RIP to the SUV

The world of SUV’s is done

~ Vincent Cobée, CEO of Citroën

With everything taking favour to the digital side nowadays, it’s no surprise the same can be seen in the automotive world. So many advances have been made to technology and this is also reflected in recent years with car capabilities expanding to parking itself without a driver and just by a push of a button. Although SUV’s may be thought out to be the safer option on the road, cars are tending to be the ones consumers are leaning towards. 

Now agreed, the numbers and statistics may be proving otherwise right now, but very soon a decline will be seen, and sales will start plumetting quickly. There are a couple of reasons for this, and don’t be surprised by what you are about to read, because trends in the automotive industry hold more weight than people actually think. The first reason is the design. Once upon a time people used to go for the bigger bulkier cars because of the status it meant they held in society and plus come on, they wanted to be cool. However, in today’s society were everyone and their cousin is driving an SUV, the environment is a topic of concern, and this is where EV”s come into play, in more ways than one.

 

The design of an EV is very simple, which is incompatible to the tall heavy crossover, and the aerodynamics play a very important role in everything. For a battery electric vehicle, aerodynamics is critical. If it is off by even a little bit, it throws off the range, which really could lead to some big trouble. We turn to Cobée, for a little more insight into this, “…You can lose 50 km (31 miles) between good and bad aero, and between an SUV and a sedan you’re talking 60/70/80 km very easily.”   

The next reason is the weight. It’s a proven fact that a heavier car will need more energy to move which in turn will ultimately cost more in gas. But then this raises the question, how are cars weighed and what makes the weight of a car so high? So, to start, it depends on the metric you are weighing the vehicle in, but keep in mind there are no fewer than 8 different types of weight that can be listed for one vehicle (that’s not too many right?). The first and commonly used is the “curb weight” (CW) which refers to the weight of the vehicle without passengers and cargo. In other words, it is the weight of the vehicle once it is fully constructed and just sitting on the “curb” waiting to be used. Other types of weight include: 

• Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) 
• Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) 
• Gross Combined Weight 
• Payload 
• Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight 
• Gross Axle Weight Rating

SUV’s and crossovers naturally come with more weight attached to them and technology does in fact add to this. Interestingly enough, the advancement of driving technology is the reason for the high average weights of modern vehicles. Hardware such as turbochargers, denser materials, AWD/4WD drivetrain, automatic transmissions and more are all examples contributing to this. There is also a feature called Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) technology found in more than half of the vehicles produced since 2017, that is adding to the weight as well. Other factors also include: cameras, sensors, screens and other high-tech additions. 

Even electric vehicles are no exception because even though the traditional engine and internal combustion hardware is removed, a massive heavy battery pack replaces it. In fact, the battery is more heavier than just about any engine, weighing 1,200 pounds (in a Tesla Model S) compared to 350 pounds in an average engine. 

There are even some countries that tax vehicles according to weight, believe it or not. Take the Netherlands for example, a tax is applied to the vehicle based on a couple key things: its weight, fuel type, and the region. The only exceptions are electric vehicles and vehicles that are older than 40 years.

The final reason is the public will start to turn against SUV’s, which in my personal opinion will be the factor that leads to the demise of the SUV. Eventually limits on weight and battery sizes will start to be seen more, either through taxes, incentives, regulation, or even naming and shaming. People are starting to think with a more environmentally friendly lens, so let’s say for example if you live in a big city, and drop your kids off to school with an SUV, you will soon be known as a ‘terrorist’, whereas once upon a time you were considered to be cool. 

Will you miss the SUV when it’s gone? Let us know in the comments.