Itâs a very different picture than it was a century ago when Henry Ford put the first affordable consumer car on the market. In September 1908, gas was cheap and nobody had ever heard of global warming. Now vehicle sales, particularly for SUVs and trucks, are sinking instead of soaring.
Patton is familiar with the Americaâs 100-year love affair with cars. He regularly writes about them and also serves as a consultant to museum exhibitions, including âDifferent Roads: Automobiles for the Next Century,â at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
One thing is sure: the cars of the future, even the muscle cars, will have to use a lot less fuel than they did in the past. But good mileage doesnât necessarily mean poor performance.
McHale, communications manager for Subaru, one of the few car companies whose sales are actually going up, will provide a preview of the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX.
