billions in profits from the expensive cars. Electrified cars account for a quarter (25 percent). The share of SUVs in registrations has increased fifteenfold since 2000, from three percent in 2000 to 46 percent last year. That was 5.2 million vehicles. In the US, customers bought 7.6 million SUVs last year and in China a whopping 11.2 million.

The criticism of these heavyweights flared up again and again. The German Association of Cities recently reached an agreement. The association of some 3,400 cities and municipalities is demanding higher parking rates for SUVs and other oversized cars. It is “obvious to allocate the actual costs for parking and driving to the large vehicles”, says General Manager Helmut Dedy. On the other hand, there is something absurd about widening parking spaces or converting parking garages.

Source: Blick

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Ross

Ross

I am Ross William, a passionate and experienced news writer with more than four years of experience in the writing industry. I have been working as an author for 24 Instant News Reporters covering the Trending section. With a keen eye for detail, I am able to find stories that capture people's interest and help them stay informed.

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