Why Must "Green Cars" Be Ugly? – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

I don’t know about you, but with few exceptions the most fuel efficient cars tend to be ugly ducklings as well. As a pre-boomer, I grew up with cars that looked good, drove fast and made a statement. This new breed of cars also says something, but is it what Americans want to hear?

My generation was raised on fins, chrome, and whitewalls. If we didn’t own a car with these features, we wanted one. Cars were status symbols. The bigger the better, because what you drove suggested how well you were doing. Just like today, some folks went for more than they could afford and were, in effect, car poor. And it was men, for the most part, who connected with the cars they drove — particularly single guys. I suspect the clean car concept will be lost on them.

It’s the rest of us who are being sold on the importance of saving the planet by driving an environmentally friendly automobile, no matter how uncomfortable, how small and how ego deflating this may be. Now, some people may no want to be seen behind the wheel of something that either has a motor that sounds like a sewing machine or one whose engine makes no noise whatsoever. Cars should sound like cars, not toys and certainly you ought to be able to hear if the engine is on or not. But I guess the desire to be known as a person who cares about global warming is a badge of honor that far outweighs past concepts of what a car should be.

There’s also the argument about how much one can save on gas while saving the planet. I can’t argue with that, especially since I live in Los Angeles where we drive a lot and gas costs a lot. But as we switch from the inefficient SUVs and big sedans, the small car drivers will have to be careful, because if they get into an accident with a gas-guzzler or an 18-wheeler, their green machine is going to lose every time. Maybe it would be better if the little guys stuck to surface streets rather than venture onto the freeways.

I don’t want to drive something that resembles an orthopedic shoe. Or, an itty-bitty version of a regular size car that looks like a toy. Or, worse yet, the clown-car that is easy to park and effective for maneuvering around the tiny streets of Paris and other European cities, but a normal size guy has trouble getting in and out of it. We’ve been through the small car phase before. Remember the Vega, the Pinto, and the Gremlin? Only the Yugo topped them. But there’s more to it this time.

It seems, with the government now in the auto business, there’s no turning back. Americans, willingly or kicking and screaming, are going to be buying green cars. Maybe someone will have the good sense to make the cars better looking on the outside and more comfortable inside; admittedly, some already have. Perhaps the next generation of cars will come equipped with a CD that plays the sweet sound of a powerful engine once the ignition is turned on. For now, this pre-boomer is keeping his big tank with the luxury ride. Who knows, some day it may be a collectors item.