Is there a thing as too much HP's?

[Andy]

News of the forthcoming 2009 550 hp CTS-V made me ask, ÔÇ£Is there such a thing as too much HPÔÇÖs?ÔÇØ

Aside from the whole environmental/petroleum use thing, what about public safety? Honestly, there is no legal way to use 550hpÔÇÖs on public roads and aside from a really long straight, when is the owner going to get to use all 550 hpÔÇÖs on the track?

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/08/detro...th-550-hp/

A 5000 lb SUV or 10 ton semi is much more dangerous to the public that a car like the CTS-V. Yeah if someone comes screaming through a yellow/red light at 95 mph it could be problematic but I'd have to say that I'm much more concerned about someone t-boning me in a Canyonero.

As for not using all of the horsepower, who cares? Every sport-minded motorcycle for sale today is too fast for the road but its not that big of a deal. And pretty much anything above 300 hp is a bit too much to really stretch out on the road. No biggie.

I don't disagree but at the same time, F=MA. Up the acceleration and you don't need as much mass. I didn't think legislation was necessary to deal with some of my concerns with SUVÔÇØs because at such large production numbers, the market would be able to regulate itself.

However, I don't think that companies should be allowed to produce cars that are essentially PR/Marketing tools that are harmful to society and costly to taxpayers. In my mind, I see these cars as a marketing tool that externalized its costs to the taxpayer.