Should this be the car for our congested cities?

[la gran siete]

It seems that for anyone living in London, for eg, if they need a car then this would be about the right size . Far less likely to kill anyone than a 4x4 I reckon they'd make excellent company cars.Indeed you could have a soft version and one with extra stripes on the side for the CEO. What say you? http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2008/01/indias_new_car.html

Check the price as well £1250

 

[Razor]

Worlds first disposable car.

 

[RugbyAl]

Put a pound in the back and you can push it around tescos !

 

[la gran siete]

Its the modern day equivalent of the famous 2cv and they are doing a diesel version too. I think I'll be putting an order in for one

 

[Ethics Gradient]

Its the modern day equivalent of the famous 2cv and they are doing a diesel version too. I think I'll be putting an order in for one

I am sorry, but you are not allowed to have one due to the potential global catastrophe that it may cause*

*see southpark season 10, episode 2 "Smug alert"


.... that and for the costs, I am dubious that it will meet the safety standards in the UK.

 

[Ed Selley]

It is smaller for sure but as it does not fundamentally change the number of them that can be fitted abreast on most roads it is little real help for congestion. A motorbike or a years zone 1-4 LT card would make more sense. I would also imagine that for £1200, the actual attention to pedestrian safety is not especially high.

Wouldn't fancy being in one when one of London Transports bus driving shaved apes ploughs into you either.

 

[Daddy k]

if they want to help with congestion they should open up massive underground carparks on the edge of all major cities, nothing other than taxis of a certain class, buses and deliveries etc (at certain times) can enter beyond this zone, not even by paying!



once parked up you have a few choices

get a bus or taxi or walk,
and my main idea is included in the parking fee you can loan a bicycle, or for a little bit more use some form of electric car that is restricted to 20mph to use in the no car zone

 

[Jenn]

You forget something, the car will cost £1200 in India. Once it makes it to the UK it will probably be £5000 or so.

 

[RugbyAl]

Its the modern day equivalent of the famous 2cv and they are doing a diesel version too. I think I'll be putting an order in for one

Will you fit your wheelbarrow, lawnmower and other gardening tools in the back?

 

[Pezerinno]

I believe it doesn't meet EU regs.

 

[la gran siete]

It is smaller for sure but as it does not fundamentally change the number of them that can be fitted abreast on most roads it is little real help for congestion. A motorbike or a years zone 1-4 LT card would make more sense. I would also imagine that for £1200, the actual attention to pedestrian safety is not especially high.

Wouldn't fancy being in one when one of London Transports bus driving shaved apes ploughs into you either.

not abreast but length wise there would be half as much room on the roads. I would love to see the of some major company driving one of them. He would set a very good example he wouldI could never understand why they currently have to get around in those odious lumps of metal on wheels.So uncool.
I suspect they'll get the made in the UK before long. At maybe 3k people will fall over themselves top buy one,
Now if J Clarkson would endorse this car he'd get my respect

 

[Ed Selley]

not abreast but length wise there would be half as much room on the roads.

Length of vehicle is rarely the cause of congestion- its the number of vehicles that can pass through choke points and road layouts dating back to the 12th century. The size of this car is not so significantly different that they could use a junction or turning more than one at a time.

Still I'm used to you being a bit light on the practicalities of the world around you so I could write "I hate cheese sandwiches" 150 times instead for the good it will do.

 

[Deleted member 13294]

Still I'm used to you being a bit light on the practicalities of the world around you so I could write "I hate cheese sandwiches" 150 times instead for the good it will do.

Of course that would have to be good plain cheddar cheese.

None of this posh Brie that all those horrible rich people eat.....

 

[mjn]

The UK price is around £4k, say the company.

 

[la gran siete]

Length of vehicle is rarely the cause of congestion- its the number of vehicles that can pass through choke points and road layouts dating back to the 12th century. The size of this car is not so significantly different that they could use a junction or turning more than one at a time.

Still I'm used to you being a bit light on the practicalities of the world around you so I could write "I hate cheese sandwiches" 150 times instead for the good it will do.

Parking would be a lot easier ,so would maneuverability and just think of the extra room on motorways.I believe it to be the template for cars in the near future. Stylish ,economical ,low emissions and responsible. Mind you I think it would be better to build car parks outside city centres and bus people in

 

[la gran siete]

Of course that would have to be good plain cheddar cheese.

None of this posh Brie that all those horrible rich people eat.....

'Ey op it mate. I eat brie but only from unpasteurised milk, to show my discerning side

 

[la gran siete]

The UK price is around £4k, say the company.

competing with the Fiat 500 then

 

[Solomon Grundy]

That car is hilarious...

I agree London is a little different than most other places but I can't see the point in all the fuss over what cars people choose to drive. I commute to work 32 miles there and back every day using an A road that needs to be a dual carriageway because it is the major route between York and Hull. 45 minutes to do 16 miles because the road only has one carriageway, making it impossible to get past the cyclists, mopeds, tractors, buses and lorries who cannot go faster than 40mph. There is no rail link because it was dug up a long time before I was born. There is one bus every hour.

If you think that I am going to sit in a ****** margarine tub on wheels with it's crap build quality, crap stereo, poor visibility etc. just so that my last 1 mile doesn't take up as much floor space you've got another think coming. The trip is demoralising enough without the addition of terrible ambience for the entirety of the journey.

 

[Razor]

If you think that I am going to sit in a ****** margarine tub on wheels with it's crap build quality, crap stereo, poor visibility etc. just so that my last 1 mile doesn't take up as much floor space you've got another think coming. The trip is demoralising enough without the addition of terrible ambience for the entirety of the journey.

Class reply

 

[Ed Selley]

Parking would be a lot easier

Possibly- there is still generally a shortage of spaces however

so would maneuverability

Not conclusively- nobody has seen it turn a wheel. Remember the most manouverable vehicle in London is a taxi and that certainly isn't the smallest

and just think of the extra room on motorways.

For what purpose? As I've now said twice, congestion on motorways in particular is a result of poor lane discipline, junctions, and accidents. It doesn't matter whether the car is 10 or 30ft long.

I believe it to be the template for cars in the near future.

Smaller cars are in for the future yes- however;

Stylish

Pardon?

economical

Considering its size and weight, the figures are nothing to get excited about. The Polo Bluemotion is a real car and is far more frugal.

low emissions

Lets see if it passes the EU tests shall we?

and responsible

If by responsible you mean "instills a sense of false earnestness" then yes I guess it is.

Mind you I think it would be better to build car parks outside city centres and bus people in

A motorbike or a years zone 1-4 LT card would make more sense.

.

 

[Deleted member 13294]

just think of the extra room on motorways.

What extra room?

The length of the car is pretty much irrelevant when you take into account the gap you should be leaving to the car in front at motorway speeds.

And it is a strong possibility that the performance of the brakes on this car would not be up to much, so a bigger gap may be required.

 

[jerryfb]

What extra room?

The length of the car is pretty much irrelevant when you take into account the gap you should be leaving to the car in front at motorway speeds.

And it is a strong possibility that the performance of the brakes on this car would not be up to much, so a bigger gap may be required.

IIRC - the car will not be sold in the EU as it does not meet the required safety standards (nor probably emissions for that matter)

 

[HMHB]

So while we in this Country have to pay through the nose for motoring and get generally ripped off in the name of saving the planet they produce this very low cost car so more people in developing nations can polute the air

 

[waf-tastic]

Yes, but we've had our chance to pollute the world in the past, but they haven't, so they need to have their chance too.

You hear this argument a lot about the developing nations and pollution... rather than learn from mistakes, we need to 'play fair'

 

[Sonic67]

The car is claimed to meet emissions for here. It wouldn't meet safety though. It's supposed to be okay for a head on crash but I think that's the only thing it's expected to meet in India. Cars here are tested for side impacts and all sorts of other things.

There's another 'car' here that doesn't meet safety standards. The G-Wiz electric car does not meet car safety standards but gets round it by being classed as a quadricycle.

http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-article.aspx?NA=225537

If you are in stop-start traffic in London you'd be okay. If you were driving across a junction and got hit by a real vehicle at a real speed

I think the car (if they beef up the safety to comply) might find buyers amongst those who might buy second hand, those buying a second car for the wife, and amongst students who will buy have any old crap and think it has 'character'.The worry is that often the people buying a car for the first time are often young, more likely to be reckless and more likely to be in a car with few safety features.