4 Reasons Sports Cars Are Now Irrelevant

[ekam]

Nobody in China would be caught dead driving a Lotus Elise/Exige, Caterham Seven or Superformance Cobra and GT40...

[pothole]

Originally Posted by ekam

Nobody in China would be caught dead driving a Lotus Elise/Exige, Caterham Seven or Superformance Cobra and GT40...

Quite. And not many in the west want such cars, either. Sports cars are dying, sadly. There's no getting round it.

[Nine8Six]

Let me put this into perspective...

That is a little regular Sunday afternoon track day here and of course a fraction (0.1%) of what's rolling on the streets during day time alone. That was 3 years ago. Figures today are 4x more attendance to track days, motorsports oriented events, and keep doubling every years according to our dedicated and local experts.

If you tell me there is no market potential for manufacturers in the sport & super cars then I'm at lost :/

[coreseller]

To say that Sports cars are Dying is frankly Laughable. I cannot believe some of you posted such. As long as there are young men, testosterone, girls to impress (so we think), technology / engineering and a business model to implement to make money off of said demo-graph, There will ALWAYS be sports cars.

[Nine8Six]

^ there goes a better 'perspective' of things as they are and will be for a long-long time to come

[pothole]

Originally Posted by coreseller

To say that Sports cars are Dying is frankly Laughable. I cannot believe some of you posted such. As long as there are young men, testosterone, girls to impress (so we think), technology / engineering and a business model to implement to make money off of said demo-graph, There will ALWAYS be sports cars.

Except that stats show that year on year, every year, a smaller proportion of young men even bother to get their driver's licences much less buy sports cars! Especially young men living in urban areas who are the ones who actually have the money to buy sports cars.

What's more, surveys show that teenagers increasingly would choose a smartphone over a car.

Things have changed for the younger generation. Cars are no longer the symbol of freedom and mobility they used to be for us lot.

The fact is, the young urban types who are affluent enough to buy new cars are less and less interested in them with every passing year.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by coreseller

There will ALWAYS be sports cars.

3800lb, flappy paddle, electric steering "sports" cars... yup.

[pothole]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

Let me put this into perspective...

Porsche doesn't break down it's China sales publicly, but it does say it sells more Cayenne in China than anywhere else.

Given that it sells more Cayenne overall than any other model by a MILE, you don't have to be terribly good at maths to work out that the vast majority of Porsche sold in China are Cayenne.

I see no evidence as yet for mass market demand for sports cars in China and a few busy track days doesn't change that!

It's all SUVs, luxury cars and super cars.

[Nine8Six]

Blame the hippie greenies, the cheap manufacturers' hybrids this & that, and this silly new generation which has no ambitions

Experts' focus and main objectives are to promote motorsports across the region here, so far they are doing an excellent job!

Let's hope for the best outcomes

[pothole]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

Blame the hippie greenies, the cheap manufacturers' hybrids this & that, and this silly new generation which has no ambitions

I'd say it's more to do with the reality of urban life and car use = grid lock. That plus rocketing fuel and insurance costs and the idiotic obsession with draconian speeding enforcement and the romance has disappeared from motoring for most.

Cars are now more like domestic appliances. The younger generation don't covet fancy microwaves or refrigerators. And increasingly they don't covet cars.

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by Nine8Six

and this silly new generation which has no ambitions

Now don't go saying that......They will put on their Butt Hurt Sad Face. Let the Apologizing Ensue...........

[TeamOxford]

OP: ...Sports cars are now irrelevant

Even if they are, so what?

They will NEVER be irrelevant to "drivers" who appreciate a fine automobile capable of a providing a kinesthetic driving experience that tests the drivers skill and rewards him with an unforgettable experience. THAT will never change, and there will ALWAYS be a market for such cars, and when there is a market, there will always be suppliers.

Witness Singer.

TO

[pothole]

Originally Posted by TeamOxford

OP: ...Sports cars are now irrelevant

Even if they are, so what?

They will NEVER be irrelevant to "drivers" who appreciate a fine automobile capable of a providing a kinesthetic driving experience that tests the drivers skill and rewards him with an unforgettable experience. THAT will never change, and there will ALWAYS be a market for such cars, and when there is a market, there will always be suppliers.

Witness Singer.

TO

Sorry, what?! Singer have sold a tiny handful of cars!

Sure for the foreseeable future there will be independent shops building nice custom cars.

But you need massive volumes to make a full on production sports car add up and there's little evidence of demand.

As Ekam said above, you'll be able to buy some overweight, paddle-shifting, playstation gadget. But actual sports cars are on the way out.

[TeamOxford]

Originally Posted by pothole

But you need massive volumes to make a full on production sports car add up and there's little evidence of demand..

It's not the 50's or 60's anymore. The days of the XK120, E-Type, MGA, MGB, Bugeye Sprite, TR3, Lotus Elan, etc. are gone. And that's not such a bad thing. But there still are desirable sports cars available to the public. Even now in North America, one can shop for Twin Turbo RX-7, S2000, MR2 Spyder, Z3, Boxster for reasonable prices that offer the "sports car" experience".

Originally Posted by pothole

As Ekam said above, you'll be able to buy some overweight, paddle-shifting, playstation gadget. But actual sports cars are on the way out.

No argument here. The advanced technology incorporated in today's modern vehicles make up for a "drivers" shortcomings. But there's always a Caterham Lotus Seven if one desires the "real" experience.

Or maybe a TVR.

TO

[Daniel R]

""At a time when gasoline bounces between $3 and $4 per gallon -- and will eventually go higher -- conspicuous fuel consumption just isn't cool.""

I love it how the author thinks he can predict the future price of a commodity, oil no less, with absolute certainty. If I could do that, I assure you that I would own every sports car ever made!

More to the point, the only thing that explains expensive gas, falling consumption of imported sports cars and the electric car programmes is the devalued dollar and zero interest rates. Once we get an interest rate again, the dollar will increase in value and it will no longer be profitable to leave tanker-loads of oil floating at sea just to bank the contango.