What to do with all those unsold new cars

How does one dispose of new cars?

Imagine if you were appointed as an advisor to the un-used car industry and the very first question you have to deal with in your new position is, “what shall we do with the millions of brand new, never-used cars standing around in countries all over the world?”

I investigated

In the interest of writing a good and informative article, I applied for and received a Cash Advance and spent some of the money on a train tickets to one of these mammoth auto assembly plants up north. What I saw was beyond my wildest imagination! It was like standing on the edge of some strange world and looking down at a place that was entirely covered with money. Cars are money to everyone in a different way – the maker, the seller and the buyer. I felt like calling one of the attendants and saying “Hi Feller, can you please get me that pale blue one from the nineteenth row, twentieth from the far end.”

It’s more than metal

Besides the millions of tons of sheet metal out there, there are many other elements, most of which the environmentalists will soon be screaming about as they start to deteriorate in the sun and the rain. And what about all those cast iron engines that have probably made about 3 revolutions just to test that they actually do turn. And batteries filled with lead plates and acid? And thousands of miles of copper and other wire?

And the great material – plastic

And then we come to that great material, plastic, that we once thought would save the world and now understand that it is slowly but surely sinking our world by piling up higher and higher and filling our horizons with gargantuan trash heaps that will never decompose and provide anything useful for the generations that come after us. I don’t know what percentage of a modern car is plastic in one form or another but it is a big one, from dashboards to seats and carpets and door and roof linings. Much of the car body is plastic too as far as I can see.

Rubber

If there are a million cars standing around waiting for someone to get in and drive off, there are 5 million tires hoping for the same thing. That amount of tires could keep the tire-burning protestors of the world happy for years!

The land

What about the land that these cars are occupying. Is no one shouting about this? Have they been promised that the cars will be moved soon?

Okay, let’s sell them!

Do you think anyone at the board of directors meeting of a car company would agree to sell these cars at a loss? At this stage, before the first rust spots appear, the answer is probably ‘no.’ Once the rust sets in, things may change. One of those super-heavy hail storms may change this as well when they are faced with looking after pock-marked cars.

Just give them away!

Why not? Who will be lining up for free cars? I can’t wait to see the outcome of this man-made potential disaster!