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10 lightest new cars available in 2010 (North America), 2009 (Europe)
Updated list:
--- Tim and I got into a conversation about this today, and I thought I'd do a bit of research and put together a list. Fortunately someone already did it for me!
Chevrolet Aveo / Suzuki Swift+ hatchback 1,155 kg (2,546 lbs) Kia Rio Sedan 1,160 kg (2,557 lbs) MINI Cooper 1,165 kg (2,568 lbs) Civic Coupe 1,179 kg (2,599 lbs) Tesla Roadster 1,238 kg (2,729 lbs) Now these are Canadian specs, so they may not perfectly match the USA figures. Also, I didn't double check them against manufacturer's info. More details & pics of all the cars on this list can be found at: 10 Lightest cars on-sale in Canada - Sympatico.ca Autos |
Thaks for posting the list. Makes interesting reading, coming from Europe where the list would be significantly more expansive.
I'm impressed how far up the Mazda 2 is on the list - they've been one of the first manufacturers to recently make a conscious effort to reduce the weight of their cars - I think the previous 2/Demio was a good 100kg heavier. Here's a list for the Europe by the way (source, as of March 2009). First number is kg, second (in brackets) is pounds:
Interesting to note how the heaviest in that list is lighter than the 3rd lightest in the US list! Three sports cars in the top 15, the Elise, the Morgan and the Daihatsu Copen. Some British small-volume manufacturers shame these though - Ginetta's G40, for example, weighs in at 850kg in road spec. The benefits of a fibreglass body right there... The Elise is a comparative heavyweight too compared to the 720kg the very first model started off at. Likewise the Mazda on the US list - my own MX5/Miata weighs in at under 950kg. Smart should be happy for topping both lists though! The heavier model there is a more powerful (bigger engined) variant - 71bhp as opposed to 51. |
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I like that the Diahatsu Cuore is 2nd on your list - and the first 4 passenger vehicle, yet not much heavier than the Smart. http://bin.staticlocal.ch/c4y/74/740...d/fullsize.jpg That car has won fuel economy honours before in competition (gasoline class). Judging by the numbers posted, it's probably fairly conventional driving. The Seat Ibiza Ecomotive wins the Eco Tour 2008 — Autoblog Green |
Much of a car's weight comes from components that have to be sized according to the car's weight. This includes the engine, drivetrain, exhaust, unibody, tires, etc. Weight savings at the design level have a ripple effect of weight reduction.
I ran across this article in the Times' blog, which suggests cutting 400lbs from the unibody of a 3500lb car saves an additional 125lbs elsewhere in the car. A Gas Mileage Bonus From Aluminum - Green Blog - NYTimes.com Quote:
High curb weight means more than just higher rolling resistance and inertial loads. It also means you have an even larger mismatch between your power requirements during a hill climb vs during cruising. This reduces your BSFC during cruising. Or if you're going hybrid, curb weight means a heavier and MUCH more expensive electric motor. |
Good points, Mr Smalls.
The other great thing about lighter weight is most auto journalists like the way the lighter cars drive, particularly if they're tuned to feel responsive/sporty. The older ones probably remember what light cars felt like, but for the greenhorns, it may be a pleasant surprise (and they'll hopefully pass that on to their readers). I hope that in North America, we're near (past) a peak of vehicle weight for a given class and will see improvements from here. Let's hear it for deathtraps! ;-) (Thought I'd pre-empt that one.) |
Drove a 59 Healey Sprite (bug eye) when I was a senior in high school in 1968.
Now that was a lightweight crate! 33 MPG and gas was 32 cents per gal. regards Mech |
I gotta respond to that last line
There is a huge misconception that everyone from consumers to manufacturers to insurance companies have totally bought into. The mass of a heavy vehicle can absorb some of the impact inertia in a head on collision. On the other hand, weight increases momentum exponentially, so that (given the same brakes and speed) a vehicle that weighs twice as much has FOUR times the braking distance. Which means that, all other things being equal, a heavier car is more likely to get into a collision in the first place. Think about it - which is safer, the car that survives a crash, or the car that avoids the crash all together? Just as important, in a rear-end crash or a side-impact, extra mass in a vehicle does not increase survivability. In crashes involving a car and a semi-truck, the truck hitting the car is by far the more common crash (braking the distance) and yet at the same time, more fatalities occur from cars hitting trucks than the other way around (being hit from the rear, even by something as massive as a semi, doesn't tend to cause fatalities) Rear-end Large Truck Crashes - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration The lesson is: if you really care about safety, instead of buying a heavy car, slow down, pay attention, and don't drive into the back of a truck or into oncoming traffic. |
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Now if you want lighter cars from the '60s/'70s, how about the Lotus Europa, 1,320 to 1,570 pounds (600 to 710 kg), Elan at 1500 lb (680 kg), or the Seven at about 1100 lbs? |
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