this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2026
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Mildly Interesting
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Mexico knows how to do autos for most of their citizens, not just the upper-middle class like the rest of N. America.
Car centric society is just bad period.
I see you’ve never lived in a rural area
80% of the world's population live in urban areas. So the focus should be on how to build urban areas that are less car-dependent, or preferably car-free. Nobody cares about cars in rural areas.
Most people dont.
Having a public transport/cycling/pedestrian centric society doesn't mean you get rid of private vehicle ownership in totality. It just means private vehicles are more for people who actually need them (like folks in rural areas) than pointless status symbols and the like. Also I've lived rural and known people who've had vehicle cooperatives (vehicles are shared) that worked out better for everyone.
Tgey want own their cars and not lease a 98k dollar truck they can't afford so people think they can afford a 98k dollar truck
But if they purchase direct, how will the poor leasing company make any money?!
Imagine living in a country where workers own their means of production, instead of renting in perpetuity from a bunch of industry landlords.
Which is funny because buying outright is expensive for most people, but leasing at a ~3-4% APR (before Euribor shot up anyway) is pretty affordable so you can get a vehicle with lower mileage or even new. It's just Americans who seem to make it super unaffordable by introducing high interest rates, super long terms and buying 98k trucks brand new. I had around a 300€ monthly payment on my Mercedes. Might've been 280 before Putin decided to be a cunt.