EPA seeks end to horsepower war

[Plex]

The number of organisations opposed to the current horsepower war raging between the carmakers is on the rise, the latest being America�s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who is seeking an end to the truce because of the negative impact many high performance cars have on the environment. The EPA wants to see carmakers promote greener vehicles and work closer with �green-thinkers� to create much cleaner fleets.

When the EPA speaks carmakers had better take note. The group is, after all, in charge of regulating emissions from cars and right now they want a shift in focus, Wards Auto reports. Speaking at a recent press conference, EPA official Margo Oge said there must be �an end to the horsepower arms race among auto makers and replace it with another different kind of a race, a race to produce the most affordable and desirable, low carbon-vehicle each year.�

The carmakers are trying but at the same time they�re sending mixed messages. Take GM for example. At the recent Detroit Auto Show it displayed the new Cadillac Provoq electric concept, and next to this was the 500+hp CTS-V and Corvette ZR1 muscle cars. A similar story could be told for most other major brands.

Instead of a horsepower race, Oge hopes carmakers will focus on a new green race to spark technological change. Already we�re witnessing the rush for plug-in hybrid technology and Oge says the same can happen for other alternatives.

Carmakers are starting to get the message. Last week an AMG exec described how his company is happy with the current level of power and isn�t seeking to squeeze more performance from engines. But at the end of the day such high horsepower cars sell in extremely limited numbers and they�re usually driven much less than your average family sedan as well so their contribution to the environment could be considered very low risk. These are the cars that also attract the most attention at car shows, so it�s safe to assume the big power figures are here to stay for a little while longer.

Motorauthority

[zodiaque]

It would be hard to rip the general public away from the idea of buying a car for it's horsepower.
The companies would definitely have to educate the public on being green while producing green cars with comparable power.
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[NarendZORCE]

I think that the production cap on special edition high-horsepower cars were traditionally a mechanism to create demand through exclusivity with price, horsepower and other distinguishing features as the main tools.

I think that the EPA is worried that too many of these cars will actually sell but they forget that these cars are the so-called "halo" or dream cars that are used to get public attention. Actual sales of these units are very limited even without the dealerships holding back since most customers either can't afford them or consider them too extravagant.

While we can't speak for the world, in Trinidad I have met people who can for instance afford to buy a Subaru Impreza 2.0 naturally aspirated but yet they choose the 1.6. Why? The answer is too simple� traffic. This makes most high performance cars economically inefficient and hence, impractical for everyday use. The ones that get past this reality are usually those that are also good at saving fuel in part throttle and idle situations.

Unless someone has plans for legally racing on a weekend the ownership of a performance-oriented car can only be chalked up to bragging rights. In fact, unlike your typical racetrack, many low-traffic back roads in T&T are either not properly paved of too filled with houses (and children) close to the roadway, not to mention trees, speed bumps, lamp posts and drains.

So perhaps the era of the sport compact car is about to encounter some changes as the world contemplates the sense in having a race-ready daily driver vs. an economy vehicle for the road and race car with sponsorship deals on a trailer towed by a diesel-burning 4x4. The dilemma of the auto enthusiast goes on and on. Even in motorsport fuel economy is a genuine concern as fewer pit stops for tires and race gas are as important to winning in NASCAR as they are to F1.

At the end of the day there is one constant� you can't please everyone all of the time, but without striving to solve this paradox there can be no progress. If alternative fuels become popular then food price are going to go up as agricultural resources directed to fuel processing squeeze the food supply chain and create demand. But at least the planet will suffer less and people will be slimmer. So, is anyone up to building the Starship Enterprise?
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[Plex]

Exactly, and i feel in time to come things are going to change..High horsepower cars will be there but not seen as a daily driver perhaps in the future..