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Old 07-01-2011, 07:15 PM   #30 (permalink)
cfg83
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1999 Saturn SW2 - '99 Saturn SW2 Wagon
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Old Tele man -

Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Tele man View Post
...instead of a single model, they could/should make variants:

economy model: stripped down, lowest weight, manual trans, best aerodynamics, highest fuel-economy.
entry model: sound-proofing, manual or auto, A/C available, people-hauler.
upscale model: fully loaded w/ all the bells & whistles.
sporty model: performance is goal, economy isn't.
From a factory POV, more model differentiation raises the UMC (Unit Manufacturing Cost), so that's "bad". But on the whole I agree with what you are saying.

In a way Honda is doing something like this with their eco/normal/sport button on the Honda CRZ. I think having a button like that is a no-brainer on almost all models. It won't change the options in the way you describe, but having a low-cost button + differentiating the software should keep the UMC under control.

Have the ECU/PCM help you get good MPG, not fight you.

CarloSW2
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