Originally Posted by gobs3z
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/i...ion/#more-6595
The reason i think this is news worthy is that if they can start producing lighter weight cars than we can see a revolution in new sports cars that previously weren't affordable to the likes of me  (college loans). But chances are they will find a way to make them heavy again because of "safety" reasons.  Am i being toooo optimistic?
|
History repeats itself in so many ways. I have a few 25 year old auto rags lying around, one of them has interviews with all the heavy hitters of the auto industry asking them what kind of car will exist in 20 years (aka, 1990's)
By and large, they individually said that cars would be getting lighter, and use of light weight materials would replace steel. Smaller cars that are narrower would replace big wide cars, because narrow cars are more aero efficient. These two factors combined would improve fuel efficiency.
Keeping in mind, this was the thought of the 55 mph national speed limit era, and the self imposed gas lines.
DOT crash standards have improved dramatically.. however, there is a point where the government oversteps it's bounds there IMO....
Crashes are now supposed to keep unbelted passengers alive in frontal / side impacts.. not just alive, but w/out serious trauma. Is it not already the law to be belted?
Padestrian safety - crock of shit from the start. The small portion of people who are hit by cars are most often hit by old POS junkers. Trying to affect .1% of the .1% is costing the industry hundreds of millions of $, while style is being hugely affected, not to mention, aerodynamics are being brutalized by increasing the frontal area of the car.
The more this happens, the more the gov. will regulate everything, including the idiot behind the wheel of the car. There will be a point when we aren't allowed to drive our cars anymore...
The car is the symbol of freedom that the west created; and Henry Ford made available to any working man. I fear the day that freedom is taken away.
There is "hope"
Gob3z.... use of CF in boring cars will reduce the price of aftermarket components...
So making our old yesteryear sports car slighter won't be so expensive
Threaded Mode
