Column: We are growing – but in which direction?

It is in human nature to want to grow: in prosperity, in knowledge, maybe even in spirituality? While the latter two points can only advance the Earth, this is less true for prosperity. Because more prosperity does not automatically mean more satisfaction, but rather a "more" in resource consumption.

And the same logically applies to ever-growing cars. The latest example is the Skoda Fabia, which the Czechs have now stretched by ten centimeters to 4.10 meters and widened by almost five centimeters. And right, this of course offers much more interior space than its predecessor and actually already calls into question the larger Scala, which itself grew modestly, as well as the Octavia above it. The effect being that the "smallest" Skoda today is within 18 centimeters of the Golf, which itself also grew by three centimeters compared to its predecessor. These were still mid-size models in the 1980s, while the Octavia would have belonged to the former upper mid-range and is as large as the first E-Class, whereas the Superb approaches the former S-Class.

Which, of course, has also grown massively since then, now starting at 5.17 meters in length and almost two meters wide without mirrors. There are plenty of such examples: classics like the G-Class or the new Land Rover Defender make their ancestors look like dwarfs, just as the latest 911 Cabriolet visually diminishes even tall occupants – following the motto: It is no longer the driver who dominates the 911, but the 911 that guards the small driver.

And with the growth in size, weights, frontal areas, and not least the time spent looking for parking spaces keep increasing, especially since city centers do not grow along with the cars. We have long since been creeping through the same streets in a Skoda Fabia due to its width, streets through which we zipped along with the original model - at speeds between 30 and 50 km/h depending on restrictions. Today we flash our lights, stop, wait, drive on – because the oncoming cars are also much wider. And so many small parking spaces, into which we barely squeezed the original Fabia, we now simply have to ignore. Too short...

Of course, more safety requires a bit more material and air around the occupants, but fundamentally couldn't successor models just stay as big as their predecessors – and still offer enough space? Or even offer more space! Hey, Skoda – no offense, you guys are just an example for (almost) everyone - but more space on less area - that would truly be "simply clever!"