Detroit

[shatto]

http://www.caglepost.com/column/Tom+...scle+Cars.html

Says it good.

[GasSavers_BEEF]

I think the issues with the big three are more about diversification. I don't know too many people that don't like fast cars, the rumble of the V8, and the feel of the G-forces as you are pushed into the seat. But.....

in todays time, we need small fuel efficient, inexpensive transportation. there should be more choice among these manufacturers. dodge for one (I pick on them because I do like what they have) doesn't have a really fuel efficient car (nothing to really speak of). chevrolet has the aveo (lol) and ford the focus (no longer available in a hatch either). I think that the problem is that they are in one section of the car market, and a section that is shrinking. gone are the days when people won't drive it unless it has the bowtie on the front of it or the ram head.

my dad (57 years old) would never drive anything but a chevy, nothing else was good enough. my first car was a metro, but that was OK because it was part of chevy. today, he drives a 2006 toyota corolla. the decision was made after a very short test drive in an aveo. gone are those days.

so are we left without sports cars that have been replaced by small eco-friendly gutless 4-bangers that all look the same? honda has the civic and the fit, but it also has the s2000. one ride in a car like that may change your mind about what honda stands for. they are about smarter engineering, 240 horses out of a 4 cylinder and still descent mileage out of a sportscar. would it outrun the muscle cars of old? I'm not sure but we are talking about the same company that gave us the civic VX that gets incredible mileage....from the factory.

keep the muscle, keep the styling, but give us more choices. Small cars are coming back. some of the crazies (like me) have always loved the small cars and will continue to love them even if gas were to go down to relatively nothing.

I am not going to try to convince anyone that this is the only reason that the big 3 are in trouble. these are hard economic times, everyone is doing bad, but they took the money. again I say, they took the money. the options they had were, take the money and follow their rules, or wing it themselves and hope that bankruptcy didn't shut them down. they came to the Gov't asking for the money not the other way around. was it the right choice? we may never know.

and I didn't much like the crack about the '98 cavalier (especially since I have a '97 cav)

I do respect the opinion of the author about how the council should let the companies be creative and develop ground breaking cars but at the same time, they have to watch out for their investment. now they (representing the Gov't) have a stake in these companies. I am a share holder of a few funds and get to vote on decisions of how those funds are managed. be it a small percentage that I have and a small and very muffled voice that my opinion is expressed.

hopefully, the day will come when they stand strong BY THEMSELVES and pay back the money lent to them. at that time, they won't have to run ideas by any panel but their own. until then, they will have to follow the rules set before them.

sorry about the novel everyone.

[theholycow]

Two people on the panel don't even have cars? Wow.

Perhaps Tom Purcell isn't familiar with the new Camaro that will be in showrooms within a couple months. It is everything he asked for in that article. It's great and I want one, but I don't think trying to do the opposite of the successful strategy of "making bland, dinky, egg-shaped Japanese knockoffs" is going to work on a large scale. Besides the difficulty of making it, there's the difficulty of selling it; people everywhere want Toyotas and Hondas.

The Camaro is made versatile, intended to compete in many market segments. It's supposed to compete for sport compact buyers by offering the features and customization they want (20 inch wheels, anyone?). The 300hp Direct Injected V6 model is supposed to compete for fans of European handling (with almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution and Nuringburg [sic] tuned suspension) while delivering decent fuel economy (rated almost the same as my VW). The V8 model is supposed to compete for classic American muscle fans as well as people looking for a "manly" vehicle that's not a truck or SUV.

I don't think anybody could start a project like that now, and even when the economy was better I don't think any manufacturer could have produced a whole lineup of cars that versatile and distinctive.

[R.I.D.E.]

Every car on the planet is obsolete the minute it leaves the assembly line.

I'll keep my 7 year old 60 MPG Insight, until they decide to make something comparable, or use my in wheel drive to make them all much more efficient.

I bought and drove those Muscle cars in the 70s. 383 Formula S 67 Barracuda, 67 390 GT Mustang, 59 Corvette.

In the late 80s I built a 76 Z that would blow them away in the turns, and run with a current Z28 to 70 MPH, while getting 27 MPG. Now I want more.

I want a 2000-2500 pound vehicle that does 0-60 in 5 seconds and gets 90 MPG. Thats my design. I want aerodynamics that does not compromise efficiency for looks and I don't care what it looks like.

I want to bury OPEC and get my fuel from North America, and it shoud be against the law to build the crap Detroit is building today.

Many may want to blast me for this statement, but if you understand the true potential for improvement you would agree completely.

I want a car that hypermiles itself without me even having to make a single adjustment to my driving style, so I can focus on not getting run over by an idiot.

regards
gary

[GasSavers_BEEF]

RIDE,

I have heard a lot about your design and unlike most, you are actually having it developed (for those who don't know) which is awesome. Virginia Tech right? anyway, if and when there is actually a car that utelizes your design, I for one am very interested in it.

I agree with what you say about north american oil. we need to be a self sufficient nation. we should only import what we want, not what we need.

I truely hope that your design materializes into a vehicle that is mass produced.

thanks for keeping us posted on updates.