Crushing Blows: EV1 is Behind Us So Who is Crushing Cars Now?
This is one of those eerie times when I feel the silence before that moment when lack of knowledge becomes full knowledge and those who find out the truth cannot go back (and I won't be able to take back what I am getting ready to say).
Its kinda like the answer to: "Do storks really bring babies?" only I am answering the neighbor's kid.
Cars get crushed every day but not just in the junk yards where wrecked and unrepairable cars go to die.
Which cars are getting crushed?
Some cars are squeaky clean, have leather seats, full navigation systems, V6's or V8 engines with far less than 30,000 miles on them. They still have that new car smell and in some cases, will still have bits of protective film covering the interior parts. For the most part they could never be considered damaged except for the odd scratch or ding that comes from brushing against the car or pulling a suitcase out of the trunk. Most of them are so new that they are not even on the dealers' lots yet so they are considered pre-production vehicles but are made pretty much the way subsequent ones will be made. Later ones are just made faster.
Who is crushing this lost tribe of cars?
Their makers. The automotive manufacturers, foreign and domestic.
What was their crime?
They were review cars for journalists, film cars for advertising placement in big budget movies and television shows and sometimes were just lenders to high profile (and sometimes B-list) celebrities. Sometimes they only sat on an auto show floor for the public to crawl in and out of. They were part of the marketing engine.
Why are they being crushed?
To tell you the truth, not by the choice of the manufacturers. No creator likes to see their offspring, their pride and joy, the result of years of hard work reduced to an over-sized smashed can. Some of these cars are such special editions that they have features and packages that will never be seen in combination again and could be valued at an extremely high price (if they even could be sold). But they have to crush them. The government requires that they destroy them. These cars are usually off the same production line that the cars come from for safety tests and so are licensed to the manufacturer but the title is not transferable. You cannot legally register one of these cars even if the manufacturer sold it in a charity auction. A rogue auto employee couldn't even hide one in their garage forever; the government checks up on these things!
The cars are not even allowed to be dismantled so that parts like seats and stereos can be reused because the government knows that eventually someone would build their own car out of refuse. Mind you, perfectly good, often high end refuse.
I am not pointing fingers at any manufacturer in particular because they are all held to the same standards. Maybe this will make some of them uncomfortable that I am even telling you this and I want to reinforce to them that, on this point, I am on your side. What would be better for brand building than to see rare editions turn up in auctions like vintage rare edition cars can and sell for ridiculously cool prices?
And to those of us who have driven these cars: I feel guilty and sad when I see my time end with one of these cars destined to be destroyed. Sometimes I wonder if I have played a part in a wasteful destruction. What I do know is that the manufacturers don't like it either. It is an unspoken death because their hands are tied.
"When did this start?" "Is their a solution?" "Can I write to my congressman?"
All that I know is that at a time when the car makers are being criticized for wasteful behavior it is makes sense to sometimes look further than the actions and try to get to the reason. There are always blatant examples within every company (automotive and non-automotive related) where waste can be highlighted in the media. It is sometimes the unspoken waste resulting from an industry held to standardized practices for safety and the environment directly by the government and the manufacturer swallowing, taking their lump and trying to move ahead that should be reported.
Most of this government regulation stems from emissions and safety concerns but to such a degree that one European luxury manufacturer will not import its very saleable models because they are handmade and the government wants a dozen or so to crash. These regulations also are the reason that a lot of American manufacturers do not sell their best models in the US.
RIP all of the 2009 cars conceived by artists, executed by engineers and have now gone to meet their maker.
XOO,Michelle
Labels: car manufacturers, goverment, MotaGreen
Stumble It!
posted by Miss Mota Mouth@ 1:52 PM 3 Comments
