Published on June 11, 2024, 12:47 am

Americans are holding onto their automobiles longer than ever, as indicated by the current average car age hitting an all-time high of 12.6 years – a significant rise from just being 11 years back in 2014. This use of older vehicles has seen a noticeable uptick due to a series of factors including the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic inflation, and increased interest rates.

A recent analysis by Wall Street Journal suggests that causes for this trend go beyond simple financial calculations. American consumers appear to be growing increasingly wary about newest vehicle models. The reasons behind this ramp up in skepticism include concerns over rampant spyware, issues with stop/start cycling systems, continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) perceived as underperforming, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems seen as cumbersome and complex engines that necessitate premium fuels.

Consumers seem to rue the replacement of easy-to-use physical controls with touch screens and harbor growing reservations around some cars’ intricate requirements—variables such as needing increasingly scarce CD players or manual transmissions. More mandates are also making consumers brace themselves for future changes such as electric vehicle mandates in states like California and President Biden’s remote kill-switch mandate scheduled to come into force in 2026.

Much like finding real news amongst the flurry of media iterations today, it’s become equally challenging for Americans to identify trusted news informing them on which automobile upgrades stay true to their requirements while meeting regulatory statutes. Layered with increasing state restrictions and federal impositions undermining consumers’ sense of control over purchases compounds these challenges.

The narrative isn’t confined merely within automobile boards; it extends even into our popular entertainment industry. Consider “The Acolyte,” the new Star Wars show on Disney+, which debuted recently only to receive lukewarm reviews and low viewership numbers due largely attributed to its lackluster scriptwriting.

In both automobile markets and movie industries alike, it becomes clear: understanding who your customer is marks the first step to successful service and product development. Hollywood’s box office performances, along with automobile industries’ customer reception, underpin this statement glaringly as their endeavors seem to lose touch of what attracts its customers—the primary audience. While Hollywood struggles with its brand resonance, car regulations enforced by Washington seem to overlook the fact that buyers prefer user-friendly features over mandated technological upgrades.

A Christian worldview emphasizes not only representative governance in political structures but also within markets directly impacting citizens. As such, understanding whether Americans are considered citizens of a constitutional republic or subjects for unaccountable technocrats bears crucial implications for sectors across the board.

In essence, providing services or products should stem from an intimate understanding and catering to user preferences – a rule that reigns supreme irrespective of the industry. Straying from this line of thought hints towards a skewed assessment of who holds authority—the provider or the consumer. Bearing clear conviction about who gets to call the shots is necessary; else we risk undermining the very basis that our society operates on – freedom of choice and agency on individual decisions.