A New Generation of Tuners?

There's no doubt that the year 2009 stirred up the global automotive industry.  The focus of the world's car makers has changed drastically.  Their attention has been drawn towards efficiency, alternative fuels, and "greener" methods all around.  This shift has been evident as highlights from the major car shows have rolled across the presses over the last couple of months.  One thing I've noticed is how much attention hybrids are getting.  I don't mean the normal media attention though, I'm talking about the attention of the tuners.

Tuners are already known for making performance machines out of economy cars with mediocre factory performance specs.  Let's face it, no one would be drag racing Honda Civics if it weren't for this group of, well, I'll call them pioneers.  They have developed a culture of their own, new classes of motorsports, inspired video games and motion pictures.

These guys are sure to be the first to get their hands on every hot new compact car from Japan, Europe, and even the U.S.  As hybrids have begun to gain more popularity, they are becoming a growing market for performance modifications.  At first, you think "who would ever want to make a Prius sporty?"  But then you realize people were probably asking the same exact question about Honda's and Toyota's modest little sedans back when this whole thing started.  The foundation of the tuner mindset is to make racecars out of un-cool, un-fast economic sedans.  Cars like the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius fit this bill perfectly.  And guess what, we've already seen tuned versions of both.

So what does this mean for the future of "The Fast and The Furious"?  Should we expect "The Frugal and The Feeble" in theaters by 2012?  Nope.  The fast and the furious will keep getting faster and more furious.  We'll see newer and better GT-Rs, WRXs, and EVOs year after year, just like we're used to.  Racers will keep putting turbos on Civics, Jettas, and Cobalts.  We're on the edge of some changes though.  You'll start seeing Insights with rims and body kits.  You'll get passed by a Prius with a wicked tint and a huge spoiler.  Why?  Because that's the nature of the tuner.  Turn a harmless, mundane grocery-getter into a monster.

Maybe you've already noticed.  It's not really a secret, or a surprise.  I think the manufacturers are catching on too.  Concepts like Honda's CR-Z, VW's NCC will give future tuners a good place to start.  Sure the CR-Z's factory specs are anything but impressive, but that makes it a perfect option.  Automakers have been catering to the tuner crowd for years now.  Sure, 4-door, 4-cylinder, FWD sedans are still available in plain, economic, practical versions, but models like the Civic Si, Corolla RS and Cobalt SS are evidence that the big car companies are investing engineering and marketing funds to attract buyers from this demographic.

If you think about it, there have always been "tuners" in some form or another.  They gave birth to the hot rod.  They made the muscle car popular.  Those guys are still around too.  There is still a huge culture surrounding hot rods and muscle cars, and probably always will be.  Today's tuners span the farthest reaches of the automotive globe - and they're not going anywhere either.  They all share common goals: faster, quicker, more powerful... better.  The point is, every time the car industry evolves, the hot-rodder evolves too.  2010 may be the start of the next generation.