Toyota throws down the gauntlet to Detroit!

[LongTomH]

Japanese-based carmaker Toyota is challenging, not only Detroit's market share, it's challenging the whole paradigm. From the Guardian America: Green meets mean in gas-hog heaven

The world's biggest carmaker, Toyota, has thrown down the gauntlet to its cash-strapped American rivals by accelerating plans to develop mass-market cars powered by biofuels and by plug-in electric batteries.

Last year Toyota overtook General Motors to sell more vehicles than any other manufacturer. The Japanese company, already famed for its hybrid electric Prius car, wants to open up an environmental gap with its competitors.

Here's the really earth-shaking part of the article; that is, if Toyota is serious:

"I believe we will all remember 2007 as the year the world responded to a wake-up call too long ignored," said Toyota's president, Katsuaki Watanabe, in a speech at the Detroit motor show. He said roads, as well as cars, would need to change to meet green concerns: "We foresee mixed mobility combining intelligent highways and mass transit, bike paths and short-cut walking routes, recharging kiosks and hydrogen fuel stations."

Would be nice if we could get some of this in the old U.S. of A!

Meanwhile, GM is pushing its line of "muscle cars" like the Cadillac CTS-V and heavyweight, pick-ups.

And, everyone is saying this is going to be a lean year for auto sales. (This is news???????)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jan/15/carindustry.generalmotors

[fujiyama]

1. GM has been talking about the Volt now for some time

their own electric plug in.

But it's still not known when they'll release it.

[JeffR]

2. When I was a car-crazy kid in the late Sixties

I remember Detroit's first response to the "Asian import" menace. It was pretty pitiful, and much too late.

These days, they don't even try.

[Cobalt-60]

3. Remember the Vega?

GM went out of their way to get that one wrong.
If the body had been aluminum and the motor steel they would still be in production.
Instead it was a race between rust and motor failure to the junk yard.
When was the last time you saw a Vega?
I was lucky enough to be at the helm of a Super Beetle during the late '70s.
I wish I had it now.

[JeffR]

4. OMG, the Vega

Wonder what percentage of America's junk yards is devoted to Vegas, Pintos, Mavericks, etc. But you're right, the Vegas certainly got there first.

[CRH]

6. I think the Pinto was the flashiest, a true marvel of Detroit engineering, ...

It could be induced to explode with as little as a ten mile an hour rear end collision, incinerating the baby in the car seat before the doors could be pried opened. Truly one of Detroit's best acts of domestic terrorism.

[Cobalt-60]

8. The design flaw occurred in the accounting department

The trigger of the infamous Pinto explosions was a pair of threaded rods sparking as
they were driven into the fuel tank.
A couple of plastic caps would have eliminated the problem, but they added cost to the car.
I forget the exact amount, but it was less than a dollar.
A tiny bit of re design and they might still be making Pintos.
But they chose craven negligence instead.

[hunter]

5. Add water and the car generated enough electricity to destroy itself.

I lived near the ocean and the salt air caused an intense reaction between the body and the trim. You'd see Vegas driving around that looked like they'd been parked out in the surf every night. The body would be rusted out, and the engine would be blowing smoke.

A kid from my high school put an iron engine and a real transmission in one and it was fast in a surprising sort of way, but it was still a piece of crap that eventually fell apart. Wow, now I remember the "automatic transmission" on those things was a two speed. A good portion of the tepid mechanical energy the engine produced was wasted churning transmission fluid.

[hogwyld]

7. In a way, I would be glad to see the "big 3" go away

they stand in the way of real progress, and are nothing more than museum pieces of utter failure. Hopefully, all of those auto workers will be able to get a job with a real company like Toyota.