Reply #37: What the American public wanted was something exciting

[krispos42]

In the '80s the cars were, for the most part, pretty lame. The oil crises in the decade previous forced a drastic and poorly-planned change in domestic prodection of automobiles, which is why Japanese cars came to prominance. Japan had been making very well-made, well-engineered, and efficient small cars for decades, and now all of a sudden they were in demand. At the time, it took the better part of a decade to design, test, certify, and tool-up for production of a new car line, and Detroit did not have a history of making smaller, efficient cars. Detroit was from an era where weight and fuel economy was not an issue, so the 4,000-lb body-on-frame Caprice with the fuel-drinking carburated V-8 was not something to be concerned about. Hell, I got to drive a 1978 Caprice a few times, and GM had hastily installed a "fuel economy" gauge in the dashboard. It would swing over to "low" whenever I stepped on the gas, then drop back to "high" whenever I let up on it. My father figured it was tied to the manifold vacuuum somehow, but that's besides the point. GM's initial response to the crisis was to drop smaller engines in existing cars and stick a fuel economy gauge in the dashboard.

Detroit struggled with small, efficient cars. Remember the Chevette? Aries? LeBaron? Escort? Cavalier? Fiesta? Le Car? Pinto? Vega? It was a market that Detroit, facing a small-car-technology gap, didn't really pursue that hard. And the price of oil fell, so gasoline was cheap again, the introduction of fuel injection and sensor-laden engines increased fuel economy and reduced emissions. Average fleet economy went up as old engines were upgraded and new engines were introduced. Now, a Dodge Charger SRT gets the same milage as my 17-year-old Oldsmobile, with double the horsepower and cleaner exhaust.

The fact is that "coolness" drives sales of just about everything, including cars. It is part of our image. We social creatures spend quite bit of money on status items, like $200 jeans and $4000 plasma TVs. And SUVs were both cool and practical for the suburban family. Plenty of room for the family and groceries, comfortable on long trips, able to tow a trailer or boat, had a better view of traffic, and 4wd for when it's snowing.

There have been SUVs for decades, but it was when Detroit began civilizing these formally work-only trucks that the public began taking notice. With the Explorer and Blazer coming with options like quality stereo systems, cupholders, air conditioning, power windows and locks, and leather seats, people snapped them up pretty fast. They were the reincarnation of the station wagon of yesteryear.

"Practical" has a somewhat bland connotation about it that is very hard to escape. And if you're going to spend big money on a car, you're going to want something that brings you joy when you drive it, because you are going be driving it for several years or longer. People don't spend an extra $3,000 on a Prius because of fuel milage; they do it to either make a statement or to support the concept of hybrid cars. And for many people, the SUV filled the bill. The market for SUVs was so lucrative that both European and Asian car companies jumped into the market. Now, even Audi, Lexus, BMW, and Porche make SUVs, even if they won't call them that.

What is really disturbing about General Motors is that they are pinning a lot of hope on their new lines of full-size pickup trucks. Now, while a good many people and companies need pickups for work, I think the days of most people buying them simply to have a truck are fading.

I'm still waiting for them to listen to my idea about the all-electric car that plugs into either 115-volt or 230-volt socket AND comes with a 7,000 watt generator built in, powered by a 12-horsepower gasoline, E85, diesel or propane engine with automotive-quality economy and emissions. The engine would only kick in when on long trips; otherwise the car would be recharged from household current during off-peak hours. For the average family, the auxillary engines might be used only a few times a year.