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In the early twentieth century, American national identity became increasingly associated with automobility and the move from "a nation of horsemen to a nation of mechanics," as automotive periodical Horseless Age described it. As well as advocating for the removal of horses from "civilized" society due to their anti-modern associations (a familiar colonialist solution), Horseless Age also encouraged nationalistic attachment to the automobile--the new hallmark of civilization. Up to this point, the (colonial) history of the automobile in the United States had Indigenous Americans positioned not in the driving seat but in the background, as primitive people who made up part of the scenery. However, as the present study demonstrates, John Joseph Mathews's novel Sundown (1934) complicates this notion by presenting Indigenous ownership and operation of automobiles following the Osage Oil Boom. Sundown follows the life of Osage American Chal Windzer, growing up in Osage County during the oil boom and struggling to balance his Indigenous roots with the desire to find routes into white settler culture. Drawing on a range of literary historical sources such as Horseless Age, Mathews's ecological writing, and traditional stories of the Osage, my reading of Sundown examines the inherent difficulties in separating the symbolism of the automobile from its material ecological consequences. In much the same way that animal symbols are co-opted in automotive branding, Indigenous identities are exploited in car culture to conjure up a nostalgic past in which the ecological and colonial violence of American Modernity is conveniently forgotten. I will argue that Mathews's Osage characters find themselves in a double-bind as they seek to refute stereotypes of technological primitivism whilst still maintaining and respecting Indigenous connections to the natural world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benefit-cost analyses of regulations address Kaldor-Hicks efficiency but rarely investigate the distribution of benefits and costs as experienced by low-income households. In order to fill this gap, this article assembles the available evidence to determine how regulations of the automobile industry may impact the well-being of low-income Americans. The scope of the investigation includes air pollution, safety and fuel-economy regulations. We find that performing benefit-cost analyses for low-income households is more challenging than commonly understood. Given the difficulties in completing distributional analysis with available information, the authors offer practical suggestions on how to change the federal data systems and the rulemaking process to ensure that information is collected about how future automobile regulations impact the well-being of the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the interactive effects of the household structure and race/ethnicity on gender differences in commuting travel in the United States. Existing research has established that both the household structure and race/ethnicity affect the gender differences, but little has examined if and how the effects of the household structure differ across racial/ethnic groups. Using the 2017 U.S. National Household Travel Survey, I estimate gender differences in commuting distance and in the probability of automobile commute in five household types and in four racial/ethnic groups. Results suggest differing effects of household types across racial/ethnic groups: the effects are particularly large in Hispanic people and small in Black people; the effects are moderate in white and Asian people. The research provides an analytical framework that jointly considers the two important factors that explain gendered commuting travel, and it reveals nuanced findings that can inform people-based and context-sensitive transport policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results from a study of driver feedback, driver attitudes, and the adoption of ecodriving behaviors. The study ran for one year; each driver was engaged in the experiment for four weeks. Narrowly defined, ecodriving represents the set of behaviors that a driver can use to minimize the energy use of a trip after the trip has begun. The general ecodriving behaviors are moderating acceleration, top speed, and braking. Ecodriving has long been recognized as a potential source of reductions in transportation energy use, with reduction estimates ranging widely from less than 5% to over 20% depending on context. In-vehicle feedback that provides drivers with salient information suited to their personal goals may be one way to motivate ecodriving. Although many studies have tested unique feedback designs, little research has been conducted into the cognitive precursors to driver behavior change that may underlie the adoption or rejection of ecodriving practices, and therefore underlie the effectiveness of any feedback design. This study examines both precursor cognitive factors and driver behavior changes with the introduction of energy feedback, using a framework hypothesizing that attitudes, social norms, perceived control, and goals influence behavior and behavior change. The study finds that the introduction of a feedback interface can both activate these cognitive factors and result in behavior change. Furthermore, the study finds that there was an overall 4.4% reduction in fuel consumption due entirely to one group that showed increases in their knowledge of fuel economy and reported high levels of technical proficiency during the experiment. Statistically significant relationships are found in this group between the magnitude of cognitive change and the magnitude of behavior change – supporting the theoretical framework. The second group made no improvement and may have been confused by the feedback. The effect of baseline (pre-feedback) performance of the drivers indicates drivers that already have highly efficient driving styles do not benefit much from feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: While occupations are increasingly analyzed within contexts, other than the home, the ordinary places that facilitate occupations have been overlooked. The aim of this article is to explore the automobile as a place of occupation using data from an ethnographic study of fathers of children with disabilities. Methods: Qualitative data obtained through observations and interviews with the fathers and their families were analyzed using a narrative approach. Properties that influence interactions include opportunities to communicate, the vehicle itself, and electronics. Results: Driving children in the automobile fulfills fathering responsibilities and is a time for connecting. For the fathers in this study, the automobile represents a place for negotiating complex demands of fathering. Conclusions: This study demonstrates not only the importance of the automobile, but also the influence of the immediate space on the construction of occupations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1908 debut of Ford's mass-produced Model T, the automobile has been associated with a particular configuration of hegemonic masculinity. Such persistent representations-in traditional historical accounts, industry rhetoric, and popular culture-assume only those who are straight, White, and male are truly capable of understanding and appreciating the automobile. This examination of gay car culture- as practiced through participation in the Lambda Car Club International- suggests otherwise. Calling on Lambda club websites, Facebook® pages, and videos, as well as survey responses from eleven Lambda members, this investigation provides insight into the meaning gay drivers ascribe to the automobile, uncovers the valuable connections to the past automobiles make possible, and explores the role of cars in creating community among gay drivers. Perhaps more importantly, this inquiry provides an alternative construction of masculinity, one with the potential to disrupt and displace the current hegemonic model that permeates American car culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

J. D. Power and Associates (JDP) conducts customer surveys and reports information on automobile quality, reliability, safety, satisfaction and buyer behavior. The Initial Quality Study (IQS) by JDP provides feedback on the quality of new vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership. This paper evaluates the quality measurements of IQS and its economic impact on the sales performance of major U.S. automakers (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) and Japanese automakers (Toyota, Honda, and Nissan) between 2001 and 2010. The following research questions are addressed: (1) Does IQS have significant impact on the customers' purchasing behavior during the period of study? (2) Who benefits more from IQS, U.S. or Japanese automakers? (3) How can the quality information of IQS be measured and evaluated? In order to address the first two questions, the event study methodology is used to analyze the impact the IQS surveys on U.S. market sales. IQS resulted in the positive response to the market (or increasing market share) for Japanese automakers with the opposite result for U.S. auto manufacturers. To address the third question, two quality measures (IQS score and event type, i.e., positive or negative event) are defined and analyzed. The analysis shows that there is a positive relationship between IQS score and market share response. Similarly, positive news had a significant effect on the market response of IQS reports, while the effect of negative news was not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the growing literature on offshoring, little attention has been given to the impact on product innovation. In this paper we empirically investigate the connection between industry innovation and offshoring in manufacturing. Specifically, our focus is on how information flows to the US economy have been affected by the increase in manufacturing offshoring in the US automobile industry. We measure these knowledge spillovers using different aspects of patent data, namely foreign citations and inventor country of origin. Our results indicate that offshoring has resulted in increased knowledge spillovers to the USA, and that the quantity of such spillovers varies by country, with a positive spillover effect from offshoring to Mexico, China, South Korea and Taiwan, but little or no spillover effect from offshoring to Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Urban sprawl is considered by most environmental scientists and urban planners to be a serious environmental problem. However, public perception about parking availability often forces planning offices to recommend parking lot sizes that exceed daily demands. The recent trend of increasing the size of stores, churches and even schools comes with increasing the size of parking lots that service these buildings. The objective of this paper is to analyze space allocation of parking lots in a typical midwestern county and to estimate the supply of parking spaces to potential demand. We also estimate the loss of ecosystem services represented by the area of parking lots in this county. We found that parking lots cover 5.65km2 (1 397acres) of Tippecanoe County, Indiana which implies that 0.44% of the county area is devoted to parking lots. Our results show that there are approximately 2.2 parking spaces per registered vehicle, that parking lots make up more than 6.57% of the total urban footprint in this county, that the area of parking lots exceeded the area of parks in the city limits by a factor of three and that parking lot runoff and pollutants are significant compared to runoff and pollutants from these areas prior to their conversion to parking lots. As other authors have done before us we lament the poor use of land in urban regions of the United States, and encourage planners to think creatively about the use of land for parking. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A comparative life-cycle energy and emissions (greenhouse gas, CO, NOX, SO2, PM10, and VOCs) inventory is created for three U.S. metropolitan regions (San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City). The inventory captures both vehicle operation (direct fuel or electricity consumption) and non-operation components (e.g., vehicle manufacturing, roadway maintenance, infrastructure operation, and material production among others). While urban transportation inventories have been continually improved, little information exists identifying the particular characteristics of metropolitan passenger transportation and why one region may differ from the next. Using travel surveys and recently developed transportation life-cycle inventories, metropolitan inventories are constructed and compared. Automobiles dominate total regional performance accounting for 86–96% of energy consumption and emissions. Comparing system-wide averages, New York City shows the lowest end-use energy and greenhouse gas footprint compared to San Francisco and Chicago and is influenced by the larger share of transit ridership. While automobile fuel combustion is a large component of emissions, diesel rail, electric rail, and ferry service can also have strong contributions. Additionally, the inclusion of life-cycle processes necessary for any transportation mode results in significant increases (as large as 20 times that of vehicle operation) for the region. In particular, emissions of CO2 from cement production used in concrete throughout infrastructure, SO2 from electricity generation in non-operational components (vehicle manufacturing, electricity for infrastructure materials, and fuel refining), PM10 in fugitive dust releases in roadway construction, and VOCs from asphalt result in significant additional inventory. Private and public transportation are disaggregated as well as off-peak and peak travel times. Furthermore, emissions are joined with healthcare and greenhouse gas monetized externalities to evaluate the societal costs of passenger transportation in each region. Results are validated against existing studies. The dominating contribution of automobile end-use energy consumption and emissions is discussed and strategies for improving regional performance given private travel''s disproportionate share are identified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this article, a methodology to model the annual stock and flows of aluminum in a key end-use sector in the United States—passenger vehicles—from 1975–2035 is described. This dynamic material flow model has enabled analysis of the corresponding energy embodied in automotive aluminum as well as the cumulative aluminum production energy demand. The former was found to be significant at 2.6 × 109 gigajoules (GJ) in year 2008 under baseline assumptions. From 2008–2035, the cumulative energy required to produce aluminum to be used in vehicles is estimated at 7.8 × 109 GJ. Although the automotive aluminum stock is expected to increase by 1.8 times by 2035, the corresponding energy embodied is not expected to grow as rapidly due to efficiency improvements in aluminum processing over time. The model's robustness was tested by checking the sensitivity of the results to variations in key input assumptions, including future vehicle sales, lifetimes, and scrap recovery. Sensitivity of energy embodied in automotive aluminum to changes in aluminum production efficiency and aluminum applications within the vehicle were also explored. Using more recycled aluminum or improving the energy efficiency of aluminum production at a faster rate can lower production energy demands. However, aggressive and sustained changes are needed beginning today to achieve meaningful reductions. This may potentially be countered by increased use of stamped aluminum in vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foreign auto manufacturers and suppliers produce cars and parts in the United States not only in order to support the high demands of the U.S. market, but also to expand their market share in the largest market in the world. To produce their products, one of the first steps is to build a manufacturing plant while taking into account all the necessary rules and regulations and the different construction environment. Foreign auto manufacturers and suppliers therefore not only need to be familiar with the use of U.S. project delivery systems for the construction of new manufacturing plants and the expansion of existing manufacturing plants in the United States, but also to control potential additional risks associated with their construction caused by various factors such as cultural differences, changed laws, and regulations. This study applied a case study approach to demonstrate and compare the project delivery systems implemented for the construction of five automotive manufacturing plants in the Southeastern United States. The results of this study highlight the common practices and differences that exist with regard to project delivery systems. The conclusions derived from this case study can assist foreign manufacturers in the construction of new manufacturing plants and the expansion of existing plants in the United States, and will also provide valuable insights and considerations for U.S. construction participants who wish to work with foreign manufacturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a literature review which focuses on gender comparison for self-regulation of driving and cessation in the U.S. It talks about a study which was conducted as an etiological evidence-based review on existing older driver gender differences. It notes that the gender topics, which were identified in the study, need further research to be supported and clarified.

This paper examines the ethics of government policies and automobile industry strategies as China rapidly adopts the automobile on a widespread basis. It begins by looking at the context of auto adoption in America in the twentieth century and then contrasts this with the situation in China today. It next analyzes government and auto company strategies along three moral criteria and concludes that current strategies are consistent yet ethically wrongful. In the end, it recommends the abandonment of current antiquated harm-inducing strategies in favor of new approaches incorporating innovative technologies that account for local preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a literary criticism of the book "On the Road," by Jack Kerouac. It reexamines the novel in the context of the national vision for the U.S. presenting the freedom enjoyed by the characters through the use of the automobiles as an ecological issue. The author argues this issue, citing the rise of the automobile, the increased fuel dependency of the U.S. and what he claims to be the national addiction to fast driving.

When initial automobile environmental standards were introduced during the 1970s and 1980s there was a large difference in the level and timing of the introduction of these initial emission standards in the United States, Japan and Europe. Trade in automobiles was the target of fierce trade disputes in the 1980s between, for example, the United States and Japan. The governments of Japan, the United States and Europe were involved in trade negotiations as agents of the automobile industry of each country, often focusing on environmental standards as sources of non-tariff barriers. But since the mid-1990s, because of the globalization of the automobile industry, automobile firms have had common interests in collaborating in relation to voluntary harmonized standards. They also have common interests in relation to other sectors such as the petroleum industry in that the burden for emission reductions needs to be shared equitably among sectors. In that sense, it can be said that a 'depoliticizing strategy' has been used, which is the strategy used by the automobile industry not to rely on government intervention and trade conflicts at an intergovernmental level to deal with the difference in standards. There is a tendency for high-level convergence concerning environmental emission standards for NOx etc. in Japan, the United States and Europe and related sulfur content standards for complying with them. In addition, the automobile industry has been consciously seeking international harmonization through the Trans Atlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) and the TrilateralWorking Group. Harmonization has also been attempted at the intergovernmental level to gain legitimacy at the arena of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) through the signing of the 1995 Agreement (the revision of 1958 Agreement) and the establishment of the 1998 Global Agreement. In the process, governments have been requested by automobile firms to adopt harmonized standards; but governments also have their own incentives to set up an intergovernmental mechanism to establish harmonized standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the mid-1980s, the sport utility vehicle (SUV) emerged as one of the most popular automobiles in the United States, a trend that continued throughout the 1990s. The SUV boom has attracted widespread coverage in the mainstream media but little scholarly attention. The following article examines the historical and social context of the SUV through analysis of popular press accounts, automotive reviews and trade news, and SUV print advertisements. Situating the SUV in the context of fear of crime and risk management during the 1980s and 1990s, it is suggested that the SUV's popularity reflects American attitudes toward crime, random violence, and the importance of defended personal space. While consumer attraction to the SUV is typically attributed to two key features -- safety and interior space -- these pragmatic justifications may be viewed as euphemistic. Safety is not road safety but personal safety. Space is not interior cargo space but social space, including the privileged ability to traverse inhospitable terrain to remove oneself from society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial replacement of fluorocarbons in mobile air conditioning systems (MACS) with typically HC-290/600a[60/40] and minimal precautions began in Idaho in 1993. R290/600a has low environmental impact but mixed with air is flammable and frequencies for fire, injury and cabin overpressure were predicted. No such accidents are known from 1993 to mid-2003. R290/600a suppliers consumption, representative MACS charges and charge termination frequency were used to predict yearly total MACS numbers. Mid-2002 in Australia there were 0.33×106 and at end 2002 in the USA 4.7×106 R290/600a MACS. Integrating over time gave usage for Australia to the end 2002 as 1.09×106 car-years and to mid-2003 for the USA 21.7×106 car-years. The measured US fire, injury and cabin overpressure frequencies are less than 3.2×10−7 per car year with high probability. This fire frequency is a hundred times lower than predicted because most R290/600a leaks in MACS use are effectively non flammable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rising fuel prices and concern over emissions are prompting automakers and legislators to introduce and evaluate "clean vehicles" throughout the United States. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are now on the roads, electric vehicles (EVs) have been test marketed, and niche vehicles such as high-fuel-economy microcars are being considered for introduction. As these vehicles proliferate and mature, they will eventually reach their end of life (EOL). In the United States, an extensive recycling infrastructure exists for conventional, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Its primary constituents are the disassembler and the shredder. These industries, as well as battery recyclers, are expected to play integral roles in the EOL processing of clean vehicles. A model of the automobile-recycling infrastructure and goal programming techniques are used to assess the materials streams and process profitabilities for several different clean vehicles. Two-seat EVs with lead-acid or NiMH batteries are compared with two- and four-seat HEVs and microcars. Changes to the nonferrous content in the vehicle bodies are explored and compared for the effect on processing profitability. Despite limitations associated with the linearity of goal programming techniques, application of this tool can still provide informative first-order results. Results indicate that although these clean vehicles may not garner the same profit levels as conventional ICE vehicles, they are profitable to process if there are markets for parts and if there are sufficient quantities of nonferrous materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In marketing durable goods, manufacturers use varying degrees of leasing and selling to consumers, e.g., cars, photocopiers, personal computers, airplanes, etc. The question that this raises is whether the distinction between leases and sales is simply one of price, or whether the proportion of leases and sales effects a firm's ability to compete in the market. In this paper we use two approaches to argue that leasing and selling create strategic consequences that extend beyond prices. First, we develop a stylized theoretical model that shows that the optimal proportion of leases and sales depends on the competitiveness of the market and on the inherent reliability of the firm's product. And second, we find support for the implications of our theoretical model with data from the automobile industry.The U.S. automobile industry has seen a large increase in leasing over the last five years. However, the extent to which leasing has been embraced varies widely across manufacturers. For example, in 1993 the sport utility segment had the following lease percentages: Ford Explorer, 29%; Jeep Grand Cherokee, 24%; Toyota 4-Runner, 11%; and Chevrolet Blazer, 9%. In addition, manufacturers often vary lease percentages across models. For example, in 1993 Ford leased 22% of its Crown Victoria model, 35% of its Taurus model, and 42% of its Probe model. A popular argument for why we see these differences is that higher priced cars are leased more often because leasing makes them more "affordable." However, this rationale is not compelling in the face of our data. For example, the Ford Probe was priced significantly lower than the Crown Victoria and yet it was leased almost twice as often.To develop a better understanding of why we observe differences in the proportion of leasing, we develop a two-period model of a duopoly in which each manufacturer chooses its optimal quantity and the fraction of units it wants to lease. We find that in equilibrium neither firm lease... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay investigates industrial design as a business risk. I study General Motors (GM), a firm claiming so much power by 1994 that one might assume it faced no risks. But as Harley Earl styled vehicles as smooth, stremlined images of steel, GM managers wrestled with uncertainties about consumers' tastes, the technology for manufacturing car bodies, and the task of judging designers who as creative individuals defied 'rational' management. GM effectively dealt with its styling risks as it dominated the largest consumer market. Still, compared to the Cord 810, GM cars here not necessarily the most fashionable or innovative autos an US highways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: As vehicle safety technologies and evaluation procedures advance, it is pertinent to periodically evaluate injury trends to identify continuing and emerging priorities for intervention. This study examined detailed injury distributions and injury risk trends in belted occupants in frontal automobile collisions (10 o'clock to 2 o'clock) using NASS-CDS (1998-2015). Methods: Injury distributions were examined by occupant age and vehicle model year (stratified at pre- and post-2009). Logistic regression models were developed to examine the effects of various factors on injury risk (by body region), controlling for delta-V, sex, age, height, body mass index (BMI), vehicle model year (again stratified at 2009). Results: Among other observations, these analyses indicate that newer model year vehicles (model year [MY] 2009 and later) carry less risk of Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) 2+ and AIS 3+ injury compared to older model year vehicles, with odds ratios of 0.69 (AIS 2+) and 0.45 (AIS 3+). The largest reductions in risk between newer model year vehicles and older model year vehicles occur in the lower extremities and in the risk of skull fracture. There is no statistically significant change in risk of AIS 3+ rib fracture or sternum injury between model year categories. Females are at greater risk of AIS 2+ and AIS 3+ injury compared to males, with increased risk across most injury types. Conclusions: For belted occupants in frontal collisions, substantial reductions in injury risk have been realized in many body regions in recent years. Risk reduction in the thorax has lagged other body regions, resulting in increasing prevalence among skeletal injuries in newer model year vehicles (especially in the elderly). Injuries also remain common in the arm and hand/wrist for all age ranges studied. These results provide insight into where advances in the field have made gains in occupant protection and what injury types remain to be addressed.