It is growing more challenging to see around that sport utility vehicle in front of you on the expressway. This year, for instance, the Dodge Durango, already a hulking vehicle, received a face lift that added 7 inches to its length and 3 inches to its height.
That may not sound like much, but continued consumer demand for automotive heft (as evident with the proliferation of the nearly 7-foot-tall Hummer H2) is pushing models to new lengths.
At the same time, drivers fed up with rising gasoline prices are looking at tiny new European imports to help save money (and the environment).
We've become a country with a split automotive personality.
Looking to help drivers with an appetite for the enormous, Navistar International, a commercial truck company, has introduced a vehicle it bills as "the world's biggest pick-up." The International CXT, built on the same platform as a snowplow or a dump truck, measures 9 feet tall, 8 feet wide, and 21 feet long.
The truck can haul 6 tons of cargo and seat five comfortably in its stylish interior, all for $95,000. Leather seats, walnut trim, and a flip-down DVD player can be added for an additional $20,000.
"People equate big with safe," says Joseph Phillippi, an analyst with AutoTrends Consulting in Short Hills, N.J. "And as long as that perception continues, people will continue to want an SUV or a truck to feel secure."
"The size of a vehicle has had a lot to do with its perceived class status," says Peter Nason, editor of Bentley Publishers in Cambridge, which specializes in automotive publishing. "A lot of that probably comes from the 1960s and 1970s, when smaller import and economy cars started to show up."
But as SUVs and trucks continue to grow (as do sedans and wagons), there is the small subset of cars that are shrinking.
After the success of the redesigned Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Beetle, manufacturers from Chevrolet to Audi are introducing small car models in the United States.
The lesson learned from the Mini and the Beetle is that the small cars proving to be most popular with consumers are not utilitarian go-carts, but powerful and fashionable vehicles.
"There's an industry term for some models like the Mini Cooper and the Beetle, which is a boutique car," Nason says. "A lot of their marketing has to do with their styling, not so much their size. People are buying these cars for their aesthetics."
Another well-styled boutique car about to appear on these shores is DaimlerChysler's smart car. The zippy, lilliputian city coupe has proven to be a success in Europe, where small cars dominate.
In 2006, a small SUV version of the smart, the forfour, will be introduced in the United States. Several independent dealers are in the process of bringing the city coupe to the States, as well.
And as major auto manufacturers attempt to lure Americans into smaller cars, independent companies are shrinking cars to micro levels in an attempt to appeal to fuel-conscious consumers who are ready to forgo the gas pump altogether.
In 1999, inventor Mike Corbin began producing an electric, three-wheel car called the Sparrow on an assembly line in Holliston, Calif.
The single-passenger car is less than 5 feet tall and a little over 8 feet long. The car, now manufactured by Ohio-based Myers Motors, sells for about $18,000.
Meanwhile in Washington state, the father-and-son team of Rick and Bryan Woodbury is gearing up for production of a four-wheel, two-passenger electric car called the Tango.
It's about as wide as a motorcycle, can reach speeds of up to 130 miles per hour, and can go 80 miles on a single charge. They're taking orders for a luxury version which costs $80,000. (George Clooney has already placed his order.) Once the cars are built on the assembly line, however, they'll cost under $20,000.
"People have expressed a lot of excitement to us about this car," says Bryan Woodbury. "It's a very viable alternative for people who don't want to or can't afford to spend $80 to fill the gas tank of a Hummer every week."
And if gas prices continue to rise, the Woodburys may strike gold with their electric two-seater. As history has shown, it's not just taste, but economics, fuel prices, and fuel availability, that ultimately determine a vehicle's success.
Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com
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