New 2009 VW 1 liter concept car

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by tjts1

Does this look like a tesla to you?

Yeah, kinda. But you missed the trick question. The answer to "where does the Tesla put its battery pack?" is "Where the engine & fuel tank used to be". The VW gets about 4X the mpg as the Lotus that the Tesla is based on, so it seems fairly reasonable to assume that a battery pack to give the VW the same range as the Tesla would be 1/4 the size...

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by tjts1

The smart has a completely different configuration with a higher seating position, a rear window and a real trunk.

All of which are things I don't want in a car. Rear windows just let in the glare from all the idiots who can't be bothered to dim their lights (rear video with image enhancement would be so much better), and a trunk's just a way of breaking up the storage space to make it less useful.

Good luck selling a car where you can't even adjust the seat back or have a conversation with your passenger.

Strange, but I've flown a number of two-place sailplanes over the years, and never had a problem talking to the other person. And my usual passenger is the dog, who usually prefers to ride back in the hatchback area anyway.

[dcb]

small tires, small engine in back, smooth body, there should not be much car generated noise to contend with.

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I've never seen tjts so perky!

I aim to please

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Yeah, kinda. But you missed the trick question. The answer to "where does the Tesla put its battery pack?" is "Where the engine & fuel tank used to be". The VW gets about 4X the mpg as the Lotus that the Tesla is based on, so it seems fairly reasonable to assume that a battery pack to give the VW the same range as the Tesla would be 1/4 the size...

I didn't know Lotus builds a a diesel Elise. I learn new things every day.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

All of which are things I don't want in a car. Rear windows just let in the glare from all the idiots who can't be bothered to dim their lights (rear video with image enhancement would be so much better), and a trunk's just a way of breaking up the storage space to make it less useful.

Congratulations. You're the only one. I'm sure VW would be happy to build 1 car just for you.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Strange, but I've flown a number of two-place sailplanes over the years, and never had a problem talking to the other person. And my usual passenger is the dog, who usually prefers to ride back in the hatchback area anyway.

See above.

[Frank Lee]

I'm almost always pleased by tjts!

I'm reminded of an article by Peter Egan in which a Honda 50 is pitted against a bicycle on a xcountry trip. They figured the 50 used less "fuel". At some point combusting fuel is the more economical option. Leanings: Best of Peter Egan from ... - Google Books

And as someone noted, electrics as they are now don't do the job for everyone.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by tjts1

I didn't know Lotus builds a a diesel Elise.

I don't say it's impossible, but I've yet to see a diesel engine that was smaller or lighter than a gasoline engine of the same power.

Congratulations. You're the only one. I'm sure VW would be happy to build 1 car just for you.

Somehow I doubt that I'm the only one. I do know from observation that the majority of cars on the road do in fact carry one person. (And then there are motorcycles...) But this is an ongoing problem for the whole auto industry: they build cars to attract the least common denominator of the market, resulting in just a few almost-indistinguishable models, and leaving a lot of people dissatisfied with what's available.

[MadisonMPG]

Diesel's weight is outweighed by it's torque and quality.

[some_other_dave]

"Quality"? Sorry, diesel engines as a whole don't have "quality", any more than gasoline engines do or electrics. Individual engines do, brands often do, and specific lines of engines very often do have quality. But there have been some really lousy diesels over the years, as well as some excellent ones.

Torque and fuel economy are two things that diesels generally have a lot of, very true.

-soD

[RobertSmalls]

Does this concept look like "production intent" to you? It sorta does to me. No bumpers, but concept cars never have those. The interior looks usable, except the non-round steering wheel. They say they can mass produce the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic body.

I am confident consumers would not accept having to hop/climb out of the car. This car needs only one door, on the passenger side. Even if it were a gull-wing door that includes a foot of roof, like on the DeLorean, that would be an improvement.

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

"Quality"? Sorry, diesel engines as a whole don't have "quality", any more than gasoline engines do or electrics. Individual engines do, brands often do, and specific lines of engines very often do have quality. But there have been some really lousy diesels over the years, as well as some excellent ones.

Torque and fuel economy are two things that diesels generally have a lot of, very true.

-soD

Excuse me, I meant the VW TDi Diesel, the only diesel I have ever driven.



Also, why can't VW just make a "car size" version of this? That would stop the "lets see the crash test" statements. Plus it should still weigh less than most cars. And it's meant for the highway.