Nearly four in 10 new cars are sold without a most basic feature — the spare tire.
A study by the American Automobile Association, or AAA, found that 36 percent of 2015 models come with run-flat tires or tire inflation kits instead of a spare tire. That’s up from just 5 percent in 2006.
“Flat tires are not a disappearing problem, but spare tires are,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair. “AAA responds to more than 4 million calls for flat tire assistance annually and, despite advances in vehicle technology, we have not seen a decline in tire-related calls over the last five years.”
It’s a trend that cuts across all segments of the auto industry. Cars sold without spares as standard equipment include the Hyundai Elantra and almost all BMW models.
Read Article