Many Suv’s Give A Good Mileage; When Long Trips Are Planned Suv Is The First Choice. Essay Examples

A cultural artefact is an object that can give valuable information about a society that made it or used it. It could be pottery, telephones and coins; they reveal a lot about the social, economic and political set up in a particular culture. SUV’s or the Sports Utility Vehicle represents and gives an idea about the requirements of today’s society. As an artefact the SUV gives us clues about a society; it is an integral part of the modern cultural artefacts.
SUV is an important mode of transportation; represents how people like to move from one place to the other. It’s meant for tough usage on any roads; can be used with ease in the mountains. Another feature that makes it a part of culture artefact is its seating capacity. The entire family can travel with a lot of luggage space. It gives a clear picture of the technology that is being used in the car. Developing countries like India where infrastructure is experiencing a boom; SUV sales are soaring high. It is low on maintenance and excellent on the harsh roads. General Motors the leader in SUV segment has reported increasing SUV sales making a profit of $ 1 billion. Some eager and satisfied customers have bought the new 2015 Suburban even without taking a test drive as the car was god enough to carry his entire family of six together. The SUV fulfilled his requirement of a large vehicle that had enough space for a stroller and luggage. Besides the decent mileage provided by the SUV was an added bonus for him. At times SUV have been called as the vehicles of “Out of Touch Dads” who are not societal drivers. They have been termed as Americas Horse with No Name.
The SUV can be related to culture as it is a part of a mass production object; its purchase is made in order to satisfy the local patterns of use. The manufacturer puts in features and characteristics in the vehicle for buyers who judge it by its performance and have different styles of handling the car. The designers fashion models reflect what the car stands for and who the targeted segments are. A different culture goes into the making of the SUV; if it was made in Germany and then finally sold in India.
At times the manufactures have to make revisions in the product in order to move the object to a different culture or to move a culture forward. There is a correlation between the importance of SUV’s as cultural artefacts and their sales figures. When car makers make revisions or changes in their SUV’s, the sales pick up for some time and then start dropping again. This explains the changing requirements of people and society. Isuzu Trooper experienced increase in purchase after it was introduced with a fashion grill. Cosmetic changes along with aesthetic ones increase sales as the customer wants practical features and cultural shifts in tastes to be met. The shift in culture means a required change in the SUV from the older version but the new design should contain enough of the old original appeal.
The destiny of the huge honking SUV’s is definitely in the hands of these dedicated drivers. Youngsters and those who are looking for modern sleekness and style in a car are against buying an SUV. The SUV has some shortcomings
The high gas price added to driving costs; SUVs at times have been called as the “Gas Guzzlers.” SUV gives a poor gas mileage and it is the main reason behind buyers staying away from it. As the gas prices are always rising, this car segment burns a hole in the buyer’s pocket.
For young drivers the SUV is a thing of the past; a favourite with their fathers. One of the youngsters interestingly compared his father’s SUV to a dinosaur on the verge of extinction. The changing social life patterns and family sizes might lead to the falling popularity of the humble giant.
The SUV got an “uncool” status after it was criticised for its high gas prices. Once a product reaches this point then getting it back into the minds of the buyer gets difficult. According to a survey young girls and boys never want to take an SUV on date or to a party. They want something stylish and classy; which is high on mileage and easy to park.
The pros of SUV’s are numerous and make it a popular choice among the traditional buyers and those looking out for strength and performance in a car.
SUV because of their huge size and strong outer body are regarded as safer in comparison to the other midsized cars.
Travelling in a SUV is comfortable as it offers better leg space and has good luggage capacity. In a culture like “India”, the entire family goes out together on vacations; a family size of six can easily be adjusted in a SUV. Latest SUV’s can hols as many as nine people; with sliding and removable seats, adjustments can be easily made by the driver.

SUV offers a god towing capacity. It is a choice over buying a mini truck by many commercial entities. It provides passenger transportation along with towing, something a truck can’t do.
Only a SUV can give the extra horsepower required while driving off the road, going uphill and while coming out of a ditch. In rural areas where roads are not so good and travelling is through fields; extra horsepower along with strong tyres takes the car anywhere.
According to a latest survey large SUV’s both mainstream and luxury models are witnessing an increase in sales. Fords Expedition is a major achiever in sales as the resale market of SUV’s is good. A buyer is assured that is SUV will fetch a good resale price. The SUV segment has accepted the cultural changes and has made revisions in their models to match the changes. The best part is that the core features of the car remain intact; just like the society has changed today but the core values remain same as before.
According to me the SUV will remain popular in the future as they will find buyers in upcoming economies where business travelling has increased. The cargo space along with mileage factor will ensure demand for SUV’s. If the SUV makers want to increase their market size they should target the young buyers and small sized families by coming up with a SUV that is smaller in size, looks stylish and offers the best features of a SUV. Nuclear families will shift to this segment undoubtedly if the find the right combination of performance and looks in a SUV. For the rural areas the SUV makers can offer low priced basic feature models for rough usage.
SUV’s stand for a culture that witnessed hard work and it was possible through its gigantic size and strength. Now the cultural values have moved forward; the people want a car that is high on technology, performance and less on masculinity.

References

Yelnick , Juli .Cultural Artifact: Definition, Examples & Quiz.Chapter 17. Lesson 9. 2015. Retrieved from.
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/cultural-artifact-definition-examples-quiz.html
Alvarez, Ted. Out-of-touch dads still want gas-guzzling SUVs, apparently. Jul 25, 2014. Retrieved from
http://grist.org/list/out-of-touch-dads-still-want-gas-guzzling-suvs-apparently/
Levitt, D, Steven. Culture Marketing. "Why the Death of S.U.V.’s?" by, NYTimes.com Freakonomics Blog, December 24, 2008. Retrieved from
http://www.culture-making.com/post/adieu_suvs
Greg Urban, Ernest Baskin, Kyung-Nan Koh. No carry –Over Parts. Corporations and the Metaculture of Newness.Suomen Anthropology. Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society. January 2007. Retrieved from
https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~gurban/pdfs/Urban-Carry-over_parts.pdf