
Auto culture


U.S. auto industry challenged by dramatic societal changes in postwar era
Constant Reader suggested in the “Story Ideas Bank” the following scenario: “You’re 25 & just bought your first new Chevy, at what ages and which models would be your moves up the Sloan Ladder?” That […]

What do you think American automobiles will be like in 2043?
A while back I asked Indie Auto readers, “If you could have foreseen the future in high school, would today’s cars surprise you?” George Denzinger subsequently suggested in our “Story Ideas Bank” that we prognosticate […]


If you could have foreseen the future in high school, would today’s cars surprise you?
This is a question that may be most interesting to older Indie Auto readers. What brings it up for me is a fictional story in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, which is a humor magazine. Alex Baze […]

1962 Ford: Harbinger of stylish trucks rots in the woods
(UPDATED FROM 2/18/2022) Five miles up an unpaved road in the Olympic Mountains is a harbinger of today’s stylish trucks. Slowing decaying in the rainforest is a 1962 F-Series pickup. Rather than trying to cart […]

The rise of the European van and other musings from a few days camping
Indie Auto is a day late in sending out its weekly e-letter because I wanted to sneak in some camping at a national park before the federal government likely shuts down Oct. 1 (Lunney, 2023). […]

Peter Wilding sorts out why people switched to smaller cars
Peter Wilding offered a detailed comment about our our post, “The switch to smaller cars began before the first oil embargo in late-1973.” I don’t agree with everything that he says, but he makes some […]

Automotive News’ commentators show outrage over Dodge’s shift to EVs
Back in December of 2021 Automotive News discontinued comments on its website in favor of those on Facebook. How have things worked out so far? Not so good, if I go by the last few […]

Why don’t more people customize the paint schemes on their vehicles?
This BMW reminded me of how rarely automobiles in the United States display customized paint schemes. The only time I can remember when this has been a mass-market phenomenon was during the surfer van boomlet […]