This week on The Malliard Report Jim pulls a fan favorite and opens up the topics and phone lines to the live listeners. So join us as we break from the norm, and hit on a topic that is Malliard first; the automobile industry.

While some may view cars as simply a means to get from Point A to Point B, there are many others hold a true passion for working on, or simply the enjoying the engineering marvels that they can be. From the early classics, to rat rods, muscle cars, and the insane world of hyper cars, there is something for everyone. However there seems to be a pandemic that is sweeping manufacturers, and it is not for the good.

Next time you are out and about, pay attention to the cars around you; on the road, in the parking lots, parked in your neighbor’s garage. Notice anything? If you said small SUVs, then you would be correct. The “compact crossover” is the latest in the trends of automobile manufacturing. While often loaded with nice creature comforts, the vehicles themselves are typically unusably small, bland looking, and lack functionality. There is no one particular car maker that the blame can be placed on due to every maker has at least two or three models of this type of vehicle. So much in fact that in a stunning move, Ford recently stated that outside of the Mustang, Ford will no longer make cars; only trucks and SUVs.

To simply explain a move like this, it is safe to say that most car builders are uninspired, and focused strictly on profits. Every maker is as guilty as the other. The Detroit muscle car wars of the late 60s and early 70s, and the small coupe’ shoot outs from the 90s and early 00s, given way to Toyota Priuses and Buck Enclaves. Without looking at the badges themselves it is almost impossible to distinguish a Corolla from an Accord.

While it may seem the world has turned to neutral tones and bulbous shapes, not all hope is lost. While the makers continue to pump out boring, destination to destination, tools, not all hope is lost. A number of the domestic manufacturers are starting to step out of the grey and present trophies of craftsmanship. With the Demon and Hellcat from Dodge, the insane ZR-1 from Chevrolet, and the incredibly impressive Shelby GT-350 from Ford, there is a light in the dark tunnel. Now, before you go up in arms “What about Pagani? What about Koenigsegg? How about the Nurburgring record smashing lap put up by the new Aventador SVJ?” This argument is for the cars that are available to us in the everyday world. Super and Hyper car builders continue to produce awe inspiring creations both mechanically and visually, but this is not available to the everyday Joe.

This is a fun episode and does not focus solely on cars, but it is a different topic that is always open for a good discussion. Remember to head over to malliard.com to sign up for the newsletter, catch up on previous shows, and so much more. You can connect with The Report via Twitter @Malliard.