Why are new cars so ugly?

Is it just me? I think we have better taste than car companies give us credit for. From a natural selection point of view, I think that cars have become so ugly that there is no way for the consumer to express a preference by buying attractive cars because there are no attractive cars to buy. I feel like if one car with real style came out on the market, people would buy it like crazy, and car companies would finally be able to tell what people want.

But it hasn't always been this way! Take, for example, the car my mom had in her twenties vs. the car I have in my twenties. Their nicknames hint at their shapliness, or non-shapliness as it were-- my mom's was "The White Knight" (she says this is because it was a Plymouth Valiant, but I would add that it was sexy, too! just look at that thing), while mine is "The Beluga". Functionally, I love my car with undying devotion. Aesthetically, it leaves something to be desired.

My mom's 1964 Plymouth Valiant

The 2002 Toyota Corolla I drive

To be fair, my 2002 Corolla has a solid, almost attractive form, much like a beluga. But a survey of Toyota Corollas since the beginning shows that the Corolla was once a real gem. It once had more class and style. What has happened?

1966










1970


















1976












1980











1985 (umm, getting colder)










1990









1995











2000 (sad trombone)













I think the real beauty of the old cars is in the details--the headlights, the chrome, the daring curves, the paint that was somehow more vibrant and less bronze-y and shimmery. It's not enough to have a vague hint of the original shape:













I feel a little sadder every time I see the new version of the VW Beetle.








This is not to say that I haven't tried to like new cars, but I have found only a few that are acceptable:

VW Golf
(And this is not just because I like you, Emily.)











Audi TT Coupe, sort of, I guess