Life is beautiful.
kfz-tech.de/YKfz7
Of course, we are not referring here to the general world situation, but rather to our area of expertise: automobiles. Yes, it is fashionable to attack manufacturers, accusing them again and again of alleged
sluggishness in the face of automotive progress.
In any case, we do not want to participate too much in this and are even tired of the sometimes cheerful faces in the face of the gloomy texts. Someone seems to be enjoying the
downfall. Where will this lead?
To the point: The manufacture of automobiles has made enormous progress. Just think about it: a truck has been largely redesigned and rebuilt. It has certainly been tested extensively. It is put into service and is
immediately used in non-stop long-distance transport.
No mercy for the developers, no mercy for the material. And then they say that, unlike combustion engines, electric trucks can be driven at full throttle even after starting in extremely cold conditions. Is that the case with parts
that are in the process of finding their smoothness?
In the early days of the automobile, scavenging was considered necessary along with oil changes. What a tremendous wastefulness. Timing belts initially struggled to reach 60,000 km. But our Golf diesel has then already
covered more than 200,000 km.
How we suffered under the 'brown pest'. My first new car started doing this after just under two years. For a long time, eight or more years of protection against rusting through seemed unattainable. No one talks about rust
anymore, at least with a few exceptions.
Take a look at the accident statistics from the 1970s. The number of deaths in accidents is approaching one-tenth of what it was at that time. And, of course, this is accompanied by an incredible increase in traffic volume.
At 65 km/h against a buffered surface, unbraked and only half covered.
OEMs were severely criticized for harmful exhaust emissions. This has thoroughly eliminated lambda control, particle filters, and other aftertreatment systems. Meanwhile, attention is being focused on brake pad dust,
which will almost take care of itself with the disappearance of combustion engines.
Do you remember the minute's silence at the start of diesel engines? An electric car drives off just as you close the door. Do you remember how outstanding Mercedes suspension used to be? Almost every car can do that
today, some with air suspension and others even without.
Have you ever noticed how many older buildings in Germany still look surprisingly good? One can obviously afford to have a car repaired after certain incidents. That was not always the case in this country.
Looking at private leasing rates, how can one believe that, on average, all cars in Germany are 10.6 years old (ChatGPT)? And then they have a second or third life somewhere in the east or south.
Yes, our cars have made tremendous progress and carried this forward into the era of electric mobility. The only thing missing is that we need to be a little more sensible in how we use them and appreciate their progress
more, as well as what industry achieves in general.
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