From Horsepower to Gigabytes: Three generations, three cars, and changing prosperity

Once upon a time, when you opened the hood of a car, you would see an engine. Today, there is little need to open the hood; the car talks to you via your phone, receives remote updates, stays in its lane, sees the vehicle in front of it, and brakes on its own when necessary. Horsepower is still important, but the new units of measurement in the automotive world are now gigabytes, processor power, and software versions.

From a technological perspective, we have undoubtedly progressed. But another question is gaining more and more importance: As the automobile has evolved, has our ability to access it evolved as well?

Because the story of the automobile in Turkey over the last half-century is not just the story of automotive technology, but also the story of the changing prosperity of the middle class.

When we go back a few generations from today's electronic cars, we encounter a completely different world. Renault 12s, Murat 124s, Şahins, Toroses... Air conditioning was often absent, and safety equipment was extremely limited by today's standards. Cars were mechanical; they could be repaired, parts could be replaced, and the same vehicle could be used for 15-20 years.

But that car was not just a means of transportation.

It was a family asset.

The car parked in front of the house was one of the visible proofs that the family had reached a certain economic point. It was not easily replaced, not treated roughly, and when maintenance day arrived, the whole family would know about it.

For Generation X, which inherited this culture, the car took on a slightly different meaning.

Generation X: I worked, I earned, I bought

For Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, the car was one of the most visible proofs of having "made it" in life. A house, a car, and a steady job...

These were almost the holy trinity of the middle-class ideal in Turkey.

In the years when cars like the Golf, Astra, Corolla, and Focus were on the rise, the vehicle was no longer just a machine that carried the family from one place to another. As air conditioning, automatic transmissions, airbags, ABS, electric windows, and better sound systems entered our lives, the car also turned into an indicator of a rising standard of living.

Even moving from one segment to the next was a small announcement of economic progress.

But the real privilege that Generation X had was not the car's equipment.

It was that the distance between labor and the car was still reasonable.

A middle-class employee who started working, saved money for a few years, or took out an affordable bank loan could believe that they could own a car. Perhaps they couldn't get the model they wanted immediately, perhaps they went into debt; but the goal seemed accessible.

That is why washing the car in front of the apartment building on Sunday mornings with a bucket and plenty of soap was not just about cleaning.

In a way, it was a ritual of respect for the property that was the reward for one's sweat.

The small but powerful happiness of being able to say, "This is mine."

Generation Y: From freedom to a mobile office

Then came Generation Y.

When the Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, entered the workforce, the Generation X equation of "if I work, I will get the reward" had begun to crack.

Moreover, cities had changed too.

Plazas, long working hours, growing metropolises, and endless traffic transformed the meaning of the car. The car, which was the weekend freedom machine for Generation X, gradually turned into a mandatory living space for daily life for Generation Y.

A kind of mobile office where coffee is drunk in morning traffic, podcasts are listened to, phone calls are made, and the fatigue of the day is shaken off while trying to return home in the same traffic in the evening.

But there was another change as well.

The car began to demand more and more money, not only when it was purchased but also after it was owned. Fuel, taxes, insurance, comprehensive insurance, maintenance, parking...

Generation Y loved the car, but they were also one of the first generations to strongly feel that car ownership was a small black hole opened in their payroll.

The freedom machine was slowly turning into an expense machine.

Generation Z: Do they not want it, or can they not afford it?

Today, it is the turn of Generation Z.

And perhaps they are the generation most easily misread by the automotive world.

For years, it has been said that young people do not attach as much importance to car ownership as they used to. It is said that they like car-sharing, are more sensitive about the environment, and prefer experience over ownership.

These may have some validity to a certain extent.

But every analysis of Generation Z made without asking the real question in Turkey remains incomplete:

Do young people really not want to own a car, or does it seem like they don't because they no longer believe they can?

Today, for a young person just entering the workforce, reaching a brand-new car with only their own salary and savings means a much heavier economic burden compared to previous generations. Moreover, the issue is no longer just a new car; a decent used car also requires serious capital for a young employee.

As such, what the car represents also changes.

For Generation X, the vehicle meant "I succeeded," while for Generation Z, it often falls into the "maybe one day" category.

The interesting thing is that these cars, which young people struggle to reach, are the most technologically advanced cars in history.

Tesla, T10X, or the new generation of Chinese electric vehicles...

Big screens, apps, ADAS systems, online connectivity, OTA updates, driving assistants...

Young people, whose grandparents might have considered even a radio a luxury in their cars, are looking at computers on wheels today.

But getting the key to that computer is becoming increasingly difficult.

For the young people who can somehow own a car, the vehicle takes on another cultural function. It is possible to see traces of this on social media: ambient lighting, small accessories, plush toys, coffee cups, personalized interiors...

The car is no longer just a machine used to move.

Sometimes it is a safe space on wheels where one can escape from the city, home, work, and the heavy agenda of the country for a few hours.

Perhaps the issue is knotted right here.

In half a century, our cars have improved incredibly. They have become faster, safer, more comfortable, and more connected.

We have moved from horsepower to gigabytes.

But we cannot measure prosperity only by the level of technology we possess.

The real question is how much we can access that technology with our labor.

If one generation can put the key to their car in their pocket at the end of a few years of labor, and the next generation has to see the same car as one of the biggest financial decisions of their life, it means that not only the automotive sector but the story of the middle class is changing.

Perhaps what we should be discussing today, as much as why cars are so expensive, is this:

Did the car move away from the middle class, or did the middle class move away from the car?