Self-driving cars are coming. Thanks to visions of Skynet and Terminators, this is a frightening proposition to many people. Rather than being seen as an unparalleled convenience, autonomous cars have often been viewed as a soul-sucking leech on the driving experience. But that’s a shame, because if you begin to see cars as appliances, the appeal of an autonomous automobile is enormous.
The very satisfying Chevy Volt
The Chevrolet Volt: Electric without the anxiety.
If I sat on the marketing team for the Volt, that’s a slogan I might throw out there for consideration. While it’s possible to drive the Volt for months on end on electric power only, thus never needing to stop at a gas station, the car provides the option of driving from Boston to Seattle if the owner so chooses. That’s because the Volt’s genius powertrain allows for all-electric trips of roughly 40 miles or can use its small gas engine to extend range all the way to… well… Seattle.
While the car costs way too much (in my humble opinion), has suffered from a terrible marketing campaign and has been at the center of a heated political debate, owners seem to love the experience of the Volt and would buy one all over again. Which is more than Nissan can claim about its fuel-efficient Versa.
My intent today was to write a story about the most stolen vehicles in America. And I’ll get to that.
While researching the story, though, I came across a newscast by AutoNews that said used car buyers are paying as much as $3,000 more than they did just six months ago. Kelley Blue Book similarly reports that used cars are now “more expensive than ever.”
That’s great if you happen to be in the business of selling used cars or have a car you want to unload. But it sucks for car buyers and only makes some vehicles even more appealing to steal.