CORRESPONDENT OF TH E DAY
GM Has Kept A Gem Secret
Editor, Times-Dispatch: I drove a Pinto through most of college and law school -- back in the days of "odds and evens," when we baby boomers could not afford thirsty cars and gas was close to being rationed. (How quickly we forget!)
Once, just after filling up, I even got siphoned off. Being the neophyte driver that I was, I had several accidents, including a rear-ender at the location of the gas tank and one that totaled the automobile on paper. Both close to home, not on my three-year, 35-miles-one-way commute on the way to becoming an attorney.
Despite my driving klutziness, my Pinto never blew up. Point taken for all those currently fear-mongering against the return of compact and subcompact vehicles.
As the primary mode of transportation in Europe, they've worked out just fine on the autobahns for years. Better to put the cell phone down and keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road as a safety measure.
Fast forward to 2007. I bought a Chevrolet Aveo, 34 mpg, $10,000, spicy orange. What is that, you ask? The most fun driving I have had since the 1970s; just yesterday a stranger approached me in a shopping center parking lot and commented that my "pumpkin" was a "happy car."
But GM doesn't advertise this potential jewel in its crown (go figure). I accidentally found it online -- so no one knows about its foolishly best-kept secret. Why is that?
Was the company waiting for government guidance such as the recent uniform fleet and category standards for 2016? Did its leadership really think it could continue to ram those oversized, difficult-to-maneuver, gas-guzzling behemoths down our throats just because it wanted to make them? Or was it betting on the overpriced, overhyped, and overdue Volt, which in the current economic climate is sure to fail?
Why be a market maker in your industry right now when you can be a corporate flop and get bailed out? One argument among many as to why unbridled free commerce is sure to run amok and why the company, or at least parts of it, should be allowed to finally fail.
Karen Ann DeLuca.
Alexandria.
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Reader Reactions
Congrats, you “found” an Aveo. A Shriner’s parade go-kart could run you down.
I guarantee if you had gone to a Chevrolet dealership to browse through their inventory, you would have seen quite a few of them sitting on the lot. Guess what, every single person who bought a Suburban or Tahoe had to walk right by the Aveo to get to them.
Also, did it ever occur to you that some people don’t want to sacrifice the amount of space and power that comes in a “oversized, difficult-to-maneuver, gas-guzzling behemoth.“
I’m thinking that because of your “klutziness” you probably shouldn’t be driving anything other than a Golf Cart or something very similar (ahem…Aveo) because it appears you’d probably destroy everything in your path.
The reason American’s keep buying those huge vehicles that you hate so very much, is because we can. American’s like things that are bigger, stronger, better looking, and just all around cooler. Do we have to make cars that can go 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds? Nope, but it’s way awesome that we do. Do we need a truck that can tow a tank up a mountain? Probably not, but it sure is pretty cool.
I’m sure in a few decades we will all be driving around Aveos, Priuss, “Smart” Cars, and plenty of other eco-friendly cars that only come in beige and silver because every other color has been deemed offensive to someone.
As for now, I’ll take my full-size pickup and sportscar. Just try to keep your small, poor excuse of a car to the right. Thanks.
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