The motor industry, in its own odd, self-serving way, has begun to notice that there’s more demand from consumers for vehicles that may be just a little less environmentally disastrous than what they’ve been churning out for the last number of years. Luxury car maker, Porsche has just announced that it’s bringing out a hybrid version of its Panamera 4-door GT. Don’t all rush at once to place orders, as it won’t ship for at least another two years.
Meanwhile, the Detroit motor show this weekend sees the debut of Ford’s ‘green-ish’ new SUV, called ‘Explorer America’. Make no mistake, this thing is a full-blown monster (see pic below) but what’s unheard of in the States is that you can actually get a 2.0 litre version, which somehow or other still puts out 275 bhp. These machines usually come with 5, 6 or up to 10-litre engines, so, in the car-mad US, this is actually progress.
Come to think of it, that silly name sounds a lot like the ‘Canyonero’ as unforgettably featured in the Simpsons, see below. “Top of the line in utility sports…unexplained fires are a matter for the courts…she’s a squirrel-squashing, deer-smacking driving machine, Canyonero!”
In general, the only set of wheels you can buy in the States with 2 litres or less is a ride-on lawnmower. However, the car that is giving IPCC chairman, RK Pachauri “nightmares” (his own word) is not a gas-guzzling muscle car – even one in sheep’s clothing, like the Ford Explorer America.
No, the new object of terror on the environmental landscape is instead being launched by an Indian company, Tata, tomorrow, costing the equivalent of €1,700. Its makers call it the ‘People’s Car’, and lord help us all if they are right.The Tata has a 600cc engine, very small by Western standards, but a huge step up in fuel consumption, emissions and guaranteed traffic chaos in India’s cities which are already populated to bursting point and can barely cope with current bike, bus and motorbike traffic.
The Tata promises to jump-start a whole new generation of Indian motorists keen to enjoy the status and ‘freedom’ we in this part of the world have long associated with owning our own wheels. To say it couldn’t have come at a worse time is an understatement.
European and US road hogs can hardly wag a finger at would-be Indian motorists and tell them it’s suddenly their duty to save the world from the ruinous effects of millions more vehicles flooding onto the streets and spewing out millions more tons of CO2. We’d need to do something a little more radical than Porsche or Ford’s latest efforts at ‘greenwash’ as detailed above before we are in a position to exercise any moral authority whatever in this.
And seriously, what are the odds of that happening in this lifetime?
