Distress over the Hellephant

[Runethecursed]

This Article was published on Wheelwell.
https://wheelwell.com/posts/7wjo/dis...the-hellephant

Dodge announced their 1000 hp capable Elephant motor and it marks the end of the Internal Combustion Engine, and the beginning of the end for Personally Operated Vehicles. Its signal is the Harbinger of the End.



And here is why. With the increasingly popular movement towards these vehicles, I will call "CUV" or Compact Utility Vehicle or Crossover Utility Vehicle, we have seen a trend that will destroy the commuter car. Ford has even announced them canex'ing their entire line of non-Mustang cars in the US and barring the Tariff movement from this argument, I point the finger squarely at the KIA Soul.

Back in 2008, CNN had said that people do not know the difference between the small-sized crossover segment (which I hate using that term) and SUV. Wall Street Journal that same year tried to outline that the CUV marquee was a car that looks like utility vehicles but ride like cars. Now the earliest we had seen of these cars comes from 1948 with the Jeepster and later on the AMC Eagle. For those of you who are younger than 1985 or maybe just deny automotive history is place in today's school History books, the AMC Eagle was the first compact-sized but 4wd vehicle offered in the states. 1979 in fact. This started the seedling for Crossover vehicles.



By 1996 Toyota had released the RAV4 which in my high school days appeared more in the hands of young teen drivers more so than the antiquated Crown Victoria's and other full-sized land barges ( I was a Crown Vic owner and as such one of three people in my class with a proper v8 and RWD set up...) It was one of the earliest illustrations of an SUV ocular body on a car platform ( the above-mentioned eagle was more like a wagon placed on a light duty truck frame.. and indeed it drove like one). This mating of two concepts continued even with the Subaru Forester, which by an engineering standpoint was completely pointless when you had the underpinnings of a Subaru Outback but a more verticle seating arrangement and taller greenhouse. Now from a consumer standpoint, it sold like hotcakes at a midsummer fireworks festival.

Fast Forward to 2008ridesand as the economic crash was in full swing a small glimmer of light and noise appeared. In the shape of dancing, Hamsters mind you. The "cheap" car company had announced the Soul. inspired by more upright seating positions and on a car chassis, with a small fuel efficient motor, the future came strolling in not with French austerity but with Ebonic vernacular. And boy did it ever. In the coming age where the Honda Civic of this year's production is bigger than the Accord from just 15 years ago. This small nuance of "Crossover Utility" took the US by storm. True to form, it is making the "compact" and "midsize" car segment irrelevant.

September 4th of 2018 USA today reported that Nissan, Toyota, and Honda had all reported a 30% decrease in sales of their car line-up over their crossover/SUV line up. My theory is two-faced at its core. For a similar cost, these Crossovers offer a better "feeling" of being protected in an accident, and for the standard dollar, you are getting more. Now we have crash test results to prove the first point a fallacy but that is where engineering headbutts straight into the wall that is "Consumerism". At the end of the month, it does not matter what technology or statistic Chrysler, but the sales. And the sales are pointing towards CUV's. Like the gas price stabilization before the early 00's Americans were buying into the "safer" SUV market, the common housewife would rather tout around town in one vs the cheaper and, let me be brutally honest, less cool minivan (another segment almost dead to the world).

Fiat/Chrysler has also jumped the ship on the "car" segment as they weened out their Dart and 200 series, in favor for the truck and SUV, even Jeeps sells in bulk. In fact they are only heavily involved in one type of vehicle.. the Full Size, Rip-snorting, wheel burning, "I'm 47 with two kids, a wife, and 120k in debt, but I want to feel young and invincible again." Charger and 300C. And this brings us full circle.



The FCA has unleashed a 1000 hp crate engine to the masses that inevitably will only empty the wallets of Uncle Tadpole faster than a Golden Corral discount for active service members. While thumping their paws on the desk claiming that "it is only recommended for pre-1976 muscle cars" you and I know, why they have to officially proclaim that and we will not broach that subject today. That does offer this one point. What can the automotive world offer now? When any simple non-mechanic or car guy can go into a showroom and pull out an engine that is not only higher hp than most supercars (supercars combine hp with lightweight materials. exotic right?). And then achieve speeds that will book a permanent mattress in your local state penitentiary. What could possibly be next?

(^ the future of racing vehicles...)

While user interfaces and materials can always be upgraded and new inventions pushed into public hands (remember when the touch-less liftgate became a thing?) we have the standard ICE, internal combustion engine, pushed out to the point we are putting tiny 1.5 liter engines with turbo's into midsized "SUVs" and they are being sold by the buckets. I put SUV in quotations because they are unibody with small engines and no provisions for the 70's standard "Utility." I have even gone so far to say that they are not even SUV's but rather "people movers" much like the station wagon, or van. An ancient title, I know.

Add this all up, with the constant onslaught of hybrid cars becoming a stable in society with all-electric cars being refined to a point I have even considered buying one. This leaves us with the sad news. The Internal Combustion engine is dying. Personally Operated Vehicles are next on the block. And finally the Driver... has become endangered.


So fellow LugNuts, let us welcome the "Hellephant" Harbinger of the End Times. And have a Happy Halloween!



Craig is a sleep-deprived sailor who uses his limited spare time to test drive cars he cannot afford, helps others maintain financial integrity and is an Apostle to the Gods of Speed.
PS: Below I have linked to the Hellephant reveal article, USA today's report on falling sales, and Chris from engineering Explained on how Electric cars are more green than buying used gas cars.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/10...e-engine-mopar
https://www.thehindupatrika.com/1000...r-classic-car/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...es/1188847002/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RhtiPefVzM

@kyrios_nomad
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