Wow. It’s not often a chart can say so much about human behavior, economic theory, oil consumption and maybe even the future of energy all in one spreadsheet column. For one thing, the data I show this week confirms the maxim that “ size matters .” When it comes to buying a new vehicle in North America, the bigger-is-better sentiment has been growing over the past 30 years, and especially so in the past three. The simple line graph in Figure 1 shows the percentage of people that walk into a car dealership in the United States, kick a few tires of various size, and then drive off with a new pick-up truck or SUV. That choice trumps opting for a more modest set of wheels on a smaller car. Canadian data reflects similar buying sentiments. (Click to enlarge) Back in 2006, new car buyers began shifting to smaller […]