Over
the last three months I have been involved in purchasing three new cars for my
son and daughter. You might say I have a
reasonable amount of experience in this regard.
Based on my experience I am not surprised to hear that new car sales are
dramatically down for the young adult age group. Driver licenses are being delayed well past age
sixteen, the traditional age we have obtained such permits for many years.
What
has happened? Why are car purchases down
for the age group many of us identify as prime buyers? Why are fewer and fewer young people not
waiting expectantly to get that age-old sign of maturity and independence—the
driver’s license? Are automobiles no longer relevant to the sons and daughters
of America?
The
fact that 18 to 30 year olds are buying cars at much reduced rate is one of the
largest and most significant relevance challenges of our time. Much of the
sharp decline in new car purchases is due to the younger segment. The average
age of new car buyers advanced from 43 up from 48 just two years ago due to
shrinkage of young buyers. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the
percentage of those under 19 with a driver’s license declined from 64 in 1998
to 46 percent in 2008. For many youth, cars are simply not relevant. What can
car makers do to resist this trend?
Relevance
in the marketplace is not a problem for the car manufacturers alone. I will be closely watching Detroit (and Tokyo
and Seoul) to see how they deal with this new phenomenon. Underlying reasons such as college debt,
unemployment, interest in digital games and social media, and urban living with
its mass transit and Zip-cars are difficult for firms to address.
Do
we in the church have similar underlying causes for the decrease in interest in
religion, God, and Jesus Christ? Or, do
we ignore the relevance question and simply wait for our traditional
congregations to return to the fold? It
might be a long wait.
Peace,
Father
Mark+
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