So. It seems that most Australians, even those really interested in cars, don't grasp just how totalitarian the automotive industry really is, and just how much worse it's going to get in the coming years and decades. The vast majority of Australians don't know anything about the Euro 6 regulations being forced on us. So I ask the question: when the most popular high performance engine is finally banned: Holden's LS 6.2L V8, will people finally start to wake up? Or will they concede to the bureaucrats? Will we even care when the internal combustion engine is entirely banned in the coming decades? The V8 Holden LS engine is an Aussie icon and I don't think it's mandatory discontinuation will go down smoothly with a public that values that sort of thing. ______________________________________ As much as the left is always saying guns and cars are nothing alike, we're about to get a very similar level of vitriol toward internal combustion and manually driven cars once self driving electrics become common. You will be treated and regulated like gun owners currently are. How will we respond? Thanks.
Hang on - is somebody proposing banning the engine? It's a marvel of engineering and its HP/Fuel Economy is world-leading. I couldn't see how a free nation's citizens could sit by and allow that kind of fascism/totalitarianism
There are no immediate proposals to ban it, but it will undoubtedly be in the next decade or so. Emissions regs are getting deliberately onerous and will only get worse. Since car makers like Nissan are having to discontinue their popular TD engine 4wds to meet regs, the rest ain't far behind. Hp/litre is not important to the technocrats, they want l/100km. They don't care about your experience, they view cars as A to B propositions. Since MY favourite cars are being banned, nobody really cares. I like 4wds. I winder if there'll be backlash when something as immensely popular as the LS engine is effectively banned. It's a scary world we live in. In the coming decades there will be a forceful, mandatory push to electric, self-driving cars. We'll be lucky to escape with any Internal Combustion engines being legal, let alone big 6.2L V8s.
Just awful. I wish every manufacturer would lie and cheat to make it look like they are meeting government regulations. Just sick how the govt sticks his un-learned nose into so many things. I have a rotary - powered car; wonder if that'll be banned? Lots of fun but poor economy. Gov't knows best- don't you know? I mean, you're right - to them it's about moving people around so ban cars, make people rely on "public" transportation because that's all they "NEED". Growing dependence upon government means governments stay in power. Stay relevant. I'm so sorry - they take the only method of defense against criminals and a tyrannical government with their weapons confiscation and they will work until they ban your options of movement without non-government-provided transportation.
Let's put this into historical perspective, shall we? The original 1964 Pontiac GTO V8 had 325 HP and weighed in around 3500 lbs which gave it a power to weight ratio of 10.7:1 and a 0-60 mph of 6.8 seconds. http://www.hotrod.com/articles/classic-muscle-cars-weigh/ Now we jump forward and pick a hybrid like the 4 cyl 2.0L Ford CMax Energi which weighs in at a slightly heavier 3700 lbs with a measly 188 hp which gives it a power to weight ratio of 19.7:1. No contest, right? The CMax does 0-60 in 7.6 seconds! http://www.caranddriver.com/ford/c-max Less than 1 second slower with a sloppy CVT transmission and it still gets around 37 mpg in normal driving. I can't find the mpg for the GTO but it was probably in the low teens at best. Now it isn't as though that hybrid is your only choice these days. There are plenty of high performance V6's out there that have just as much horsepower and torque as V8's and better fuel milage. Now if you want to have Exxon gouging you at the gas pump every time you fill up then sure, be my guest, but as a gearhead I am more than happy to keep my money in my pocket instead. Yes, I understand the nostalgia aspect and it is fine for a Sunday drive but when it comes to driving on a daily basis I want good mpg's and some power under my right foot when I need it. Modern cars, including hybrids, meet both my needs and don't require me working on them every weekend just to keep them in tune either. If the V8 can't compete in today's world then sobeit. I like the new technology and I am enjoying the power without having to pay for it with both my time and money.
The V8 Can compete and does so perfectly. But let the market decide - not out-of-touch fascists looking out for 'your own good'. And my old 2.5L gas 4cyl took my 3500lbs car from 0-60 in about 5 seconds flat. Turbo @22psi + AWD = Fun.
I think that was a slightly different issue. GM vehicles have been going to the dogs for a very long time IMO. GM is run by bean counters instead of engineers They essentially make the cheapest possible product and exploit the brand name. They probably spend more on marketing than vehicle R&D. Once upon a time a Chevy was something that you would be proud to own and drive. Now I would be embarrassed to be seen driving all but a handful of them. Ford went the same way for a while and then figured out that it needed to start making real cars again. It still makes some clunkers but overall their vehicles are better than GM and on a par with the Japanese IMO. Yes, it is sad that GM no longer gives a crap about what it makes but shareholder profits always come first in that boardroom.
Hmmm, see that is the real issue. You call a 6.2ltr. V8 the most popular performance engine? Bigger is better? That is the reason we lost the battle, long ago. While the Europeans pressed ahead with lesser emissions and lesser fuel consumption, Falcons and Commodores remained in the past. I am happy using 6 to 6.5ltr/100ks, that is what I call a performance engine. I know that isn't state of the art anymore, but finances are limited. The next one will use less, and it will come from Japan or Europe, again.... Cheers
Aussie icon is not enough. People have to be kicking General Motor's door in to buy it before it could be considered for long term protection. Kangaroos are Aussie icons and Aussies shoot them. The public doesn't give a stuff.
