What Will Happen to the American 'Muscle Car?'
2022-08-22
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1American "muscle cars" got their name because of their big, powerful engines and fast speed.
2Some of the gas-powered cars are so noisy, the Associated Press recently described them as "thundering."
3But interest worldwide in electric cars brings up this question: Can a muscle car go electric?
4The carmaker Stellantis makes the Dodge Challenger and Charger-two well-known muscle cars.
5General Motors makes the popular Chevrolet Corvette.
6Both companies are wondering if they can keep the interest of buyers who love traditional, gas-powered cars.
7Car fans who loved the classic, powerful cars that used a lot of fuel are called "gearheads."
8The new battery-powered cars are quicker than the old gas-powered cars that sold themselves based on "horsepower."
9Horsepower is a term used to talk about the power created by an engine. For years, high horsepower signaled "high performance."
10While the new cars go fast and are easier to control than cars with big engines, they do not make much noise.
11Will the gearheads someday become battery-heads?
12Stellantis hopes so.
13The company, which is half American and half Italian, will stop making gas-powered versions of the Challenger, Charger and its larger Chrysler 300 by the end of 2023.
14Other automakers are in the process of doing the same thing.
15Many European automakers already have electric versions of their high-performance cars.
16They include Porsche, Audi and Mercedes.
17General Motors said it will soon make an electric Corvette.
18Polestar is an electric vehicle company started by the owners of Volvo.
19Polestar says a roadster - or small, fun car - is coming soon.
20Governments around the world are requiring cars to create less pollution.
21U.S. President Joe Biden's administration also recently put in place new rules.
22As a result, car makers are starting to center their production on electric cars.
23Some car factories are being updated so they can make electric vehicles. Other producers are building new factories.
24Tim Kuniskis leads the Dodge division for Stellantis.
25"It's tough," he said when discussing the idea that governments are considering financial punishments, known as fines, for companies that do not meet new requirements to reduce fuel use.
26The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, said Stellantis' cars use the most fuel and have the worst effect on the environment.
27Some of the cars, such as one version of the Charger with a big engine called the Hemi Hellcat, travel only about five kilometers on a liter of fuel.
28New rules put in place by the EPA say all of a company's new car models must be much more fuel efficient by 2026 than they are now.
29Sam Abuelsamid is a researcher for Guidehouse Insights.
30He said some carmakers will keep making models with traditional engines, known as internal combustion engines, for about 10 years.
31Dodge is working to improve its cars' use of fuel but also keep the gearheads interested.
32The new cars will make noise like the old ones even if they are using batteries.
33A recent demonstration by Dodge showed off a Charger that made noise just like a muscle car.
34Kuniskis, however, is a critic of his own company's new car.
35"It doesn't have the emotion," he said, speaking of the electric cars.
36"It doesn't have the drama. It doesn't have the dangerous feeling" of an internal combustion engine.
37But he did say that the new electric Charger would be the fastest ever.
38Rick Nelson likes the old cars.
39He owns a company that fixes muscle cars in Illinois.
40He said it might be a "hard sell" to get older drivers who grew up with big, loud cars to switch to electric ones.
41But, times are changing.
42Nelson said he knows of businesses that are starting to think about how to put electric driving systems into the "classic" cars.
43He said, "Guys like me are just going to frown on it and laugh at it."
44But he knows, as he put it, "this isn't about my generation."
45Kuniskis said the future is not the end of the muscle car.
46"It's OK," he said.
47"Just let us show you what the future looks like."
48I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Jill Robbins.
1American "muscle cars" got their name because of their big, powerful engines and fast speed. 2Some of the gas-powered cars are so noisy, the Associated Press recently described them as "thundering." 3But interest worldwide in electric cars brings up this question: Can a muscle car go electric? 4The carmaker Stellantis makes the Dodge Challenger and Charger-two well-known muscle cars. General Motors makes the popular Chevrolet Corvette. Both companies are wondering if they can keep the interest of buyers who love traditional, gas-powered cars. 5Car fans who loved the classic, powerful cars that used a lot of fuel are called "gearheads." 6The new battery-powered cars are quicker than the old gas-powered cars that sold themselves based on "horsepower." Horsepower is a term used to talk about the power created by an engine. For years, high horsepower signaled "high performance." 7While the new cars go fast and are easier to control than cars with big engines, they do not make much noise. Will the gearheads someday become battery-heads? 8Stellantis hopes so. The company, which is half American and half Italian, will stop making gas-powered versions of the Challenger, Charger and its larger Chrysler 300 by the end of 2023. 9Other automakers are in the process of doing the same thing. 10Many European automakers already have electric versions of their high-performance cars. They include Porsche, Audi and Mercedes. 11General Motors said it will soon make an electric Corvette. Polestar is an electric vehicle company started by the owners of Volvo. Polestar says a roadster - or small, fun car - is coming soon. 12Governments around the world are requiring cars to create less pollution. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration also recently put in place new rules. 13As a result, car makers are starting to center their production on electric cars. Some car factories are being updated so they can make electric vehicles. Other producers are building new factories. 14Tim Kuniskis leads the Dodge division for Stellantis. "It's tough," he said when discussing the idea that governments are considering financial punishments, known as fines, for companies that do not meet new requirements to reduce fuel use. 15The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, said Stellantis' cars use the most fuel and have the worst effect on the environment. Some of the cars, such as one version of the Charger with a big engine called the Hemi Hellcat, travel only about five kilometers on a liter of fuel. 16New rules put in place by the EPA say all of a company's new car models must be much more fuel efficient by 2026 than they are now. 17Sam Abuelsamid is a researcher for Guidehouse Insights. He said some carmakers will keep making models with traditional engines, known as internal combustion engines, for about 10 years. 18Dodge is working to improve its cars' use of fuel but also keep the gearheads interested. The new cars will make noise like the old ones even if they are using batteries. 19A recent demonstration by Dodge showed off a Charger that made noise just like a muscle car. 20Kuniskis, however, is a critic of his own company's new car. "It doesn't have the emotion," he said, speaking of the electric cars. "It doesn't have the drama. It doesn't have the dangerous feeling" of an internal combustion engine. But he did say that the new electric Charger would be the fastest ever. 21Rick Nelson likes the old cars. He owns a company that fixes muscle cars in Illinois. He said it might be a "hard sell" to get older drivers who grew up with big, loud cars to switch to electric ones. 22But, times are changing. Nelson said he knows of businesses that are starting to think about how to put electric driving systems into the "classic" cars. 23He said, "Guys like me are just going to frown on it and laugh at it." But he knows, as he put it, "this isn't about my generation." 24Kuniskis said the future is not the end of the muscle car. 25"It's OK," he said. "Just let us show you what the future looks like." 26I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Jill Robbins. 27Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 28____________________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30muscle car -n. an American-made two door sports car with a powerful engine 31thunder -n. the loud sound that comes from lightening in the sky 32classic -adj. something that has been popular for a long time 33tough -adj. difficult 34battery -n. a device that stores electricity for use by a machine, like an electric motor 35drama -n. a situation or series of events that excite people's emotions 36frown -v. a serious facial expression signaling displeasure 37____________________________________________________________________ 38We want to hear from you. 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