As far as the OP article, it might be interesting (and relevant) if she actually referenced sales data for cars AND light trucks, rather than emphasized cherry picked advertisements, and "studys" about urbanized Millennials.
It is no wonder that she considers "Yet, paradoxically, most of non-coastal America is just as dependent on cars as ever." The paradox is that she considers studys of what a minority segment of urbanized Millennials may be currently thinking about as the be-all and end-all of the U.S. auto/light truck sales market.

Another perspective on the automotive market trends, perhaps more interested in world-wide market trends and less agenda driven:
http://www.strategyand.pwc.com/persp...15-auto-trends