The evolution of the import scene Options

[azian_advanced]

Way back in the the year 2000, extreme bodykits, large chrome rims, full body decals, loud exhausts, and wild color paint jobs were the hottest things then. I remember my buddies and I would just talk about imports every day and spend most of our free time in our computer classes just looking up sites with pictures of cars. We'd talk about drag racing even when none of us knew jack about cars and were still learning how to drive! Back then, the word 'souped-up' was frequently used referring to an extremely done up ride. It was in this time when F&F came out in the theatres and really brought the scene to another level.

well.. that was me when I was 15.

several years later, extreme looking bodykits and euro lights were frowned upon. not sure how it all started but it just did, and those cars were labelled as 'rice'. at the same time, a whole new era emerged and the new taste in modification was 'jdm'. if you bought a part and was not made in Japan, it's not 'jdm'. simple as that. this change in trend happened so fast that everyone just hopped the bandwagon and accepted it.

so this is where we are now in the import scene. but how are things gonna look like in the next 10 or 20 years? what's the import scene going to become? many concept cars are being designed to run on a hybrid or fully electric motor... or even run on bio fuels which has already begun in a few countries. how long will the tuner scene last? what's the future gonna look like? maybe 15 years from now people will be doing battery swaps instead of motor swaps. or maybe the future generation will look at us the same way we look at the older generation today who are into classics and hot rods.



edit: this belongs in offtopic

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: May 21, 2010 - 2:30 AM

[SwissFerdi]

^ Going off on a bit of a different tangent than the original thread, I see something like what Norberto said happening. I'm scared of the future of automobiles because everything is moving toward automation. You can buy a car nowadays that can shift itself better than you ever can, park itself, tell you if you're drifting out of your lane, and even stop itself. I don't see an "I, Robot" scenario as being too far-fetched in the near future (50 years), where a car can pretty much operate itself. I can't say that this would be bad for general traffic, as it might be a convenience...but with the emergence of this technology (combined with a trend toward renewable resources for fuel), I see super car brands such as Ferrari and Lamborghini to be a dying breed. The same goes with tuning, as we're not doing anything fuel-efficient either. So basically, I fear that we'll all be driving (or lack thereof) something very different when my generation is older. But even Ferrari itself is changing...the 599 is one of the most advanced supercars, and it's amazing, but it's also very much automated. The gearbox shifts for you (with minor input required), and the traction control (via the manettino) will pretty much save your ass from crashing. So even the process of driving a super car has become slightly automated.

So back to tuning, I think the above will sadly be the fate of tuning. Maybe it'll live for another 20-30 years? I honestly think we might just have to enjoy what we're doing, as we could be some of the last ones to be doing so without government interference (or much of it, anyway).

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: May 21, 2010 - 10:05 AM