It's an exception to the rule in the region, but a significant one.
Affluent people, who could afford cars, moved out to have more living space in exchange for having to drive everywhere. A more recent version of this is just not being able to afford an apartment in the city - those people opted for what must be the weirdest type of housing there is - an apartment in the middle of nowhere.
Statistics say that indeed it's still the rich who drive.
