American cars used to be affordable. What happened?

American cars used to be affordable. What happened?

From Think from KERA by KERA

May 6, 2026 · 46 min

About this episode

Clifford Winston discusses the rising costs of new cars in America and the implications for consumers.

The average new car in America costs $50,000, but how many people can actually afford one? Clifford Winston is an economist who specializes in transportation and microeconomic policy. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss where the low-priced cars have gone, how all the new bells and whistles are squeezing those on a budget, and why even repair bills are now sky high. His article for The New York Times is “ The Death of the Basic American Car .” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

People in this episode

Host: Krys Boyd

Guest: Clifford Winston

Topics covered

  • affordability
  • automobile industry
  • economic policy
  • transportation
  • consumer behavior

Keywords

  • American cars
  • affordability
  • transportation economics
  • repair costs
  • basic American car

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The New York Times

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