Detroit’s auto merchandisers - with the help of their Madison Avenue car consumption strategy – has completely lost track of what cars are for: transportation.
And the buyers of the product have also lost track of reality and purpose.
Loss of reality is the reason that Chrysler, GM and eventually Ford will go out of existence.
And they should.
We – the car consuming public – have allowed ourselves to be brainwashed into what is a border line mental illness: we see our car as an extension/expression of our personality.
That’s pretty sicko.
We giddily spend 10s of thousands of dollars on a piece of gaudy metal and plastic and leather perfume – which as soon as it leaves the car dealer – loses a third of its value.
That’s pretty sicko.
Getting into our car makes us feel good! It has a cupholder! And Dolby!
When my parents had cars they didn’t have any Dolby. But they had energy absorbing bumpers which if you backed into a pole in a parking lot sprung back into shape without leaving any damage to the car.
Detriot engineered that out. Now back into a pole and it will cost you $3,000.00 in repairs. Detroit likes that and you have forgotten about the bumpers which existed in the good ole days, haven't you?.
Car manufactures used to talk about how long their particular cars would last. US manufacturers removed that reasonable discussion years ago. Maybe you remember the Volvo or Mercedes ads which featured million mile capable cars. Now we don’t see those ads from Europe imports either.
Instead, our mentality has been made to think it is an expression of our prowess to have a shiny, extravagant brand new car – and that the sooner you leave that car behind, the more alpha you must be.
That’s pretty sicko.
Every Superbowl shows Pick Up trucks spinning their tires through mud holes in the desert. Gotta have one of those tire spinners we are told.
Sporty rag tops spin around corners on California Highway 1. Gotta have one of those too.
Almost everything (except airbags and seat belts) about cars which would benefit the user/owner has been stripped out of cars, and in place of sensible, practical, economical environmentally beneficial transportation centric engineering we get “living room” engineering – with big gas guzzling engines.
That’s pretty sicko.
Now why would Detroit keep building big inefficient V8’s? Detroit isn’t in collusion with the Oil Cos. That ‘s being too cynical (jeff, you know what people are saying about you on Realneo!)
But is it cynical to think that the federal and state highway tax on each gallon of gas is spent to build highways for the cars to roll around on? And the more gas which is used means more tax for more rolling roads? And without lots of roads we couldn't keep stuffing more cars out of the factory? Or does the soccer mom really need that V10 (no longer manufactured) in her Ford Excretion?
Detroit and their Madison Ave campaign have manipulated our psyches and turned us into idiotic lemmings. And the car manufacturing industry isn’t the only industry that has us acting against our own self interest.
Can you name a few others?
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