The SUV will soon be dead, claims Citroën boss
The days of hefty Sports Utility Vehicles are numbered, according to the CEO of Citroën Vincent Cobée. The French car boss believes that demands of electrification and a shift in public opinion will lead to the demise of the large crossovers which currently dominate the car market.
In an interview with the U.K.’s Auto Express Cobée claimed, succinctly, “The world of SUVs is done.”
While admitting that sales figures right now show the exact opposite, Cobée said that in the quest for ever-more efficient EVs the basic design design principles of tall, heavy crossovers are simply incompatible. Citing aerodynamics as being of huge significance he said, “On a battery EV, if your aerodynamics are wrong, the penalty in terms of range is massive. You can lose 50km (31 miles) between good and bad aero, and between an SUV and a sedan you’re talking 60/70/80 km very easily.”
Another key factor will be weight, he added. Heavy cars don’t just require more energy to move, they’re likely to incur cost penalties. In Citroën’s home country of France vehicles are already taxed according to weight, so adding more and more batteries to compensate for a bigger vehicle’s needs won’t be the answer. Cobée bemoaned the massive increase in mass that’s come with bigger cars and electrification. “In the 1970s, a car was weighing 700kg (1543 lbs) . Today an average car is weighing 1300kg (2866 lbs). Tomorrow an average car will weigh two tonnes (4409 lbs). So we’re using three times more resources to deliver the same service, just to be ‘green’.”
Citroën’s plan to is pursue a lightweight approach, as demonstrated by the Oli concept car, which uses innovative materials including cardboard to keep its mass to a minimum, allowing it to carry a relatively small 40kWh battery, yet still achieve a driving range of almost 250 miles.
Finally, Cobée believes that the public will actually turn against SUVS. “People will start limiting weight and battery sizes, either through tax, through incentives, through regulation, through naming and shaming. If you live in a big city, five years ago if you drop off your kids with a big SUV you’re a man. Now, if you do this, you’re a ‘terrorist’…”
Do you think he’s correct and will you miss the SUV when it’s gone? Let us know in the comments.
Reinhold Weege what exactly are you saying here?
Finally, Cobée believes that the public will actually turn against SUVS. “People will start limiting weight and battery sizes, either through tax, through incentives, through regulation, through naming and shaming. If you live in a big city, five years ago if you drop off your kids with a big SUV you’re a man. Now, if you do this, you’re a ‘terrorist’…”
Some government good, more government better? Last time I checked, Cobée, market dictates design and demand. Not some some bureaucratic fool like you. Get back to kissing Macron’s butt.
You make your choices, I’ll make mine. Not long until the dirty and unsafe vintage cars are the target.
Not all pickups, suv’s, are large gas hogs. I have a F150 with the 3.7 v-6 which supplies plenty of power with decent gas mileage not 12 mpg as this so called expert states. Many suv’s are either 4 or 6 cylinders these days which most are. Nice when an expert lumps a class of vehicle into one configuration.
Glad I don’t live in France
EV’s will consume tires way faster than their ICE counetrparts. I can’t wait to hear the complaints trying to buy 20-23 inch tires for their EV crossover every year. The instant torque is going to kill tires quickly. The weight will probably make brakes go quicker also but nowhere near as bad as the tires. And then there will be the software updates, etc. I see a disposable smartphone future for the Toasters that are being mandated for us and higher running costs.
To paraphrase, “they will need to pry the steering wheel of my SUV from my cold dead hands!” Bureaucrats and ideologues trying to dictate what many do not want. How about an novel approach…freedom of choice? And for you EV aficionados, please don’t lecture us SUV owners about pollution, etc. until you deal with the environmental costs of your massive battery banks. Not just the exploitation of precious metals and third world labor abuses but their ultimate hazardous waste disposal. By the way, my Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel averages about 25MPG hauling my 6000LB vintage mahogany boat. Show me a $50K EV that can do that…
Come to Texas for a lesson in the king of SUVehicles, the Suburban. We ain’t giving them up at least while I’m still here for the next 20 or so years.
Slight diversion: I am dumbfounded at how many Tahoes I see in TX, compared to how few Suburbans. I guess they are just easier to fit in the garage?
AMEN BROTHER
During the Excursion/Suburban size wars a wag offered “A 100 lb woman using a 7,000 lb vehicle to pick up a dozen eggs” as one definition of insanity.
Not So, That screams U.S.A.
I believe our infrastructure is nowhere near up to par to provide access to charging for all the vehicles they’re expecting to sell. My brother retired from general motors couple years ago and in one of the last meetings he attended a group of engineers predicted it would take a minimum of two decades to get our infrastructure up to par. I will be 60 this year and I won’t be giving up my suburban my Silverado or my super duty anytime soon. And I agree about all the hazardous materials involved in making batteries and disposing of batteries!
Interesting remarks from Cobee. Frankly, I own an old station wagon and would not buy an SUV. They’re ugly,
serve no real purpose, and the whole approach on electric vehicles is backwards. The whole thing is absurd.
Methinks M Cobée is too optimistic.
Monsieur Cobee is missing another big downside to the SUV. Listen, I’m no SUV hater. We live in Montana and have two very active kids–skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, etc.–and our Highlander gets a lot of use. But my god, the things are just no fun at all to drive! All that weight and bulk make them about as agile as a Mack truck. If you care about performance and handling, the last thing you want is an SUV. I take the Highlander when it’s necessary. But that’s just it–it’s utilitarian. Nothing more. Hence the Sport UTILITY Vehicle. If I have the option, I’ll always pick our Passat or, in nice weather, the Spitfire. So what I don’t get is why so many people seem to think SUVs are the pinnacle of the modern automobile and are willing to give the car companies bottom line a huge boost to have one? Is it just the macho/wealthy image? If so, I feel for them. Just think of all the fun excitement they’re missing out on! You could buy one hell of a car for the price of a bloated boat like an Escalade.
Because so many seem confused by my comment…
You Americans believe in “the pursuit of Happiness”, correct? Is this not the opening line of your Charter? Yet when someone offers to create a better, Kardashev type-one civilization, you resist.
Something requiring lots of open space, like food production is best done in a rural area by large corporations who can do it at an efficient scale. The workers employed in this industry should be representitive of the world’s ethinc diversity. Thus if you fall into a needed category, you may work in said industry. And because of your work, you will be allowed a larger vehicle which can carry cargo. No one will see you as a terrorist because you need that capability.
If you are not involved in food production, (or logging, or mining, or some other world-resource activity) then you should live vertically in a metrocenter. You will be front and center for the best cultural activities and entertainment. You’ll have no need or desire for a private vehicle because travel within your zone can be accomplished by excellent mass-transit.
This is simply what makes sense and part of our responsibility to the world community. This is what minimizes climate change. This is how we create an equitable and yes; “happy” society as your charter demands you to acheive. And yet you resist. 🙁
It’s just a line in a 246 year old document that has no legal bearing. Americans didn’t actually believe it then, and they don’t do so today.
Seriously trying to remember the. Last time a Citroen was a commercial success in the USA. I am sure Americans will break the internet trying to get one of those cardboard EVs