Mustang and Camaro in lean muscle car fight CNNMoney
Wait, are these Detroit automakers really trading jabs like junior high boys over horsepower ratings on fuel efficient V6 cars? Used to be they did that only over their high performance V8 muscle cars, but the times -- and the technology -- have changed.
Relatively fuel efficient V6 engines have always been popular on these so-called Pony Cars, but they were mostly sold as cheap-to-own alternatives that looked like their high-performance relatives while driving more like family sedans. Auto industry types referred to them dismissively as "secretary's cars."
But today's V6 engines have become serious performance contenders in their own right. Plus, there's now a new generation of buyers that doesn't equate performance with massive engine blocks.
"You look at 'millenials' and they're much less concerned with V8 horsepower," said Eddie Alterman, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine, speaking of young people who came of age after the year 2000. "Much less so than their fathers are."
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Tire BusinessDetroit auto show report: GM, Ford load up small cars for bigger profitsTire BusinessGM will keep the price of its small cars competitive in their segments, Mr. Campbell said. But some will have a sporty RS version or a high-performance SS and more »
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AutoWeekGM, Ford load up small cars for bigger profitsAutoWeekGM will keep the price of its small cars competitive in their segments, Campbell says. But some will have a sporty RS version or a high-performance SS and more »
