ROYAL OAK – We hear a lot of talk about electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles, but in reality on the floor of the North American International Auto Show were chock full of full-sized pickup trucks, big Sports Utility Vehicles, and flashy gas guzzling sports cars, said Michelle Krebs an analyst with Autotrader,. Auto makers will have to sell vehicle that people want to buy now, so they can finance the research and development that will build EVs and ACVs a decade from now.
China and Europe will be the countries that drives electric vehicles in the future, Krebs said. Right now 0.6 percent of the 17 million vehicles sold last year in the United States are electric, so American consumers with low gas prices and the inclination for to buy big vehicles – or at least bigger than China and Europe, she said. Trucks and Cross Overs are outselling cars by 2 to 1, Krebs said. Cargo space, easily configurable to consumer needs and even seating higher than the average car make Cross Overs very popular. Electric Cross Overs may be a future consideration.
To listen to Krebs analysis of the North American International Auto Show, and discuss 2018 trends for the North American vehicle market click on https://soundcloud.com/podcastdetroit/m2techcast-episode-111-michelle-krebs-auto-trader
