Crank-up car windows disappearing
By CHRIS WOODYARD
USA Today
Hand-cranked car windows are starting to disappear as automakers move to make power windows standard even on entry-level models.
"You are going to see crank windows go the way of the dinosaurs," predicts Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong.
This year, Honda became the first of the largest automakers to banish the crank window, moving entirely to power windows as standard equipment.
"It's not even so much a luxury touch any more. It's an expectation," says Honda's Sage Marie. "That's why you see it on everything from our least-expensive model to the highest."
Even if power windows cost automakers a little more, "nobody wants to appear cheap," says Strategic Vision consultant Dan Gorrell.
Going crankless:
Ford has whittled down its crank-window models to its Ranger and some F-Series pickups and some Crown Victoria models. Only about six General Motors car models still have crank windows.
Even South Korean automaker Hyundai, looking to upscale its image, has manual roll-ups on only its cheapest model, the Accent.
Like typewriters and rotary-dial telephones, window cranks are things some kids may have never seen.
Kwong recalled having to explain how the crank works to his amused 11-year-old daughter when he drove home a Corolla XRS, one of the few Toyota models left that has them. "She's spoiled," he quipped.
Child safety has become less of an issue with power windows. Two years ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration required automakers to redesign power window switches to keep them from being inadvertently activated by kids. At the time, the agency said power windows appeared to account for an average 1.5 child deaths a year.
Boomers may wonder where the cranks went. "Those of us over 50 remember the era when most cars had crank windows, even Cadillac," Gorrell says. No love lost, however. "I can't imagine anyone is going to miss that," he adds.
