Do we really need all that safety stuff?

[jcp123]

I'm just going to build my '58 Chevy wagon already.

[duncan]

Somebody on this forum talked about losing the airbags and making the car $1000 cheaper

Sorry to pop your bubble but the airbags probably add less than $50 to the cost

The whole set of safety equipment,
ABS, stability control, seat belts and airbags probably cost less than $100 all together
about 1/100th of the cost of the car
Which is about right - they are about 1/100th of the weight as well

And as 1/100th of the weight probably add 1% to the fuel consumption

Sounds like a bargain to me

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

So it seems like many folks are okay with that one-size-fits-all bull**** regarding safety. After all, those many airbags would be useless in a car with a weaker structure, and become kinda redundant when we consider all the improvements regarding structural reinforcements.

have you seen the video of the smart car being crashed at 70mph into concrete? The structure performed with flying colors, but G-forces generated by slowing down that fast would kill occupants essentially on impact.

Change in kinetic energy and the G-forces are what need to be considered.

Weight, crumple zones, airbags, seatbelts(properly used)... these are the things that directly help.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by duncan

Somebody on this forum talked about losing the airbags and making the car $1000 cheaper

Sorry to pop your bubble but the airbags probably add less than $50 to the cost

The whole set of safety equipment,
ABS, stability control, seat belts and airbags probably cost less than $100 all together
about 1/100th of the cost of the car
Which is about right - they are about 1/100th of the weight as well

And as 1/100th of the weight probably add 1% to the fuel consumption

Sounds like a bargain to me

I doubt that low. If these things don't add so much then why are there so many under $10,000 new cars out there on the world market that don't meet US standards? As soon as they meet US standards they are many thousands more. Some would be emissions but most would be safety.
This is from 2008 but would be similar today
The ten cheapest cars in the world

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I doubt that low. If these things don't add so much then why are there so many under $10,000 new cars out there on the world market that don't meet US standards? As soon as they meet US standards they are many thousands more. Some would be emissions but most would be safety.
This is from 2008 but would be similar today
The ten cheapest cars in the world

some of the most expensive cars in the world are also not available in the US. There is cost in the safety components, but there are also safety standards and crash testing that is required. Some companies determine that it is not profitable for the number of vehicles they would sell.

[jcp123]

Walk back to the early 60s and a top of the line Impala was priced in the $15-23k range adjusted for inflation. So what has added all those costs?

[niky]

Which one?

Checking MSRP for the 1960-65 Impalas, the base model pans out to about $19.7 to $20k in its cheapest year. (Other years, it comes out much higher) For a 135 (gross) horsepower four-door that hit 60 in over 16 seconds.

A Camry has roughly the same interior volume, has 178 horsepower (new SAE net, that would be around 200+ gross), and hits 60 mph in just over 8 seconds. And I'm pretty sure it gets over twice the fuel economy on more stringent EPA tests. And I do believe an automatic transmission, AC, infotainment, ABS and power windows and locks come standard.

(looking it up... keyless, cruise and power seats come standard, too.)

I'm pretty sure the extra $2k-$3k is justified... and can probably be eliminated by dumping the luxury kit.

-

Looking it up, you could get a V8 for not much more, but the 250-ish hp V8 is still slower than the I4 Camry.

[duncan]

Hi Guys
Re - Cost of safety stuff

Some of you guys need to understand that there is NO link between COST and PRICE

I had this explained to me by our marketing guys

Cost - is obvious (but often difficult to calculate)
Price = whatever you can charge

The only time that "cost" comes into "price" is to ensure that you are not losing money,
If cost > price then you get out of that market

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

some of the most expensive cars in the world are also not available in the US. There is cost in the safety components, but there are also safety standards and crash testing that is required. Some companies determine that it is not profitable for the number of vehicles they would sell.

But the totality of these things is what we are talking about! They add a lot to the cost, price, whatever you want to call it. Just put those cars in shipping containers and let us buy them for those prices plus shipping. They would still he no where near the price of a Mirage and yet would make plenty of us very happy for what we need.

[duncan]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

But the totality of these things is what we are talking about! They add a lot to the cost, price, whatever you want to call it. Just put those cars in shipping containers and let us buy them for those prices plus shipping. They would still he no where near the price of a Mirage and yet would make plenty of us very happy for what we need.

Yes but they won't
You guys can't even buy decent chocolate!
Hershey put a stop to the guy that was importing it