Legal Bill

The Automobile Magazine web site sends me about three emails a day. Today I got their recap of the Geneva auto show. The clunky soviet-looking car that they used to headline the story caught my eye, so I actually read the piece. Of note, the writer tells us that more and more manufacturers are skipping what were once the biggest shows in the industry. This has become quite a thing. In fact, Jaguar won the coveted World Car of the Year award with the I Pace and they were not even there!! Supercars continue to be "designed" and the HP war continues with 1500 hp being the new top level. The word "electric" comes up a lot.

Here is the Geneva car show article:

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/2...es-best-worst/

Here is an article about the I Pace:

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/2...ars-contender/

Sadly, the World Car of the Year is an $85K electric SUV and nothing that I'm interested in. I'm not sure there are any new cars that I'm interested in, as I once was. The Supercars are all stupid now; over priced, over powered, and over weight. The daily drivers fall into two categories: forgetable and SUV-like. Many are in both.

My prediction: Super cars will disappear soon, at least in the US. This will be due to a combination of disinterest and social policy that I won't go into here. Car offerings and prices will continue to rise for the luxury segment and find fewer buyers. Hybrid and electric models will continue to grow in number and take a larger share of the market. Commuter cars and SUVs will soon become the modern toaster oven. They will all pretty much look the same and manufacturers will compete on price and electronic features while trying to meet emission and safety requirements. In other words, the styling will be more about making a package that fits the needs that the product is designed to meet and not too much about being a "statement" or even attractive.

dlq04

I agree. Future styling will primarily focus on the inside of cars and not the outside.

Jet sitter

I was seriously thinking of buying a new Accord until I began to look at the owner's forums. So many issues with the tech packages, the car stopping on the highway while in cruise control because the sun blinded the sensor, lane keep making it difficult for the driver to change lanes, cooling/heating systems not working properly, questionable fit and finish. I know one of the service writers at the local Honda dealers and he agrees with the Honda forums. It's not the car it used to be.

robb

dlq04

Terrible roads, too much traffic on many, distracted drivers, and many cities seem like cookie cutter images of the one you just drove through. Add to that new cars isolate the driver so well from their surroundings you don't even feel like you are driving. Yep, its hard to get excited about new cars..... there is nothing that interests me. New trucks cost as much as my first two houses combined.

S1997

Legal Bill

Can it be done easily, or are we talking about serious fabrication work?

I keep getting trade in letters from my BMW dealer trying to get me to buy a new M240i and offering a trade in value of about 50% of the original sticker price of my car. If I did such a deal, I'd get the eight speed automatic with awd. But then I think that what i really need is a pick-up truck so maybe i should look at one of those for the next daily driver... So yeah, I really don't seem to care anymore.

Legal Bill

Dave, I used to lust after high performance cars for the purpose of driving them on the street. I would laugh at the person who would exclaim "where can your drive it?" Most of the time that comment meant that the vehicle in question was capable of speed three or four times the speed limit of the available road. I had an "F- the man" attitude and was willing to invest in radar detectors and take my chances. Now, I see it just the way you describe it. Congestion on terrible roads. So where can I actually drive it?

S2KRAY

I get to drive some really fast cars when I pick them up for detailing. Ferrari's, Porsche GT2RS, Corvette ZO6, BMWM4. I drive them carefully as the power available is too scary for me. Plus the congested roads make it impossible to open them up anyway. The BMW 228 I owned was more than enough power for me.

S1997