I see a lot of ‘American style’ American cars on the road. The look powerful. I’ve only been in one of them, as a passenger in a new station wagon, and it seemed to have pretty good pick-up. But they’re not for me. My Jeep is the only ‘large’ vehicle I’ve owned (actually, its length is about the same as a Honda Accord and I’m always getting complaints about the lack of room in the rear seats), and the only American one.
My preference has always been for small cars, especially if they’re efficient. (Even the 911 got over 20 mpg.) I like ‘zippy’ cars without a lot of mass. I used to have a Chevy Sprint Metro. Not very fast, and it had trouble with long grades. But it was ‘zippy’ and got 50 mpg. It was easy to park, and had a surprising amount of space inside. ‘Big Three’ cars have always seemed to large for my taste.
And then there’s gas mileage. Since I have almost always had long commutes this has always been an issue with me. I didn’t see any mileage figures in the article. I remember when people were aghast at having to pay $1.80/gallon. Now, with prices in the $2.50 range, I don’t hear many complaints. Still, a very large percentage of cars I see every day are Toyota Priuses. Conventionally powered cars that get very good mileage are also popular.
So are the Big Three making a mistake with their ‘American Style’ cars? Would they do better in the long run by developing efficient cars instead of powerful stylish ones? Would you buy one of their current offerings?
I am not going the utilitarian efficient route unless I start truly going broke. We have had some pretty good debates on whether saving fuel in the U.S. actually helps any particular problem since it will be used somewhere eventually. All of my vehicles have been foreign so far including an SUV and BMW. I have a bias against American cars.
However, I like the design in that like. I looks like they say it should. It has one big problem however. That style is a high money gang-banging pimp mobile if I ever saw one. I am not sure if the auto makers care if those become one of those but I suspect they may not like it overall. There was a similar yet probably lesser problem with the behemoth Cadillac Escalade when it became a vehicle of choice for the gold chain wearing crowd. That affects more mainstream branding.
I would have to see what they are offering when I need a vehicle. To me capability trumps power, I want a vehicle that can get me through the mud and snow and over ditches.
Small ‘zippy’ cars, for the most part lack this ability, as do high efficiency cars. primarily due to low ground clearance, small narrow tires (though this could be a benefit in certain snow conditions), and a 2 wheel drive system.
To me, the modern “American Style” cars, such as the Interceptor concept, look heavily influenced by European design. The exception being the current Mustangs and the soon-to-be Dodge Challenger. I like those because they look very similar to their 1960s counterparts. I know the muscle car culture isn’t for everyone, but it is one of the few uniquely American eras of automotive design. I think it’s good to offer some of those options because in recent years the line between foreign and domestic car design is being blurred.
That being said, the recent Dodge “Charger” makes me a bit ashamed of my username. It doesn’t resemble the classic car by that same name. It was originally designed as the “Enforcer,” targeting the police market, but they made a last-minute name change under the assumption that a legendary name would boost sales (and it probably did). I like it as a police car, but outside of that, I don’t like how it looks.
I like big cars because I like the notion of crumple zones. In small cars, you can maneuver well and even have fun doing it, but I grew up around big cars and just feel better in an enormous steel capsule. Plus, it still manages to make 70 MPH feel scary, and I submit that 70 MPH is supposed to be scary. As far as fossil fuel depletion, we’ve had the technology to run cars on alcohol for longer than most of us have been alive, it’s time to run our gas hogs on alcohol fuel. We’ll still get all the nostalgia of the car culture and even keep the all-important “VROOOM!”
In conclusion, there is a market for big American cars, but I think the manufacturers are still missing the mark by calling their designs “American,” but not really making it so.
McMansions on wheels: cars far too large featuring side panels so high as to pander to the SUV idea of a car being some kind of towering fortress and all with glitzy decoration which I would cringe at being on even a ricer’s car. Terrible shlock.
Would i buy that car? Definitely not, and simply based on styling alone. It looks like an attempt to combine the newer boxy and curvy styles, while failing at both of them. Maybe if it was a convertible, but the sides are so high it would look ugly, like the PT Cruiser convertibles.
The whole concept of “American cars for Americans” seems stupid. When i hear “American car”, probably what comes to mind first is unreliable. The one thing American automakers should have been trying to copy was the reliability, not the styling.
For me, the only reason to buy an American car right now is for the styling or performance, and the styling (at least to me) is ugly. The “retro” designs don’t seem at all “retro”. The worst offenders have been (for a while now) the Thunderbird and the Charger. Now, if they brought back styling from the 1950’s or 1970’s, I’d consider buying a car like that.
The past 5 cars my family has bought have been made by Honda. A 2006 Odyssey, a 2006 Civic, a 2000 Accord, a 2000 Odyssey, and my car, a 1992 Civic. I love my '92 Civic, it runs without any problems and as far as i know, it has had no major repairs (aside from CV boots being replaced) and still has the original clutch at 151K miles. It also gets at least 35 - 40 miles/gallon, handles well and is plenty fast for everyday driving.
I’d gladly buy an American car that could claim that.
I would rather ride a tricycle than drive that hot dog on wheels.
I am against buying a new car in general. I would be buying 15 year old vehicles even if I was the CEO of Microsoft. But as a general rule I hate the styling of every vehicle after 1999, except for a few Saab and Volvo models. They all look too bulky, chunky, and “aerodynamic” (i.e. jellybean blob shaped.)
Give me a late-80s BMW or Merc at a quarter of the price and 10 times the character.
To be honest, I was expecting a lot more. I thought this car looked awful. I can see where they get “American Style” from, but as an American, I must be wierd. I do love Jeeps. I will also admit that other than my Jeep I had when I was younger, every car I’ve owned has been foreign. It just happens that what is nice for what I can afford is usually from overseas. Given the choice, if I had the money, I still wouldn’t buy it. I just think it looks ridiculous, as well as ugly…
That car looks like everything that is wrong with American cars to me. I wouldn’t buy it (or any American car really). The golden age of American muscle cars is over and when they try to recapture it, there is just something sad about it.
A big honking ugly brute of a car that would no doubt roar like an angry bull and turn heads in the street. I’d be the only person in Britain with one.
(But only if I could afford it. And only because I have a tiny little penis.)
I wouldn’t buy the one pictured in that article because of it’s size. It looks pretty big, kinda like the dodge magnum. However I do like it’s style. Make it smaller and I’ll buy it.
