I always get a good chuckle when I hear about how car culture is hitting the skids. Granted, things are changing pretty quickly these days – a looming ban on the internal combustion engine, a greater focus on efficiency, the advent of autonomous technology, a decline in car ownership amongst younger generations… all of it seems to point towards the eventual demise of car culture as we know it, right?

Not in the slightest. What people need to realize is that while things are indeed changing, that transformation doesn’t necessarily predict a downfall of any kind. Regardless of the sales numbers, interest in fast cars that burn gas is as high as it ever was. Sure, machines like that aren’t exactly affordable to the average millennial, but that doesn’t mean interest is in decline.

There are plenty of indicators of this. Just look at motorsport – even though dinosaurs like Formula 1 and NASCAR seem to be going through a rough patch lately, the more modern motorsports (drifting, rallycross, etc.) continue to draw crowds, while amateur events remain a solid past time for those truly committed to the kingdom of speed.

Ken Block’s latest Climbkhana video is a perfect example. This is the tenth installment in the gymkhana series and its accumulated nearly 3 million views on YouTube as of this writing, just a day after posting. And no, there’s nothing in the vid about eking out max mileage or robo chauffeurs. There is, however, a 1,400-horsepower carbon fiber Mustang making more smoke than Cheech and Chong in an Amsterdam coffee shop.

So quit whining about car culture. If anything, it’s just getting better.

References

References

Ken Block’s Hoonicorn V2

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