Swapalease.com executives recently analyzed the difference in how Hollywood leverages cars today versus during the 1970s and ‘80s. The difference is obvious.

During the 1970s and ‘80s, Hollywood went to great lengths to showcase iconic cars and trucks in popular TV shows and movies.

• The A-Team van

• Magnum P.I.’s Ferrari

• Smokey and the Bandit’s Trans-Am

• Herbie The Love Bug

Since the late 1990s, cars and trucks have been largely non-existent in popular TV shows and movies.

• Hollywood has gone to more of a “Reality TV” format for shows

• “Gone In 60 Seconds” involved cars but not one in particular

• “Fast and the Furious” is largely about cars but not one in particular

“Is it possible that today’s younger car shoppers aren’t being influenced enough from Hollywood?” asked Scot Hall, Executive Vice President of Swapalease.com. “One way to reverse this trend might be for Detroit to flex its muscle a little more and find ways to inject cars into more of today’s shows and movies. We’re not talking about paid product placements but more opportunities for cars to be written into the native script.”

Fortunately, technology such as Hulu makes it possible for older generations to share yesterday’s TV shows and iconic cars with their children. Do they think Detroit or Hollywood is more to blame for the lack of cars on TV today?

Robyn Maupin Creech wrote a comment recently on Swapalease’s Facebook page saying: “My boys,8 & 9, love cars like this and (Bandit’s) car and (Knight Rider), even the DeLorean and so many more. We watch the old shows a lot in my house so it has nothing to do with today's TV for sure.

Swapalease recently asked its Facebook community which TV shows and cars they liked the most:

• 1982 GMC K-2500 Wideside / 1980 GMC K-25 Wideside –from  The Fall Guy

• 1982 Firebird Trans Am “KITT” from Knight Rider

• 1966 Batmobile - 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car

• 1968-70 Dodge Charger “General Lee” Dukes of Hazard

• 1983 GMC Vandura van from the A-Team