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“No diesel, steam, or gasoline

Let's take a ride in an electric car

Happiness resides in an electric car”

From “Electric Car” by They Might be Giants, a song especially popular with children.

In 2007, BMW AG half-buried four new Mini Clubman cars nose-first near the main hall of the Frankfurt Auto Show, where the model was to make its debut.

The stunt was a kitschy salute to the iconic Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX. Constructed in 1974 by a group of avant-garde artists, the “ranch” consists of 10 vintage Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground at an angle corresponding to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

Ranging from the ’49 to ’63 model years, the strange sight of these half-buried autos in Texas traces the evolution of that uniquely American design feature, the tailfin, and shows how it mirrors the country’s mood during two starkly different decades, from giddy flamboyance to stark austerity.

Four years ago, BMW’s “Other Ranch” was just a bit of irreverent fun that attracted media attention to the new addition to the Mini family.

But when the images are viewed today, as environmental legislation grows more strident and the world’s youth seems more interested in playing with iPhones than driving pleasure, the idea of fun, affordable cars taking a dirt nap is a bit disturbing. Will “fun” be the tailfin of this decade?

Will Mini Coopers that average 35 mpg (6.7 L/100 km) soon be viewed as decadent, gas-guzzling relics from a silly bygone era, like the old cars at the Cadillac Ranch? Are we all doomed to hum “Happiness resides in an electric car?”

No one is in panic mode yet, but some performance enthusiasts and product planners are nervous.

Here’s why:

• ”New U.S. corporate average fuel economy standards already are pegged at 35.5 mpg (6.6 L/100 km) by 2016. The U.S. government says hitting that target will cost auto makers about $1,000 per car, but some independent estimates put the price tag much higher, from $4,000 to $7,000 per vehicle. That could put even modestly priced “fun” cars such as Mustangs and Mini Coopers out of reach for many consumers.
• sThe Environmental Protection Agency, National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. and California legislators are all talking about a 62 mpg (3.8 L/100 km) fleet target for 2025. Meanwhile safety proponents are insisting on a growing array of design changes, from stronger roofs to improved pedestrian protection that can add weight, hurt performance and hinder stylish designs.
• Emissions and fuel-economy legislation is forcing the electricification of vehicles, which critics say could lead to bland, appliance-like vehicles.
• dTastes and habits are changing, especially among younger people. Generation Y, the vast new demographic of baby boomer children who are supposed to take the place of the parents in buying all sorts of new products, is not interested in buying new cars. This trend already is documented in Japan and considered a factor in the country’s weak vehicle sales.
• fConsumers of all ages, but especially young children, are being inundated by anti-automotive, anti internal-combustion engine messages from many sources. “Of course kids are less interested in cars. They’re teaching them in school to hate them, because they are bad for the environment,” says one product planner at a major auto maker in an unguarded moment.