[vinceguidry]

> I doubt you'll hear a lot about "peak car" outside these small groups or areas.

On the contrary, I think the prosperity evident in rural areas that can afford high ratios of car ownership is itself a small, self-selecting group of very well-off countries. If you broaden your view to the rest of the world, peak car doesn't look so silly after all.

A car is a much bigger investment in the developing world than it is in developed nations. Technology will enable more and more people in these nations to get more and more of their life done without the need to own an automobile.

We may see a saturation profile in the small part of the world where cars are both small investments and big conveniences, and a peak profile everywhere else. Which is, on the whole, a peak profile.

[Shivetya]

Yet in nations that have recently moved into the income levels needed for automobiles their usage has exploded. China, India, and a few others, all seem to be burgeoning car markets.

I think one area over looked in their study of people streaming into and out of cities is the less need for the city itself to provide for the needs of the people. Combine that with all the congestion style pricing and it drives development outside of the city where those who cannot afford the entry costs.

[zachalexander]

Reminds me of desktop computers vs. smartphones. Laptops may soon be a luxury/tool for techies that most people just don't need.