Are non-functional exhaust tips the way of the future?
Photo: Buick
Every once in a while, a new design trend hits the auto industry. Some are functional, while others are purely aesthetic. And then there are some that seem to have transitioned from one to the other. This is where the fake exhaust tip trend comes into play. In recent years, new vehicles have begun including completely non-functional exhaust tips in place of real ones. While this makes sense for electric vehicles with all-electric powertrains, even vehicles with exhaust systems have begun following this trend. General Motors is the latest to have jumped on this bandwagon, as two new Buicks now include this trendy feature.
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GM and the fake exhaust tip trend
Last year, the 2020 Buick Encore GX made its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Last week, the 2021 Buick Envision was revealed. While these vehicles are markedly different in many respects, they share a design feature new to GM vehicles: faux exhaust tips. These stylings, located on each vehicle’s rear fascia, lend a certain refined and sporty feel to their overall look despite being entirely non-functional. The actual exhaust is released underneath the vehicle.
The fake exhaust tip trend has steadily been growing in popularity for some time now. Other recent vehicles, including the new Audi A8, Volkswagen Jetta, and Mercedes-Benz GLE include this feature. It seems that General Motors has finally caught up to this trend, but future plans to include fake exhaust tips are currently unknown. As of right now, only the aforementioned 2020 Buick Encore GX and 2021 Buick Envision come with this feature.
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With the popularity of this trend taken into account, it wouldn’t be surprising to see future GM models continue to use it. As smaller-displacement engines and all-electric powertrains continue to be produced, it’s possible that fake exhaust tips may evolve into a standard going forward.
Daniel DiManna hails from little Sylvania, Ohio. A graduate of Lourdes University with a degree in Fine Arts (which has thus far proven about as useful as a wet paper towel), Daniel’s hobbies/passions include film history, reading, fiction/non-fiction writing, sculpting, gaining weight, and adding more toys, posters, books, model kits, DVD’s, screen-used props, and other ephemera to his already shamefully monumental collection of Godzilla/movie monster memorabilia. His life goals include a return trip to Japan, getting a podcast off the ground, finishing his novel, and yes, buying even more monster toys. See more articles by Daniel.
