Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
Frank, I think you are about right - the average car in the US today gets about the same MPG as the Model T.
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Do you have comparisons for the other indicators - like maybe CO2, speed, braking performance, safety rating, aero, carrying capacity... ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
Volvos and Mercedes got a lot safer because their designers knew that protecting the owners of their cars was the right thing to do....
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Whilst car makers did wrongly make style, looks and performance a priority I think that suggesting no car maker wanted to make sure the passengers were safe is stretching it a little. Whilst US makers were perhaps late to the idea of safety they still did stuff - like
air bags.
Quote:
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In 1971, the Ford car company built an experimental airbag fleet. General Motors tested airbags on the 1973 model Chevrolet automobile that were only sold for government use. The 1973, Oldsmobile Toronado was the first car with a passenger air bag intended for sale to the public.
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Volvo's list is more impressive:
Quote:
1944 Safety cage
1944 Laminated windscreen
1957 Anchor points for 2–point safety belts front
1958 Anchor points for 2–point safety belts rear
1959 3–point front safety belts standard
1964 First rearward–facing child safety seat prototype tested
1966 Crumple zones front and rear
1966 Safety door–locks
1969 Inertia reel safety belts
1971 Reminder safety belt
1972 3–point safety belts – rear
1972 Rearward–facing child safety seat
1974 Multistage impact absorbing steering column
1974 Bulb integrity sensor
1975 Braking system with stepped bore master cylinder
1978 Child safety booster cushion
1982 "Anti–submarining" protection
1986 Three–point safety belt centre rear seat
1990 Integrated child safety cushion in centre rear seat
1991 Side Impact Protection System (SIPS)
1991 Automatic height adjusting safety belt
1992 Reinforced rear seats in estate models
1995 Integrated child safety cushion outer rear seats
1997 ROPS – Roll Over Protection System (C70)
1998 WHIPS – Whiplash Protection System
1998 IC – Inflatable Curtain
2001 SCC – Volvo Safety Concept Car
2002 RSC – Roll Stability Control
2003 New Front Structure called Volvo Intelligent Vehicle Architecture (VIVA, S40, V50)
2003 Rear seat belt reminders (in S40 and V50)
2003 IDIS – Intelligent Driver Information System (in S40 and V50)
2003 Inauguration of Volvo's Traffic Accident Research Team in Bangkok
2004 BLIS – Blind Spot Information System (in S40 and V50)
2005 Introduction of DMIC (Door Mounted Inflatable Curtain, new Volvo C70)
2006 PCC – Personal Car Communicator (S80)
2006 CWBS – Collision Warning with Brake Support (S80)
2007 PPB – Power Park Brake (S80)
2007 DAC – Driver Alert Control (V70, XC70)
2009 City Safety – Automatically stop car at speeds below 19 mph (31 km/h) if obstruction is detected in front of car (XC60)
2010 Pedestrian Detection with auto brake (New S60)
2012 Pedestrian airbag, covering half the windscreen in case of collision with pedestrian which debuted on the new Volvo V40 hatchback model
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As for the economic model ? Think about seperating the baby and the bathwater here.
Car makers are no different from anyone else in wanting to sell you a newer "thing" - think ipad, iphone, samsung stuff, PCs, Macs, TVs - pretty much everything from Armchairs to Zumba courses.
In short it does drive innovation and things like doing more with less.
It also makes this possible
which today is stupidly expensive but may just change how designers work in the future like the original Prius and Insight did.