Attached Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/world/asia/11indiacar.html?_r=1&oref=slogin/

what are side-view mirrors good for when the shock of the impact twists your neck to a full 180 retro view  LOL

that said, it would be great if US car manufacturers could build more Nano-like cars, with 2-cylinder engines around 1ltr sized and consumption in the 80 mpg range. talk about reducing consumption vs. a 6liter 8cylinder crack-ass monster talking two lanes to move at the rate of 12 mpg

I hate monsters. Monsters are bad, whether they come from outer space to pilage the planet or whether we gene-splice them ourselves in Ford's or GM's labs, it's all bad bad bad

This is a big country as they say, ain't no reason to make the cars so big it feels small on the freeway.

I have the highest respect for Mr. Tata - he's the visionary that Mr. Ford was 100 years ago.

I was told a bad driver just drives. A good driver obeys the laws and keeps himself out of trouble. A great diver watches other drivers and keeps himself out of their trouble.

When I travel I'm always thinking, "what can the other vehicle do and where do I go to get out of the way when he does?" That's not really possible in a big city where there is no room to dodge.

I guess the lesson is never drive in a country where the drivers believe if they die they will come back to a better life.

well, someday, maybe...but the Nanos would likely get crushed under an SUV..:|

Funny thing, as I got older I've found myself trying to drive smoother, cleaner and better than I ever used to. I kinda like the challenge to stop myself taking risks, to read the road better and generally do it better than the other guy.

This has benefits. I use less petrol (gas) and find it much less of a strain to drive, and I arrive in better shape than I would have in the past - this despite ***king 'boy-racers' trying to kill me!

Quote - well, someday, maybe...but the Nanos would likely get crushed under an SUV..:|

nope I think they'll just barely fit under it and make it through without a scratch

the point is: when they started taxing tobacco, why did they stop there? Why not a tax on SUV's to make them feel the pain they cause to all other drivers with 2liter endgines and below?

In Arizona there's a law that cops can use when they caught you speeding but feel like giving you a break: They fine you for wasting a natural resource, great, no DMV record impact, no insurance hike,.... but I wonder why they don't apply it the moment you buy an SUV.

anyway.... the Chargers won. oh bother, now we'll have half-drunk fans in their SUVs on the freeways

I feel we need to get the big loads off the highway and back on the rails. So many people are afraid of getting run over that they buy the biggest monster SUV they can afford. The problem is no one want's to hear, "you're going to have to change, and by the way, you won't be making a profit this year."

Carter tried to outlaw gas guzzling cars. As a result SUVs are considered trucks and not subject to the same MPG requirememts or safety standards as cars. There are several 50MPG engines sitting in closets of the  car companies. They wan't to build cars for $400 and sell them for $40000.

I doubt Toyota America is in the reds like Ford. Have you compared their stock charts? WHo's the one with the oh-so popular hybrid?

I just saw an news story today about a hybrid suv that can get 150 miles to the gallon. The catch - its electric half really makes it get that much mileage. It doesn't actually drive 150 miles per gallon of gas if you are running the gas engine. But it looked real promising, lets see how long before big business oil companies bury this one. Oh and it was totally a doable, drivable car. So of course it will never make it to market. Just my 2 cents and I really really hope I'm wrong. And of course I couldn't find a link for it, see they've crushed it already, lol.

there's an inventor in France too who created a concept car that drives with compressed air propelling a turbine/fan that catches the stream of air and drives it to the axle+wheels..... it costs about $0.05 to fill up... on compressed air.

I saw a documentary about Iceland where they have a SUV that runs on..........h2o !!
They hope to have 4 in the country by 2010.

lol I was scared to death during our ricksaw trip. Trust me, I am NOT going to drive in India! Never!

Britt

Today, I drove to Manhattan... Here is the warning... DO NOT drive in Manhattan!!!! Taxi drivers are the most insane drivers on the face of the earth. That plus there' s no such place as parking space... Parking garage, sure, but parking place... forget it!!! Leave your car at home and take the train or bus into Manhattan... And Don't get into a cab unless you have your will made up and have made peace with your maker...

GRRRRRrrrrr!!!!  :m_redfaced:

I love 4 wheel drive trucks.  I go off road for camping and gold prospecting and digging fossils.  The thing is not everybody NEEDS an SUV.  I see so many on the road that will never use their 4WD capability or go off road.  Using an SUV for daily commuting is not doing the environment any favors.  People like me should own another vehicle to use for daily use and the SUV should be for what it was designed for....off road activities.

You won't catch me in any city I have to take a subway or bus.

Funny thing is that if you put a modern engine into some of those '80's cars they'd perform better and get near 40mpg. But the thing is they added airbags, side impact braces, stiffened frames, sound insulation, active suspension, etc. over the years. Thus modern cars have gained a bit over 500lbs in comparison to their '80s counterparts, and therefore no apparent gains in performance or economy despite improved engines with bigger HP numbers.

Of course some automaker could get smart about composites, and use a robotic lamination system with vacuum press heated molding for mass production. It'd be expensive for starters, since consistency would be tricky. (Probably learn a bit from aviation manufacturers there.) But once they get that part down, you'd probably see around 1000lb weight loss - and cars would perform better and more efficiently. For the meantime, composite structures remain hand-made and in the realm of exotics & racing cars.

Right now it seems that the money is going into hybrid tech, and they can demand a premium for it. But the extra cost charged for that powertrain platform offsets gas savings for at least 5 years.

The fastest way to get good fuel economy cars in the states would be allowing a microcar class with relaxed NHTSA standards in some areas (safety standards keep most microcars out of the US market), but with a 50mpg minimum highway rating to qualify. Dunno if anyone would go for that though. (Currently the closest thing is to have 3-wheelers which are considered as motorcycles, but the paperwork hurdles to get licenced for a "motorcycle" that doesn't drive like one and possibly get exemptions to qualify or whatever make them less attractive.)