US Postal Service officials gave a news conference on Tuesday to announce that the agency had awarded a $ 482 million contract to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense for a new vehicle fleet scheduled to launch. in 2023. But the design of the new vehicles has been polarized to say the least, with some social media users absolutely loving it and others seeming to think they look like clown cars.
USPS delivery vehicles have not been updated since 1994, as Car and driver the magazine points out, so it makes sense that whoever can design a fleet here in the 2020s try to be bold. And they are bold, with Oshkosh’s plans for the so-called Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV), receiving strong reactions everywhere.
But that boldness drew criticism from some people on Twitter after Politico’s transport reporter Sam Mintz tweeted about the New design.
“It looks like shit,” replied New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac, while others said it was a “waste of money”. Others on Twitter said they don’t care what the vehicles look like and took the opportunity to complain mail delays.
G / O Media can receive a commission
Even the most positive reactions seemed to include sneaky compliments, noting that the proposed vehicle looks like something out of a children’s book. Several people compared the new design of the USPS to an infamous design of the Simpsons TV program, which can be interpreted as positive or negative, we assume.
The postal service notes that the new vehicles will include air conditioning, heating and advanced technology, such as 360-degree cameras. There is also a rear anti-collision system that includes automatic braking and many visual and audible warnings.
The design has not yet been finalized, so there may be changes before these things leave the assembly line. But the head of the USPS, a remnant of the Trump regime, believes that these vehicles are the future.
“As an American institution that unites our country, the U.S. Postal Service can have a bright and modern future if we make investments today that will position us for excellence tomorrow,” said Postmaster General and USPS CEO Louis DeJoy in a statement published online.
“The NGDV program expands our ability to handle more package volume and supports our carriers with cleaner and more efficient technologies, more amenities and greater comfort and safety, as they deliver every day on behalf of the American people,” he continued DeJoy.
What do you think? Are these vehicles exactly what you want in a futuristic design? Or are they horrendous abominations that should be returned to the hellish abyss from which they came? It seems like there’s really no middle ground when it comes to people’s reactions online.