There have been more than the usual number of automobile commercials on television recently. Maybe it is because I see them while watching the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
It seems technology has brought along a lot of interesting features but the body styles do not change very much.
I grew up during the 1950s (that was a long time ago now that I see it in print) and each year looked forward to the new cars to see what they would look like.
Even today I can tell the difference between a 1955 Chevy and a 1956. In 1957 straight fins were added to the rear and in 1958 the fins were shortened and curled. Why, I don’t know except maybe to just be different.
Then in 1959 our car had the wide, curved fins. The 1958 fins were very similar except that year they were more straight-lined.
Fins disappeared altogether in 1960 and later models but the full-size cars stayed quite large compared to today’s models.
But mainly the body styles do not change much which means we must look for basic smaller changes. Maybe today’s young people can distinguish between a 2017 and 2018 model better but my 2014 truck style stayed the same through 2018. There are some bigger changes in the 2019s but the main difference I see is the Chevy emblem is no longer the focus on the tailgate, having been replaced by the word Chevrolet across it.
My 2014 Silverado didn’t look “old” until the 2019s came out. Our cross-over style car looks very similar to all other makes for the past eight or nine years. Some years the tail lights change but not much else.
When it all boils down to the basics, reliable transportation is basically the same with some providing a little smoother than others.
I long for the days when the body styles change enough to make a difference and offer some excitement about the new model years.
