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Originally Posted by superchow
From the WSJ article:
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Modern cars and light trucks have an average of 225 horsepower under the hood [...]
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Can this be true? I would have guessed something closer to 150... This explains why legislature is reluctant to increase the speed limit. Imagine an elderly driver with 200+ hp barreling down the Autobahn in Germany. Yeah, that seldomly happens.
I call for a limit in hp for passenger vehicles. You could always increase taxes and insurance for "high powered" cars, no? Anything over 150 hp for example. Or do it by engine displacement - anything over 2.0L = higher taxes and insurance. It's not fool proof, but then again, what is?
Let's be honest, who really needs more than 100 hp? |
225HP is a striking number. But remember many of these ridiculous engines end up in 4000lb minivans and 6000lb SUVs. I'd agree with the sentiment that nobody needs more than 33HP per thousand lbs, and if you were to tax horsepower in excess of this, it would be a wake-up call to new-car buyers. Note, the first-gen Insight would be subject to this tax, too. It's overpowered.
Another cute wake-up call would be a Cd*A tax. I doubt it would be enough to drive consumer acceptance of streamlined cars, but it would be a fun tax anyway.
But really, the only tax you need is on fuel consumption. That way, you're penalizing the thing that offends you, while leaving the market free to respond in the most efficient manner. Maybe this means driving less, driving slower, and choosing smaller cars, or some other innovative solution. But leave it to engineers and the public, not legislators, to find the correct balance.