QOTD: I Am Become Death, Destroyer of Cars?

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

We’re going to get quite selfish and authoritarian today, because we all harbor those feelings and it’s good to let them out from time to time. Safely.

You’re not a CEO in this hypothetical circumstance. You’re not an auto executive or designer or fabulously wealthy buyer with a garage capable of housing the USS Iwo Jima, either. No, you’re the same person you were when you laid your head down last night. Just more powerful. Omnipotent. You carry the world in your hands, and we all cower at your feet.

And you have a job to do.

That job is to kill off an automaker simply because its existence annoys the living shit out of you. That’s all. Yes, it’s an entirely selfish and morally reprehensible exercise, but you’ve been handed the power to snap your fingers and never be annoyed by hearing about a certain company’s products (or troubles, or fans) ever again, and you’d best not waste your chance.

Imagine getting the opportunity to rid the world of Billy Joel’s music. Well, this is the automotive equivalent.

It’s possible the answers to this question could prove quite illuminating, as it blends the psychological with the physical. With some automakers, the products are something you’ve decided will never interest you, but you can’t bring yourself to feel particularly vengeful against the company itself. It tries its best, some people like them, and so be it. It’s quite a different story when you combine those products, which you are definitely not planning on taking home this year (or indeed in your lifetime), and combine it with an annoying periphery. Fandom, drama, obnoxious marketing, activism — the list goes on and on.

You probably know what company I’m thinking of.

But hey, maybe you’ve got another one in mind. Let’s hear it, as well as the reasoning for it. Hopefully not everyone lands on the same page.

[Image: Century 21]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Oberkanone My grid hurts!Good luck with installing charger locations at leased locations with aging infrastructure. Perhaps USPS would have better start modernizing it's Post offices to meet future needs. Of course, USPS has no money for anything.
  • Dukeisduke If it's going to be a turbo 4-cylinder like the new Tacoma, I'll pass.BTW, I see lots of Tacomas on the road (mine is a 2013), but I haven't seen any 4th-gen trucks yet.
  • Oberkanone Expect 4Runner to combine best aspects of new Land Cruiser and new Tacoma and this is what I expect from 2025 4Runner.Toyota is REALLY on it's best game recently. Tacoma and Land Cruiser are examples of this.
  • ArialATOMV8 All I hope is that the 4Runner stays rugged and reliable.
  • Arthur Dailey Good. Whatever upsets the Chinese government is fine with me. And yes they are probably monitoring this thread/site.
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