When the Hummer was first made available
for nonmilitary commercial purchase, many consumers were concerned
with its size. Hummers are a bit big, even for Little League
carpools.
But things are about to get bigger. Recently, the truck and
sport utility vehicle market took another turn toward the
outrageous. International Truck and Engine announced it is
developing a new truck that will be one of the largest vehicles on
the market, moving auto manufacturing into anything but the right
direction.
Similar to other vehicles in an ever-expanding genre of
super-trucks, International’s new truck is not only wasteful
of materials and fossil fuels, but serves as yet another example of
irresponsibility on behalf of the auto industry.
The CXT, short for commercial extreme truck, boasts dimensions
large enough to satisfy even the most gluttonous of consumers. More
than 20 feet long and eight feet tall, the CXT is two feet taller,
4 1⁄2 feet longer and twice as heavy as the Hummer H2 —
the reigning king of gargantuan trucks — according to The
Detroit News.
With no fuel, passengers or cargo of any kind, the CXT will tip
the scales at a formidable 13,000 pounds. Even the construction of
the vehicle was an exercise in the obscene: semi tractor air
brakes, heavy duty transmission and other hardware that is
typically found in construction machines.
While the debate over the environmental and economic effects of
SUVs has been raging for quite some time, the CXT will certainly
add fuel to the fire. The new truck promises to become the next big
thing in poor fuel economy.
In its current state, the vehicle averages between six and 10
miles per gallon of diesel gasoline — making it one of the
least efficient cars roaming the roads. In addition to simply being
wasteful, SUVs and large trucks are notorious for their propensity
to roll over in high-speed accidents, and causing catastrophic
damage to smaller cars in collisions.
Clearly, such vehicles can have legitimate government and
commercial uses. Yet, the purpose of the CXT appears to be to
capitalize on the success of the Hummer line of SUVs. Despite their
hefty price tag and inane size, Hummers are a common eyesore on the
road. It is illustrative to note the planned appearance of two CXTs
at the upcoming Emmy Awards — a clear attempt by
International to mass market the vehicle beyond strictly commercial
applications.
Nick Matich, the vice president of International, in an
interview with the Detroit News, explained the usefulness of his
company’s new vehicle: “You can put the Hummer in back
and take it with you.”
Dump trucks and concrete mixers are useful on the job site.
Pickup trucks are useful for commercial duty, but what can be the
legitimate purpose of this enormous truck? The CXT, however, has
but one use: to satisfy the desire for the next big thing.
Corporations like International have a responsibility outside of
purely financial considerations — to responsibly manufacture
and market its vehicles. In the case of the CXT, International has
successfully done exactly the opposite. Sadly, it is more than
likely that the CXT will catch on, temporarily quenching the
market’s thirst for the next big thing. But only
temporarily.