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VIDEO. In the city, is the SUV trend going too far?

2021-06-04T11:21:12.387Z


The French, and in particular city dwellers, are crazy about SUVs, these large vehicles which place passengers in height. But behind this success


Higher, more reassuring for its passengers, with a more spacious interior, the SUV has become the new family car.

Praised for the safety it offers to its passengers, for its comfort and for its off-road design, “sport utility vehicle” has conquered the French.

In ten years, sales have multiplied by 7 and represent almost 40% of the purchase of new cars.

Strangely, it is the city dwellers - especially in the more affluent neighborhoods - who buy the most.

Paris wins with 46% of SUV registrations in France, followed by Hauts-de-Seine with 42% of sales and Lyon, 40%.

Pulled by the American market, the French car fleet is going on a growing scale.

"It is actually an extension of what has existed for a century" explains Laurent Castaignède, former automotive engineer, converted into environmental impact and author of the book "Airvore or the dark side of transport".

"The size and weight of vehicles have never ceased to increase since the 1920s".

Overpower

Problem: “To drive at the authorized speed, up to 130 km / hour, an engine only needs 50 horsepower.

The average French car already makes 130 horsepower and… large SUVs go up to 460 horsepower, ”explains Laurent Castaignède.

This oversizing has a considerable impact in terms of safety and pollution.

According to figures published by WWF, an SUV consumes 15% more fuel and emits 20% more CO2 for each kilometer traveled.

“Which goes against our climate objectives” as Ademe reminds us.

Overweight

In terms of safety, the heavier a vehicle, the more damage it causes in the event of an accident.

In motion, its force of inertia linked to its weight can pulverize a lighter vehicle or a vulnerable user.

According to the accident study published by Axa Switzerland, an SUV causes 10% more fatal accidents compared to a standard car.

This figure climbs to 27% for large SUVs.

Added to this are visibility problems linked to the height of the car and its large size.

"The driver sees children much less, for example, especially since the fashion is for smaller windows" explains Laurent Castaignède.

While manufacturers compensate for these deficiencies by focusing on technological innovation, with cameras and sensors on the lower part of the vehicle, experts agree to remind that technology cannot replace the human eye and the driver.

Increase in pedestrian mortality in the United States

Across the Atlantic, where SUVs are monsters sometimes up to six meters in length, an experiment in the "front blind zone" (the blind zone in the front) showed that the driver behind the wheel was unable to see. up to 9 children placed in a straight line, in front of its hood.

“Frontover” accidents are when a child is hit by a slow-moving vehicle because of a front blind zone.

Now a child safety organization is warning parents of the tragic events and how easily they can happen.

- WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) May 27, 2021

In 2018, the number of pedestrians killed in road crashes across the Atlantic reached its highest level since 1990, an increase attributed, in part, to the increase in the number of SUVs (leisure SUVs), as well as driver inattention, often due to smartphones.

In 2020, the United States experienced an unprecedented increase of 5% in pedestrian deaths on the roads, while the confined country, was driving less than in previous years.

In 2020, a study by the Institute for Highway Safety showed that the risk of death for pedestrians and cyclists is 46% higher in the event of a collision with an SUV or pick-up.

An economic windfall

The fact remains that SUVs represent a real economic success, which has repercussions in terms of employment.

At Peugeot, for example, the success story is embodied by the 2008, 3008 and 5008 series. "The 2008 is excellent news for the brand," recalls Laurent Hannède, head of prices and sales at the manufacturer.

“The 2008 is the third best-selling car in France and the 3008 climbs to 6th position”.

These series have relaunched the automobile "made in France", since the 3008 and the 5008 are manufactured in Rennes and Sochaux, the 2008, it is manufactured in Spain.

As for the customer, “he flashes for the line on the vertical face and for the high position of the driver in his comfortable interior, cockpit style”.

Faced with these growing market shares, manufacturers are playing the SUV card to the full and investing 42% of their advertising spending on SUVs to shape the customer's desire.

In 2019, the global automotive advertising budget amounted to 4.3 billion euros in 2019.

What to do to stop the race forward?

“For example, we must help manufacturers to reorient their manufacture towards smaller vehicles that consume less fuel and space, for example by conditioning the billions invested in the recovery plan to the development of lighter cars.

We must also put in place dissuasive measures for consumers, otherwise the social and environmental bill will be very heavy to pay ”, according to Pierre Cannet, director of advocacy for the NGO WWF.

Source: leparis

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