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The problem is that most cars have lost their distinct personality due to brands consolidating into large conglomerates, and subsequently developing platforms t
by nextos 5y ago
The problem is that most cars have lost their distinct personality due to brands consolidating into large conglomerates, and subsequently developing platforms to reduce costs.
I love old brands with models that stood out, and it's a shame that originality in engineering has been mostly replaced by assembling components together plus some minor aesthetic tweaks. I guess the situation is fairly similar to programming, where SICP has been replaced by gluing libraries together in Python. Perhaps it's a sign of maturity, but I miss some stuff from the past.
- ChrisMarshallNY 5y agoHow about the cutting edge of Serbo-Croatian technology? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1LxlZ8pTRg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1LxlZ8pTRg
- ryandrake 5y agoIt’s sad. Every new car today looks like the same identical “bar of soap with wheels.” They are differentiated visually by small things like grille shape and lighting clusters. Everyone blames it on fuel economy and safety features but I think that simply no manufacturer is willing to be daring anymore, and they have trained their customers to like boring design. Even colors: you rarely see anything but white, black, gray, red, and blue.
- tromp 5y ago> Every new car today looks like the same > Everyone blames it on fuel economy If you're as obsessed with efficiency as Aptera, you end up with something very different and daring.
- Ntrails 5y ago> Everyone blames it on fuel economy and safety features but I think that simply no manufacturer is willing to be daring anymore, and they have trained their customers to like boring design. So many incredibly iconic and beautiful cars would be flat out illegal to sell today (in the EU at least). I'm not dismissing the lack of innovation (and more accurately risk aversion) as a factor. Regulation does drive a chunk of it though.
- crooked-v 5y agoProbably the most drastic counter-example would be the Aptera Vehicle (yes, that's the actual name). Assuming the production models release on time (late 2022 into 2023), it'll be the most distinctive-looking car on the road.
- byw 5y agoMaybe it's a good thing - cars used less for social signaling and more for getting from A to B.
- Scalestein 5y agoBrands of cars are still very obvious with badging and model names. They could be identical vehicles but people will still use the more expensive version to signal.
- _carbyau_ 5y agoLeaving aside whether it is good or not, I think this is the future. When automated driving takes over, few will want to own a car. Most will rent from various fleets so they can watch a movie, play with their phone/partner/etc while they get from A to B. As usual, there will be good things about it and bad things.
- 5y ago
- JKCalhoun 5y ago> due to brands consolidating into large conglomerates Worse, it's more like cowardly "risk aversion". Stay in the lines, don't take design chances. What color? Something conservative, maybe desaturated, maybe metallic....
- petre 5y agoWhich is perfect for low visibility. I almost hit a conservative desaturated metallic car once when it was overcast, I was quite tired and the other driver did not turn on their headlights. If I like one thing about newer vehicles it's LED daylight running lights and automatic headlights that turn on in low light.