2018: The Trends
Long time no post, I know! Hope 2018 has started off well for everyone. After the last few months of watching what's been unveiled by manufacturers for the coming year, there were several things that stood out to me. Industry-changing trends are underway that seem likely to have staying power and are shaking things up. And they won't just affect the coming year. Starting with:
Tesla's Model 3:
After much fanfare for the last two years, 2018 is when the “revolution” in affordable and desirable electric transport is supposed to seriously take hold. Obviously the widespread debut of the Model 3 to the hundreds of
thousands of customers who plunked down their $1000 deposit is going to
be watched closely.
Though it technically started rolling off the assembly lines late in 2017, by this summer production is expected to be ramping up with many of the reservation orders to be delivered en mass. The reviews are starting to trickle in, and there are a lot of unique features within the car that are finally being made public. I am bracing for the inevitably build quality issues that the first deliveries will likely have, as the Model S and X have had to endure (and continue to.) Hope to get my hands on one later this year and see if the future of automotive transport for the masses has truly arrived!
The demise of big engines, and return of the turbo: Well, partly. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the rivalry between muscle-car fans and the owners of small-engine imports in high-school parking lots around the country was in full bloom. “There’s no replacement for displacement!” said the driver with a big-block Chevy V8. "Let's see if you can keep up in the twisties!" retorted the high-revving, turbo-charged Honda and Mitsubishi crew. While some variation of this sort of exchange was going on back then (and continues to this day), it turns out, that, there is an acceptable replacement: the modern turbocharged engine. And today, it’s likely offered in your favorite domestic sports car or truck.
With the increasing push on fuel economy standards, naturally aspirated (non-turbo, non-supercharged) engines seem to be maxing out in terms of efficiency for street cars. The solution? Create engines that can perform double-duty with fuel-efficiency and power in mind, thanks to the benefits of forced induction.
Whereas before it wouldn't even garner a second-thought to equip your full-size pickup truck or SUV with the latest V8 the big-three could offer, it's become perfectly acceptable to run on six and even four-cylinder turbocharged motors in heavy vehicles, due to the fact that these smaller engines are finally a viable alternative for many buyers. Even Volvo's full-size stellar XC90, Motor Trend's SUV of the year in 2016, is running on a four-cylinder motor that is both turbocharged and supercharged!
As far as sales go, many people don't seem to mind missing the V8 burble (present-company excluded) and associated fuel costs when their everyday chores mainly consist of picking up the kids from school and getting groceries, rather than towing boats and scaling mountains. As high-end luxury performance cars from Mercedes' AMG and Aston Martin continue equipping V8’s as standard fare, even they have been steadily adding turbochargers to smaller displacement V8's to get more power, rather than relying on V10 or V12 motors as they have in the past. Those engines have become increasingly niche.
All the more reason naturally aspirated V8s in sports/GT cars from just a few years ago are increasingly the rage on the used car market. More to come on that in the future....
In-car electronics and entertainment (ICE):
As the battle between convenience and distraction rages on in the technology sector, more manufacturers are adopting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard fare in their vehicles. Both systems seem to be a happy medium for those who want access to their phone's primary functions, real-time Navigation, and music, without having to mess with their phone while driving. Around here, it doesn’t take but 2 minutes of being on the road before I witness someone at a traffic-light looking down onto their cell. So, as far as we’ve come, we still have to rely on police, and a prayer, to get people to pay attention to the road while driving.
Backup cameras are now a federally mandated feature, standard in all new cars to be sold in the US. While no doubt a great feature to have, along with 360 degree camera variants equipped in other vehicles, it begs the question: are people relying too much on their car's tech to safely maneuver around, to the point where they can't do without anymore? With each new autonomous driver aid and “safety” feature we’ve gotten (blind spot monitoring, lane assist, warning sensors, etc.) it seems that people are increasingly relying on their car to keep them out of trouble, instead of being attentive enough themselves to keep out of harms way. To me, that may be acceptable when we get to the stage of fully autonomous driving, but in the meantime, this transitional period is a bit unnerving with what we see happening on the road on a daily basis. Or perhaps, I'm just getting old? (Don't answer that.)
The futility of the traditional "three-box" shaped sedan:
With SUVs and CUVs dominating sales and profitability over traditional sedans, automakers who want to remain in the car business are pushing the envelope on their sedan designs to make them appealing alternatives to their high-rise stablemates. Ironic that 20 years ago it was the other way around, but, here we are. If you take a look at the new Lexus LS500, Audi A7, Honda's updated sedans, Kia Stinger, Porsche Panamera, and Tesla, just to start, all of these are quite striking to look at and have emerged out of the “three-box” design language we’ve kept sedans in for decades. For those of us who haven't succumbed to the allure of a high seated position and still prefer a lower center of gravity while behind the wheel, there are, thankfully, some interesting choices to be had today and going forward.
Let's roll!
As mentioned earlier, plenty of manufacturers have come out with new models and updates for 2018, many of which were showcased in the recent auto shows. Should I get my hands on them, I’ll be sure to post my thoughts here, or post pictures on the 9and3 Instagram account.
Happy Motoring!
Tesla's Model 3:
After much fanfare for the last two years, 2018 is when the “revolution” in affordable and desirable electric transport is supposed to seriously take hold. Obviously the widespread debut of the Model 3 to the hundreds of
thousands of customers who plunked down their $1000 deposit is going to
be watched closely.Though it technically started rolling off the assembly lines late in 2017, by this summer production is expected to be ramping up with many of the reservation orders to be delivered en mass. The reviews are starting to trickle in, and there are a lot of unique features within the car that are finally being made public. I am bracing for the inevitably build quality issues that the first deliveries will likely have, as the Model S and X have had to endure (and continue to.) Hope to get my hands on one later this year and see if the future of automotive transport for the masses has truly arrived!
The demise of big engines, and return of the turbo: Well, partly. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the rivalry between muscle-car fans and the owners of small-engine imports in high-school parking lots around the country was in full bloom. “There’s no replacement for displacement!” said the driver with a big-block Chevy V8. "Let's see if you can keep up in the twisties!" retorted the high-revving, turbo-charged Honda and Mitsubishi crew. While some variation of this sort of exchange was going on back then (and continues to this day), it turns out, that, there is an acceptable replacement: the modern turbocharged engine. And today, it’s likely offered in your favorite domestic sports car or truck.
With the increasing push on fuel economy standards, naturally aspirated (non-turbo, non-supercharged) engines seem to be maxing out in terms of efficiency for street cars. The solution? Create engines that can perform double-duty with fuel-efficiency and power in mind, thanks to the benefits of forced induction.
Whereas before it wouldn't even garner a second-thought to equip your full-size pickup truck or SUV with the latest V8 the big-three could offer, it's become perfectly acceptable to run on six and even four-cylinder turbocharged motors in heavy vehicles, due to the fact that these smaller engines are finally a viable alternative for many buyers. Even Volvo's full-size stellar XC90, Motor Trend's SUV of the year in 2016, is running on a four-cylinder motor that is both turbocharged and supercharged!
As far as sales go, many people don't seem to mind missing the V8 burble (present-company excluded) and associated fuel costs when their everyday chores mainly consist of picking up the kids from school and getting groceries, rather than towing boats and scaling mountains. As high-end luxury performance cars from Mercedes' AMG and Aston Martin continue equipping V8’s as standard fare, even they have been steadily adding turbochargers to smaller displacement V8's to get more power, rather than relying on V10 or V12 motors as they have in the past. Those engines have become increasingly niche.
All the more reason naturally aspirated V8s in sports/GT cars from just a few years ago are increasingly the rage on the used car market. More to come on that in the future....
In-car electronics and entertainment (ICE):
Backup cameras are now a federally mandated feature, standard in all new cars to be sold in the US. While no doubt a great feature to have, along with 360 degree camera variants equipped in other vehicles, it begs the question: are people relying too much on their car's tech to safely maneuver around, to the point where they can't do without anymore? With each new autonomous driver aid and “safety” feature we’ve gotten (blind spot monitoring, lane assist, warning sensors, etc.) it seems that people are increasingly relying on their car to keep them out of trouble, instead of being attentive enough themselves to keep out of harms way. To me, that may be acceptable when we get to the stage of fully autonomous driving, but in the meantime, this transitional period is a bit unnerving with what we see happening on the road on a daily basis. Or perhaps, I'm just getting old? (Don't answer that.)
The futility of the traditional "three-box" shaped sedan:
With SUVs and CUVs dominating sales and profitability over traditional sedans, automakers who want to remain in the car business are pushing the envelope on their sedan designs to make them appealing alternatives to their high-rise stablemates. Ironic that 20 years ago it was the other way around, but, here we are. If you take a look at the new Lexus LS500, Audi A7, Honda's updated sedans, Kia Stinger, Porsche Panamera, and Tesla, just to start, all of these are quite striking to look at and have emerged out of the “three-box” design language we’ve kept sedans in for decades. For those of us who haven't succumbed to the allure of a high seated position and still prefer a lower center of gravity while behind the wheel, there are, thankfully, some interesting choices to be had today and going forward.
Let's roll!
As mentioned earlier, plenty of manufacturers have come out with new models and updates for 2018, many of which were showcased in the recent auto shows. Should I get my hands on them, I’ll be sure to post my thoughts here, or post pictures on the 9and3 Instagram account.
Happy Motoring!
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