Let's face it, even when the US was still in contention for the World Cup (well, when they had a mathematical chance of being involved) not many people noticed. If they did notice, then they simply didn't care. Like various pursuits in other parts of the world (aka...anywhere that isn't here) Americans tend to casually wish their peers well in doing whatever it is they are doing, but because it isn’t here and now, the sentiments are bordering indifference.
Unless you are one of the handful of die-hard spectators who sporadically dot the stands at MLS matches (MLS is Major League Soccer for the majority) or Drew Carey, then this World Cup is about as newsworthy as spilled milk. As much as Mr. and Mrs. Posh Spice would like to be accepted stateside, David Beckham could run through Times Square during rush hour wearing nothing but cleats and a union jack whilst singing the Real Madrid fight song without receiving a second glance.
We don’t even refer to his sport by the same name, so it was really no surprise that news surrounding this year's historic 24 Hours of Le Mans could likely be found in between the Doonesbury cartoons and submissions for 'best buttermilk fried chicken recipes' in the more internationally focused newspapers.
Why don't we care?
Isolation in the US, whether figurative or literal is very powerful stuff. As a rule, if we don't have it, then we either bring it here or make it ourselves, whatever it is. This resourcefulness has suited us quite well for 200 hundred years and certainly has its merits, but at some point things simply get 'lost in translation.' Why would we care about Le Mans and Formula One when we have NASCAR and its non-rubbing cousin, Indy Car? Well, typically we don't and that is a shame.
There isn't room here to explore why there are such cultural differences between our society and seemingly, the rest of the world. Suffice it to say that there is a great disparity and the vast majority of Americans are much more interested in rapid action and occasional wrecks seen by cars racing generally in large ovals (NASCAR, IRL) and quick successive plays in say the NFL than watching the finesse of soccer momentum develop over time or a long distance endurance race known for few crashes.
Things do get much more muddled of course, with Cart, American Le Mans Series and other short track racing, but it is very clear what is the predominant interest in North American racing today.
Historically auto racing has been a branding showcase where manufacturers have a chance to compete at the peak in the hope of displaying their products in the best possible light, which is why things are currently so interesting. None other than archrival Toyota is invading NASCAR, the longtime domain of the big three. And the reason this year's Le Mans was so unique is not because Audi won it for a sixth time, but rather that the winning car was powered by a diesel engine.
To people in the industry (and/or racing) these are astounding developments, but it is the fact that these events aren't more newsworthy that really illustrates the magnitude of the transition we are in. While it doesn't take rocket science to link Toyota's North American dominance with its introduction to one of our most 'patriotic' pastimes, it also would make sense that in a country where only about 3% of new car sales are diesel would the Audi TDI win be tantamount to well, nothing.
As fuel efficiency concepts and new technologies get either dusted off or new funding, it is hard to argue that the real 'automotive race' isn't on a track at all but on our very own roads. It was only weeks ago that Bill Ford pledged to produce 250,000 hybrids annually by 2010, that the dual purpose Smart Car/anchor was about to be jettisoned from the DaimlerChrysler lineup and that GM informed thousands of owners that their vehicles were actually E85 compliant.
Ford just announced that they would no longer even try to attain this goal, as it wouldn't be strategically sound, DaimlerChrysler just pulled their anchor out of the sand and says Smart Car is on a fast track to be in the US by 2008, and GM is leaning on Congress to make gas station owners install more E85 pumps. While the heads at the 'Big Three' are still spinning, the imports (and their diesel) are taking aim yet again.
One retail exec claims that diesels will outpace hybrid sales by 2 to 1 in five years, a Honda exec says that diesels could make up to 30% of Honda's US sales, and a Bosch head puts diesels at 15% of the entire US market in 10 years.
When the dust settles and smoke (was black, now is clean) clears, who do you think will still be standing?
i'm inclined to think that hybrid technology will win out over diesel. it's kind of like vhs vs. beta; beta came first and was arguably better, but vhs eventally dominated. the marketing of hybrid technology is much better.
Posted by: Mary Doherty | August 19, 2006 at 11:00 PM