The History of SUVs
The manufacture of sporty utility vehicles otherwise referred to as SUVs dates back to several decades ago when the first of its kind was released for the general market from as early as the 1940s. However, few people took notice of the SUVs which ultimately started gathering popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s among the middle and upper-class American citizens and which made automakers enjoy lucrative profit margins which made them focus more on the SUVs as opposed to smaller cars (Liao, Weber, & Pfaff, 2004).
McQuaig's Critique of SUVs
In her book, however, Linda McQuaig raises pertinent issues that need to be addressed especially with her probing of the rationale behind the manufacturing of the SUVs vehicles which she aptly refers to as death traps and having paid little attention to their popularity, she questions why so much self-importance is bestowed on a vehicle whose production should otherwise cease because of the perceived environmental and social consequences.
McQuaig's Perspective on SUVs
McQuaig does not see SUVs as masterpieces of exquisite technological advancement whose association with a bold, adventurous and sporty kind of life is lost on her. McQuaig’s emotional detachment from the SUVs is clearly epitomized by her comparison of the SUV and a minivan which she further describes as bulky and oversized versions of a typical car and though useful in every sense, could serve much better as hearses in a funeral home (McQuaig, 2011). The juxtaposition used by McQuaig in reference to the SUV reveal one thing; that the SUVs are overrated for their sheer brilliance and that advertisers are taking advantage of customers oblivious of the dangers associated with the SUV. In furtherance McQuaig allege that advertising campaigns have been strategically and intentionally manipulated to present a false sense of glamour, efficiency, and sophistication when in reality, the SUV is responsible for several deaths attributed to its poor agility and maneuverability (McQuaig, 2011). McQuaig also suggests that SUVs are experiencing more difficulty in navigating corners hence the approach by advertisers to depict them as motionless pieces of contraption on top of mountains. McQuaig also postulates that the current demand for SUVs is not motivated by the need to own a glamorous, trendy and sporty vehicle but due to fear for security. Among other things, McQuaig ultimately opines that SUVs are a threat to others on the road while also contributing significantly to greenhouse emissions leading to environmental degradation in the form of global warming (McQuaig, 2011).
Counterarguments to McQuaig's Claims
McQuaig’s postulations though discriminatory of a great car innovation, it is needful to ultimately face the facts without necessarily being biased and stereotypical of a vehicle that has revolutionized transportation in the modern world. Most importantly, not every concern raised by McQuaig is really the absolute truth because every fault highlighted in the SUV is almost endemic to every vehicle ever manufactured in the world save for slight variations. When addressing the issue of safety, McQuaig fails to remain objective but chooses to be subjective in most of her postulations. Safety is a global concern and any vehicle can get involved or cause an accident with different extents of severity. Regardless of the car manufacturer or the car model being used in any of the roads worldwide, an accident is a sudden and unexpected occurrence that cannot be blamed entirely on the car maker (Liao, Weber, & Pfaff, 2004). Safety, therefore, remains a personal initiative unless it is compromised by an external force that makes prevention of accidents and casualties impossible.
McQuaig's Bias Against SUVs
Similarly, McQuaig outlines unique characteristics of the SUV that makes it an unstable and unreliable vehicle in the market today and goes as far as blaming advertisers for promoting SUVs and concealing the truth from the public. It can, therefore, be deduced that McQuaig has a personal dislike for the SUV if tastes and preferences were to be factored in the entire discussion. McQuaig’s case could have been misinformed by a single personal experience which did not work in her favor thus the general accusation that SUVs are metallic contraptions that should be eliminated entirely from the roads (McQuaig, 2011). Imperatively, the insinuation that customers are likely unaware of the bad features of the SUV is farfetched and lacking in any credibility. However, according to Liao, Weber, & Pfaff (2004), SUV owners are more likely to have owned a similarly bigger vehicle like pickup trucks and minivans which also have striking similarities to the SUV.
SUVs and Environmental Impact
Essentially, it is important to realize that global warming and air pollution are problems that have been around for several years before and after the industrial revolution, from the days of steam-powered vehicles to coal-powered tramps. Therefore, to suggest unequivocally that SUVs contribute to global warming in an unprecedented scale is missing the point and entirely inadmissible because factors contributing to global warming and air pollution are more diverse. Pollution is caused by emissions from factories which use heavy machinery reliant on smoke-producing sources of energy such as diesel (Granovskii, Dincer, & Rosen, 2006). Also, other types of vehicles other than SUVs contribute a bigger percentage of emissions unless they are electric cars. McQuaig’s assertions can, therefore, be dismissed as false, misleading and lacking concrete evidence to brand SUVs as death traps and killing machines.
References
Granovskii, M., Dincer, I., & Rosen, M. A. (2006). Economic and environmental comparison of conventional, hybrid, electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Journal of Power Sources, 159(2), 1186-1193.
Liao, G. Y., Weber, T. R., & Pfaff, D. P. (2004). Modelling and analysis of powertrain hybridization on all-wheel-drive sport utility vehicles. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering, 218(10), 1125-1134.
McQuaig, L. (2011). War, Big Oil and the Fight for the Planet: It's the Crude, Dude. Anchor Canada.
