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On the Inside
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| Horsepower Wars |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:01:23 |
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 148 ( -9 -6.08% ) | | Author | Paul A. Eisenstein |
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When the new Dodge Viper hits showrooms later this year, it will break a barrier both real and psychological, churning out an amazing 500 horsepower, as well as 500 foot-pounds of torque. Those are numbers even the most exotic and expensive supercars could only dream of reaching just a few years ago.
Yet the Viper is by no means unique. A procession of automakers are aiming to not only reach but significantly exceed the 500-horsepower barrier. The most ambitious is Bugatti, the reborn luxury brand owned by Germany's Volkswagen AG. Its million-dollar-a-copy Veyron intends to pack a whopping 1001-hp under the hood when it debuts mid-decade.
Such products have little meaning for the average consumer, short of the blur they leave when they blast by on the freeway-perhaps with a police cruiser in fast pursuit. These vehicles will be limited in number-Bugatti intends to produce just one Veyron a week-and beyond the reach of the typical buyer.
Yet the horsepower race is reaching down to even the most mundane niches of the automotive market. On billboards all over the country, Honda is heavily promoting its popular Odyssey minivan, not by pitching the vehicle's room, comfort or creature features. The message is succinct if not sublime: "240 Horseys," the billboards declare.
To put that into perspective, that would have matched the power of many mid-1980s muscle cars, including Ford's Mustang GT.
"People who have no intention of racing are buying bigger and bigger engines," notes analyst David Healy, of Burnham Securities. "Think of it as the real effect of the lowest inflation-adjusted gasoline prices in history."
Think of it as something even more fundamental, suggests Dr. David Cole, Director of the Center for Automotive Research, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. "For some people the car has become an appliance," he says, but for most, "it promotes an emotional response. And functionality is a whole lot better when you're having fun at the same time."
Few things are more fun than the g-force rush you get when you stomp on the throttle and feel yourself pushed deep into your seat. And so, from subcompacts to SUVs, the horsepower race is heating up across the United States, and manufacturers are doing nothing to discourage it.
Others are, however. The insurance industry is threatening to crack down by raising rates. That's one reason, says a senior General Motors official, that the next-generation Corvette, codenamed C6, probably won't try to match the 500-hp bogey set by its archrival, the Dodge Viper. (The next-generation of the limited-edition Corvette Z06, however, is likely to break the barrier, the executive hints.)
Insurers are also lobbying for heavier enforcement on the nation's highways. And despite evidence that death rates have actually continued falling since speed limits were raised a few years ago, there's been a significant increase in the use of radar and other devices aimed at nabbing speeders.
But the most significant threat may come from a seemingly obscure source. In Sacramento, lawmakers are debating a new measure that would require the powerful California Air Resources Board to set new limits on automotive emissions. California is the only state allowed to set its own mobile pollution standards, separate from those enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency. Traditionally, regulators have focused on the primary automotive pollutants, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and unburned hydrocarbons. But the new measure would focus on carbon dioxide, the most basic byproduct of combustion, but also a suspected contributor to global warming.
On the Inside
Horsepower Wars
---Paul Eisenstein
There's a direct relationship between fuel economy and CO2 production. So the better a vehicle's mileage, the lower its production of the suspect gas. Typically, the more horsepower, the lower the mileage. So, if the measure is ultimately approved by California lawmakers, it could put the brakes on the horsepower race, forcing manufacturers to switch to more fuel-efficient powertrains.
Or they might come up with creative solutions that could keep the power flowing. General Motors' displacement-on-demand technology is one approach. Set for debut in 2004, DoD temporarily disables half of an engine's cylinders while cruising or coasting, when power demands are minimal. Stomp on the gas, though, and they snap back into operation. Displacement-on-Demand could yield what was once considered impossible: more power and better fuel economy at the same time.
While the debate in California continues, manufacturers seem to determined to battle it out on the power front. A survey of the world's automakers suggests that there will be at least 20, and perhaps more than 25, different models producing a minimum 500 horsepower by mid-decade. Among them are the likes of the Ferrari F60 and Lamborghini Murcielago.
But what's perhaps most amazing about this new horsepower race is the fact that it is not limited to sports cars and supercars, points out AutoPacific analyst Nick Twork. "With the rare exception of such cars as the Porsche Carerra GT, these aren't race cars put on the street," he notes. "And only a few of these are traditional, high-performance sports cars. A lot of these are sedans" that start out with an emphasis on luxury and then add plenty of muscle.
The upcoming Audi RS6 is a good example. It's a tire-spinning, 450-hp bi-turbo version of the mainstream A6 sedan. The reality is Audi expects to sell relatively few RS6s. It will serve primarily as a "halo car," embellishing the brand and drawing customers in for a look. Audi hopes they'll drive home in another, less exotic model.
It's hard to find a company ignoring the horsepower race, even the "people's car." Volkswagen has pepped up the lowly Beetle with a turbocharger boosting the pony count to 180. And then there's VW's $70,000 Phaeton, due to market in Europe this year and the U.S. in 2003. It will feature a 450-horsepower version of the unusual W-12 engine. VW is even giving serious thought to producing its W-12 supercar concept vehicle. Its 650-hp would launch the 2-seater from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.
Considering that only a few years ago, 300 horsepower was a challenging target, will this horse race settle down at 500? There are technical reasons why it may be hard to go much further, though fuel costs and environmental concerns could prove bigger obstacles, at least for some manufacturers. But the way things are going, it seems likely the industry will keep pushing the numbers as far as they can go.
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About Paul Eisenstein
Paul A. Eisenstein has been covering the auto industry since 1979. One of the world’s most widely published automotive journalists, Paul’s work routinely appears in such publications as The Economist, Investor’s Business Daily, Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Popular Mechanics, Automotive Industries, Cigar Aficionado, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun, Japan’s automotive daily. He’s also a regular commentator on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, and a frequent guest on a variety of other network broadcasts. Paul also serves as a member of the jury for the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards, and is a board member and past president of the Automotive Press Association. He has won a number of writing awards over the years, including a prestigious Wheels award, presented by The Detroit Press Club Foundation.
Born in Chicago and raised in New Jersey (exit 117, to be precise), he received an associate's degree from Brookdale Community College, and then, feeling an urge to see more snow, he moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. Mr. Eisenstein currently resides in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, the smallest incorporated city in the state, with his wife, Christine Anderson, three talkative black cats, and too many computers to count. |
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