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In August, 2025, Ford USA’s vice chair, John Lawler, stated the ‘bleedin’ obvious’ when he said that most modern car buyers: “don’t think about the powertrain the way they did 30 years ago, where it defined what a vehicle was”. 

Speaking at Bernstein’s 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, John Lawler said that the progressive electrification of powertrains means that the internal combustion engine (ICE) doesn’t need to be as differentiated as it was traditionally, when the engine’s displacement, horsepower and torque were crucial to its market appeal.

He questioned whether it was necessary for a brand to develop its own next-generation four- or six-cylinder ICE, or would it matter if that powerplant was shared by several makes.

He also pointed out that the development costs of new engines could cripple smaller-volume makers. Even the majors have taken a hit from the loss of revenue coming from China, where home-grown electrified cars have replaced most of the Japanese, Korean, European and American brands that made a lot of money there.

John Lawler said that the loss of Chinese revenue amounted to a drop of 40-50-percent on what used to be an eight-billion-per annum business. (He didn’t mention it, but Trump’s tariffs have also hit imported and American car makers’ revenues very hard.)

At HV, our findings bear out John Lawler’s observations. We’ve driven most of the new SUVs, PHEVs and EVs on the Australian market, and there’s a similarity among them all. They’re 75bhp (city car) to 500bhp (sporting car) performers – some are brilliant – with great powertrain response, smooth automated shifting, good ride and handling and very quiet cabins. What’s glaringly obvious to us lovers of older machinery is a complete lack of character.

Ford 2.3-litre EcoBoost 295bhp engine

Look under any new ICE vehicle bonnet and you’ll see a moulded plastic engine cover, under which is a motley collection of tubes, pipes, wires, sensors, cannisters, black boxes, relays and…if you peer really hard: an engine! Hanging off the engine are a turbo, with ugly heat shrouding, an oxidation catalyst and particulate filter.

Jaguar 4.2-litre E-Type 265bhp engine – Bonhams

There isn’t a shred of effort to make anything look remotely aesthetic, in contrast to what was the norm before electronics dominated interiors and engine bays. If it’s a PHEV or an EV, the view is even worse!

EV ‘engine’ bay

Almost every new vehicle these days comes with: turbocharging, electronic, high-pressure injection; multi-speed automatic transmission; electric power steering; tyre pressure monitoring (TPMS); power mirrors; auto wipers; LED lighting; ISOFIX kids’ seat fitments; remote central locking; forward facing camera and Lidar; adaptive cruise control; hill-start assist; front and rear cross-traffic alert and brake; autonomous emergency braking (AEB); forward collision warning; lane-keeping assist; rear collision warning; driver fatigue monitor; push-button start; auto parking assist; rear view camera with guidance; front and rear parking sensors; six-speakers; dual-zone climate control; 12.3-inch screen; Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Strewth! No wonder there’s no character left.

Modern interior – and this is a ute!

Lotus Elite interior

The good news for us collectors of vintage machinery is that the last collectibles have probably already been produced, aside from recent exotica like supercars and bespoke Rollers.

So, pre-MY2000 machinery should become progressively more collectible as the years roll buy…hopefully!

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