20% utility, 80% useless

Today I heard the latest "f**k you" from the American auto manufacturers - coming at me from several directions (Gizmodo and Toddski.net blog) is the Navistar CXT as featured in CNN Money. Two feet taller than a Hummer H2 or F350 its an obscenity and exactly what I predicted would happen back in March last year. Go check the photo of the Kenworth truck and then the Navistar CXT and tell me I'm wrong.

The title "20% utility, 80% useless" is my latest idea for a rogue bumper sticker to slap on monster SUVs like the Hummer H2. I actually thought of it after driving around a city parking lot and noting the number of SUVs and pickups that were sticking out a couple of feet into the driving lanes. I'm wondering how many SUV rear-end side impact claims insurance companies are seeing that occurred in parking lots?

Although the jibe at "utility" in "sport utility" actually being "useless" doesn't work for regular pickups, I have to say that I find ones like the F350 particularly egregious. That big flat bed of monster pickups is there for all to see - and more often than not empty. Seriously how many times have you seen an giant pickup hauling around anything other than a giant ego? How about a law that allows you to commandeer any empty pickup parked on the street for hauling your shit around? Just dump your refrigerator, or drywall in the back and drive off with it...

Indeed it would be my favourite idea to force all pickups and SUVs that are claiming the heavy vehicle tax break to go through the weigh stations on freeway. This seems especially appropriate to the CXT since Navistar are bragging:

"So you get all the attributes of a commercial truck - but you don't need a commercial driver's license to drive it.".

When these monsters are given tax breaks intended for commercial vehicles why the heck shouldn't they be treated in the same way? Indeed how about a sliding scale of tax breaks with 100% of the regular commercial break if they are used 100% for commercial purposes, and 0% if they are entirely for show. Make the owners document every mile they travel with a commercial load if they want that tax break. Indeed since they are bigger and tearing up the road more lets just tax them more up front and give some of it back if you can prove it was used for commercial purposes. The delays on freeways stopping at weigh stations, and hassle of providing documentation for business use should soon drive down the demand for these monsters.

While Navistar may predict they will only make and sell about 50 CXTs a year I'm going to bet that they have already been flooded by orders and soon they will be selling several thousand a year. Lets just pray they never challenge the obscene sales figures of the Hummer H2 which apparently sold over 34,000 last year (no wonder I'm seeing them everywhere).