Downsizing spreads to the driveway also

Houses aren’t the only place Americans are shrinking their spaces. More people are choosing more modest modes of transportation.

In some places, use of electric cars and hybrids is on the rise, while more fuel-efficient rides, like the Mini Cooper, are also growing in popularity.

“That’s the case on the east and the west coasts,” says Dennis Jungmeyer, president of the Arkansas Auto Dealers Association in Little Rock, a trade organization that represents the interests of all Arkansas franchise new car and truck dealers.

“But here in Arkansas, the SUVs and trucks are still the most popular vehicles,” he says, adding that in the past, when the price of gas got near $4 a gallon, his industry saw a knee-jerk reaction by consumers accompanied by an immediate trend toward buying smaller, more efficient cars. But when it dropped back down to near $3, Arkansans returned to their SUVs and trucks.

Nevertheless, there is a demand for smaller cars, especially in central Arkansas. Parker Mini of Little Rock will sell Mini Coopers when it opens at 12601 W. Markham St. in late March or early April.

Despite the fact that, currently, the closest Mini dealer to Little Rock is 147 miles away in Cordova, Tenn., the Arkansas Mini Owners Klub (AMOK) has 54 members from around the state, says member Gregg Petersen of Little Rock.

Petersen, a 51-year-old graphic designer, has owned a Mini Cooper since 2004. His current car, his second Mini, is a 2012 S sports model.

What did he drive before these cute little cars? Pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum - a Jeep Grand Cherokee. But he didn’t buy the Mini because it is more economical.

“I just liked the car; I liked the way it looked,” he says, adding that there’s a difference between the Mini Cooper and the S sports model.

“Fifty percent of Mini owners buy one because it’s a smaller car and for the better gas mileage,” Petersen says. “But if you have an S model and you drive it too fast, the good gas mileage goes out the window.”

Petersen says the front seat area of the car is spacious, “A six-foot man can fit in it comfortably.”

But, he warns, “You sacrifice the back seat; there’s not a lot of room. We usually just keep those seats folded down. It really is a two-person car unless you are a very young family.”

Eric Shaw, who will be general manager of Parker Mini, says people of all ages are drawn to the small car.

“The demographics for a Mini Cooper are all over the map,” Shaw says. “They range from 19 to 99. It appeals to a wide variety of people.”

HomeStyle, Pages 42 on 12/28/2013

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