When a car hits on that special sales sauce, automakers can be reluctant to mess with the recipe. Too many cooks — like, say, the federal government — can also spoil a new dish, so it’s better to go with what you know. Several automakers have pulled back on introducing new models and are merely refreshing existing ones due to things like policy and consumer shifts, which is leaving some all-too-familiar faces on American roads.
What we need around here is some new blood. Or oil. Or whatever. Something era-defining that can shake up a whole industry and send competitors scrambling to fabricate copycats, like when the 1948 Cadillac brought tailfins to the world. Luckily there are a lot of models out there that are well past their prime. What current model do you think is in need of a freshening up? I am thinking of cars with current models that have been around for a decade, but it could also be a design you just want to hurry off the roads as quickly as possible.
I mean, it’s always the answer…
When you’re in this business long enough, you get use to seeing the same press pictures over, and over, and over again. You try not to reuse too many of them, but after a while, it’s like seeing an old friend. The current generation of MX-5 came out in 2014! That’s right, this face has been smiling at enthusiasts on the road since the Obama administration, with almost no design changes to speak of since then, and you’ve probably been seeing the same Mazda press photos online that whole time.
The Miata is about to enter middle school, but it’s not alone in being an elderly model. The only two minivans worth a damn — the Chrysler Pacifica and Honda Odyssey — have been out since their debuts in 2017, and neither have a new generation in sight.
Come on people! Fiberglass is so versatile, don’t leave us hanging. Don’t we, the car buying public, deserve a little bit of variety on our roads? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll round up the best answers later this week.
