american auto industry be like

Jen Sorensen.

Let’s not turn this issue into anything so boring as a culture war. If you feel an automated rant coming on about metropolitan elites persecuting ordinary folk, remember that huge cars are mostly driven by the rich. In the UK, for instance, the average SUV costs more than the median full-time pre-tax salary of about £33,000 — leaving aside petrol. Generally, it’s the rich who emit most CO₂. Getting rid of huge cars is about reducing emissions first and road accidents second.

SUVs evolved from the second world war jeep, but their worldwide numbers have jumped nearly sevenfold since 2010, to about 330 million. (This includes “crossovers”, car-like platforms on to which larger, SUV bodies are grafted.) Given that SUVs consume one-fifth more oil than medium-sized cars, they now emit about three times more carbon than the UK, per the IEA, which also says that they “have helped keep transport emissions rising “at an annual average rate of nearly 1.7 per cent from 1990 to 2021, faster than any other end-use sector”. Passenger vehicles already account for about 9 per cent of all global emissions. And every day, more people on Earth can afford to buy a car.

Petrol-fuelled SUVs still massively outsell the supposed big new things on the roads, electric vehicles. Even electric SUVs won’t do much to prevent dangerous climate change because they require outsized batteries, given their bulk and relative inefficiency. And manufacturing a car battery consumes as much energy as making the e-car itself.

The second strike against SUVs is that they are killing people now. They are particularly lethal in their land of birth, the US, where pedestrian deaths rose between 2010 and 2018. Meanwhile, deaths fell almost everywhere in Europe, where SUVs remain much less prevalent. This demolishes the argument that the big new danger is texting while driving. Because of SUVs’ weight and drivers’ limited visibility from inside, they protect their occupants while endangering everyone else, most tragically children run over in driveways by unsighted parents. SUVs induce a kind of arms race: when other cars are huge, people in small cars feel unsafe and decide to bulk up, too. Road accidents are a growing danger as populations age because elderly pedestrians have a bigger risk of being killed.

Lamborghini Urus

Image by Ilia Shimanovskiy || IG

We could make better weather, but there would be huge sacrifices of our freedom to destroy the climate by the lifestyles we have chosen. -- Michael Lipsey

Lamborghini Lanzador

Just want to share my favorite video on the internet rn

I hate those things- a new tenant with one was given the space next to mine and the super told me to move my car over, b/c it was tight for the SUV (and, he has to back in). I can’t see beyond it, can’t get in the passengers side, it’s just in the way.

FB: I grew up in New Jersey in the 50s, 60s, 70s,and 80s

Porsche SUV

(via Reddit - https://i.redd.it/size-does-matter-v0-jjf61ubzqr7b1.jpg?s=b0bd788ad1dfa67023880bba11d7f4d771dd905e)

Reflecting on the Last Iteration of the Honda Element: A Nostalgic Journey

In the annals of automotive history, the Honda Element remains a distinctive chapter, known for its unique boxy design, practicality, and unmistakable charm. As we look back at the last iteration of this iconic SUV, we are reminded of an era when car design dared to be different. The Honda Element's departure from the production line left a void that nostalgia fills, as we fondly remember its spacious interior, modular features, and a personality that was, quite literally, square. It's a testament to the Element's enduring legacy that enthusiasts still yearn for its return, and even as we gaze into the future of automotive design, we can't help but smile at the memories the Honda Element evokes. (Image from: www.carbodydesign.com)

Hennessey VelociRaptor 500