Just as media outlets struggled with what to call the current national economic situation (Downturn? Depression? The Great Recession?), we need a word to describe the languishing state of global car sales. Following, and sometimes writing, the daily headlines, it feels like the auto industry is teetering on the verge of disaster. Besieged from all directions, most manufacturers—and the Detroit 3, in particular —are struggling to protect and remake their businesses, secure financing, and manage a hard-hit dealer base. It feels like a “carpocalypse.” The end of the car world as we know it, and no one feels fine.

The term carpocalypse has been used to describe a sequel to the Carmageddon computer game, as well as race-themed Spike TV show, and it has been used in recent months by Jalopnik, Kicking Tires, and other blogs.

While the automotive industry will continue on until teleportation becomes commonplace, it is undergoing a dramatic change. The word carpocalypse captures the frightening, unknown nature of the automotive industry going forward—a situation we hope is soon reversed.

—Jeff Bartlett