|
2010: The year of the Car |
|
|
|
|
Written by Devin Durham
|
|
Tuesday, 08 April 2008 |
Each year on the Chinese calendar is assigned to a particular animal, for example this year (2008) is the year of the Rat. Why the rat? Only they know. I have no idea what animal the year 2010 is supposed to be, but I don't even need to go look it up because the stars are all aligned, the tea leaves are arranged and the bones have been rolled. An event that seems to only happen once every 40 years is coming to pass: 2010 is going to be the year of the car.
In the years afterwards there were bright spots and gloomy periods and the cars got lighter and more efficient and more technological and safer and... something died. At one time the car companies competed on having the baddest and meanest car made, knowing that would translate into sales of other cars in the brand. "Win on the track on Sunday, win on the floor on Monday" was the motto and there were some truly exceptional cars produced during that time, both limited production and full scale production. But as gas prices rose and Ralph Nader screamed that the sky would fall if you were allowed to drive a car you enjoyed, the car companies changed focus to family oriented cars, minivans, and then finally in the late 90s it seemed as though the competition was to see who could build the most enormous and conspicuous SUV.
That isn't to say that there haven't been some great cars made in the past 40 years or so (in the eyes of those that want a car that is fun to drive and a personal vehicle), but they are bright spots in an otherwise mundane mishmash of 'burbmobiles and people movers. And when there was a good car made, one with a soul and with potential and with personality, the buying public would have no choice but to flock to it, since it would undoubtedly be the ONLY such car on the market. Look at the past several years and the Mustang... the only real domestic competition it had in the price/performance/personality arena was GM's F-Body and that was discontinued in 2002. The Mustang still sells well, a fact that seems to only confuse all the executives at Ford that haven't yet figured out that what people want is a nice looking car. (In 2006 the average time for a mustang to stay on the showroom floor before it was sold was 15 minutes.) Even the idea of building a two door car is something that is routinely dismissed amongst car builders, saying that you just can't sell those in this market. Coupes are dead.
So in the short of it it's been four decades since there has been real choices offered to the car enthusiast. In the time that most of us have been driving, there has never a time when we could sit down and think not "should I buy a muslecar?" but rather "which musclecar should I buy?"
But in 2010, that's going to change.
Something has happened. It's probably poorly timed seeing that gas prices are insane and only getting worse, but it is happening regardless. Someone, somewhere has pulled their heads out of their asses and realized that there is a vibrant, enthusiastic element of the car buying public that wants a CAR. Something they can dote on and wash in the front yard and leaf through parts magazines for. Something they can drive around and be proud of and when they put their foot on the floor, shit actually happens.
The Challenger Much has been written about the Challenger online, and it goes on sale this year. All of the 2008 models are pre-sold, so they aren't showroom floor material yet, but by 2010 the demand will have calmed down a little, so you should be able to go to the Dodge showroom and ogle one all you want. The Challenger is a two door coupe with attitude and personality and soul, and even better there's a Hemi sitting under the hood. Let's not get into the issues of how much the current motor differs from the Hemi of old, instead just sit still for a moment and wrap your brain around this: Dodge is selling a Challenger with a Hemi in it. Brand new. No miles on it except the ones that YOU put on it. If that doesn't get your blood running, maybe this will:
The CamaroGM is doing a lot of things right. Among those things is the re-opening of "Studio X" which is a skunkworks type of arrangement inside GM. Cars are designed, productions are tested and ideas are toyed with that haven't been run through a focus group or mandated by a hundred mid level managers. Out of Studio X has come something extraordinary: The new Camaro. Blessed with the latest version of the LS engine (which has roots all the way back to the V8 that was in the '57 Chevy) this car is going to be positively bad assed. Public reception has been intense and why not? This is not a gutless wonder, this is not just a car that looks aggressive, it is a car that is aggressive.
The MustangEven though Ford seems to be having trouble finding its own ass with both hands, there are substantiated rumors flying about a body style change and a new motor in 2010 for the venerable Mustang. The body changes seem to be directly influenced by the new Camaro and Challenger but more importantly the 4.6 modular motor that now powers the Mustang line is going to be upgraded to 5 liters. This is significant. Extra horsepower is a natch, but from the standpoint of marketing alone this is something that should have been years ago. The 5.0 is a legendary motor and even though this new 5.0 has nothing in common with it, the name (just like the Hemi) will evoke passion and nostalgia with enthusiasts. The motor is also slated to be built in the Windsor plant... Ford people will understand the significance of a "Windsor V8". Now if someone at Ford can just be convinced to slap a "Boss" name tag onto the motor, they'll not be able to make as many Mustangs as they'll sell.
 And that's not all. Pontiac will be producing the excellent G8 GXP, The Charger will be tearing up the roads, Cadillac will be manufacturing the stunning CTS Coupe... Saturn has some interesting cars in the mix and then for those with deep pockets there are Corvettes and Vipers and by the time you throw in the imports like the Genesis and the M5 and so on... well.. it's going to be a very good time to walk into a showroom.
Eventually the gas crunch is going to catch up with this newly rediscovered interest in horsepower. In the meantime enjoy it... the legends of the next 40 years are almost here.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 09 April 2008 )
|
