The Dirty Secret About Clean Cars

Devinda_Z · March 31, 2007

it seems as though statesmen all across the globe are all and the same - from Multinational corporations seeking bigger profits to government raking in massive volumes of tax funds - its all about greed/Green - & no i don't mean the environment!!! <_<

have a read of this article in Business Week - what the American car makers are doing is just shameful - they've taken this whole clean fuel thing and spun it in such a way that is just appaling!

putting a spin on stuff is one thing , but using that whole eco movement and to keep producing uneconomical cars in the guise of it is a new low,even for the Americans!!

http://www.businessweek.com/print/autos/co...0328_446453.htm

this is the offical statement regarding the event which sparked the afore mentioned article

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/20...3/20070326.html

President George W. Bush talks to the media after a demonstration Monday, March 26, 2007, of alternative fuel vehicles on the South Lawn drive of the White House. Standing with him from left, are: Rick Wagoner, Chairman and CEO, General Motors Corporation; Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company; Tom LaSorda, President and CEO, DaimlerChrysler Corporation, and Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters. White House photo by Joyce Boghosian

Attn MODS : something happened while posting this topic and as such its been duplicated- kindly remove one of the two - apologies for the trouble

speeddemon200 · March 31, 2007

just goes to prove da fact dat most of dese so called "green cars" r nothin but crap......better off stickin wit our tried n' trusted performance machines.......most of these green cars r borin n' hugley underpowered anyway no? thus makin them....highly inefficient...what have these motor comps been thinkin? all dis 4 a fad... we've all seen how gud those 600cc buddy vans, n' 800c hatchbacks are....nt 2 mention da 'economical' 2 stroke bajaj 3wheelers, which our govt is now gettin wise 2....

these underpowered vehicles should be banned frm da major roads if ya ask me.....cause all they do is slow down n' delay da rest of da traffic....

Edited March 31, 2007 by speeddemon200

ucscsades · March 31, 2007

just goes to prove da fact dat most of dese so called "green cars" r nothin but crap......better off stickin wit our tried n' trusted performance machines.......most of these green cars r borin n' hugley underpowered anyway no? thus makin them....highly inefficient...what have these motor comps been thinkin? all dis 4 a fad... we've all seen how gud those 600cc buddy vans, n' 800c hatchbacks are....nt 2 mention da 'economical' 2 stroke bajaj 3wheelers, which our govt is now gettin wise 2....

these underpowered vehicles should be banned frm da major roads if ya ask me.....cause all they do is slow down n' delay da rest of da traffic....

that's quite an extreme statement! look at the electric hybrids out there...apart from the entry level ones, there are quite a few that are really good..for example the Lexus GS450h...and pure electric cars the like the tesla that can leave most traditional gasoline cars in its dust (I'm not saying I'd prefer an electric over a gasoline car just yet though). All the article said was that these cars would be more efficient and environmentally friendly if they really were being run with ethanol, but the problem is in the supply of ethanol to car owners. you should really read the article and not twist the story around! Of course I agree that car manufacturers are crooks trying to find an easy way out, but that's not to say that these fuel-flexible vehicles are any worse than their traditional counterparts...if anything, given the right compliments (i.e.- actual ethanol for the cars to run on), then they would definitely be more environmentally friendly..and hence a good thing to have around. they shouldn't stop producing these things, they just need to make alternative fuels more readily available. And don't even get me started on 2 stroke Bajajs!

tuks · March 31, 2007

Hey can anyone provide insight on the petrol-gas conversions done in SL? Are these cars actually cheaper to run on the long run? Is it really better for the environment? Any long-term maintenance issues?

Edited March 31, 2007 by tuks

tuks · March 31, 2007

that's quite an extreme statement! look at the electric hybrids out there...apart from the entry level ones, there are quite a few that are really good..for example the Lexus GS450h...and pure electric cars the like the tesla that can leave most traditional gasoline cars in its dust (I'm not saying I'd prefer an electric over a gasoline car just yet though). All the article said was that these cars would be more efficient and environmentally friendly if they really were being run with ethanol, but the problem is in the supply of ethanol to car owners. you should really read the article and not twist the story around! Of course I agree that car manufacturers are crooks trying to find an easy way out, but that's not to say that these fuel-flexible vehicles are any worse than their traditional counterparts...if anything, given the right compliments (i.e.- actual ethanol for the cars to run on), then they would definitely be more environmentally friendly..and hence a good thing to have around. they shouldn't stop producing these things, they just need to make alternative fuels more readily available. And don't even get me started on 2 stroke Bajajs!

Bugger you took the words out of my mouth! Yeah, these petty diversional tactices are merely temporary. Any attempts to maintain this type of diversion will in the long run casue them to fall behind and lose market share. (Really this is already happening, what with GM, Ford and Chrysler going bellyup in variying degrees)

In support of that:

Economics is really the only driver of corporational change. Corporations only change when things become uneconomical or unviable.

So when better performing technologies come out like the Lexus GS450h and are brought to market (this car is actually faster AND cheaper than the traditional gasoline offering) other manufactures will have to adapt and compete or die.

As for the Tesla, lots of promise in that. Its rumoured that the intial tests are showing that it's faster and cheaper than Porsche Boxer S that its considers direct competition. Can't wait to see if these claims are true. If it is then again: the competition will either die or step up.

Edited March 31, 2007 by tuks

speeddemon200 · March 31, 2007

sorry i think i missed somethin....i was referrin to da entry level....green cars which are in common use....nt at all those such as da lexus gs450 which are a rarerity....at da moment atleast think dey are quite expensive too ne?..........

@tuks,

da local gas conversions tho cheap in da short term.....can cause severe damage to da engine in da long run.....

Devinda_Z · March 31, 2007

..most of these green cars r borin n' hugley underpowered anyway no?

my dear friend,that was a very juvenile line of argument to take

just coz the Prius is slow,doesn't mean all the other are - jus search the AL threads for a topic on hybrids - i've put some info on what the future ones will be like - and No they aint slow bro

oh have a look at this as well - a LOTUS EXIEGE on E85

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RvKdmlNLos...ted&search=

speeddemon200 · March 31, 2007

my dear friend,that was a very juvenile line of argument to take

just coz the Prius is slow,doesn't mean all the other are - jus search the AL threads for a topic on hybrids - i've put some info on what the future ones will be like - and No they aint slow bro

oh have a look at this as well - a LOTUS EXIEGE on E85

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RvKdmlNLos...ted&search=

i rest my case....as i sd b4 nt future ones but whats currently on da market

Edited March 31, 2007 by speeddemon200

tuks · April 1, 2007

i rest my case....as i sd b4 nt future ones but whats currently on da market

Actually a good current example of a sucessful Hybrid is the Lexus GS450h as first mentioned by 'ucscsades'.

Not only is it a beautiful example of a sleek executive saloon but its actually faster than its competition in that class (the comparitive class being other models from Lexus as well as Mercedes, BMW and Audi) and due to the tax conscession it picks up for lower emissions it works out to be roughly $2000 cheaper to buy up front. (this does not take into consideration the lowered fuel consumption which will increase overall savings over its useful lifespan)

Edited April 1, 2007 by tuks