'Fishy' 70-mpg diesel concept car unveiled

MSNBC ^ | 6/7/2005 | Staff

[Red Badger]

DaimlerChrysler project was shaped by a tropical fish

DaimlerChrysler on Tuesday unveiled a diesel concept car that gets more than 70 miles per gallon, reduces some pollutants by 80 percent, seats four and looks like something that popped out of a Caribbean reef — only magnified.

The company attributed the high mileage and lower emissions to new technology and an aerodynamic design based on the biology of a boxfish.The fully functional car was on display at a company technology exhibit in Washington, D.C. DaimlerChrysler said it had no plans to mass produce the vehicle, but that some of the technology would show up in future vehicles.

[Red Badger]

Please give us a full report with pics!

The new piezo-electric injectors are practically silent. Ford's 2008 Power Stroke deisels 6.4L will have them. No more chattering mechanical injectors!.......

[EX52D]

LOL...you got that right! :)

[Red Badger]

So people will notice them. Worked, didn't it?.......

[JamesP81]

I didn't think a car could get any gayer than this thing:

It is ugly, and so is this fish car. For this, we need a pic to wash these terrible images from our minds:

[Red Badger]

I did it just for the halibut, but reserve the right to clam first postings!.......

[Centurion2000]

That looks like a baby turd.

[Red Badger]

That's why they didn't paint it brown..........

[Ford4000]

I thought the Aztek was the ugliest thing on four wheels.

[alloysteel]

Looks like a Prius....

Highly aerodynamic designs all tend to resemble one another, going back to the "Scarab" concept vehicle of the 1930's.

Aerodynamics is a minor factor until road speed exceeds about 40 mph, and by the time the vehicle reaches 100 mph, this same characteristic becomes the vastly predominant most important factor in fuel consumption. Weight is only a factor when accelerating, not once the vehicle is up to speed. Friction losses, like within a reciprocating engine, or gear-to-gear, or at bearings, may be largely engineered out, but not elimated entirely with our present technology.

[Lokibob]

Joe, you said all that just for the halibut, and you didn't flounder around with it. Whale, while i'm crabby, and in my best bass voice, I'll trout along.

[yooling]

I'd say they pretty much nailed it.

[layman]

car that gets more than 70 miles per gallon

And .... it floats.

[EX52D]

For commuting and fuel economy, I can see the logic in these vehicles, although many are priced out of most consumer's range. All that aside, I don't think most of us will ever give up the taste for the sound of a turbo-charged big block. :)

[Joe 6-pack]

"I did it just for the halibut, but reserve the right to clam first postings!"

I wasn't trying to minnowmize your contributions. This post is a good oppor-tuna-ty to net some good puns, but frankly, some of your humor is making me eel....and that's hard to do for a bottom feeder like me!

[A message]

Does it talk?

[theDentist]

So... Woody was right about the futuristic cars.

[EX52D]

I heard that...welcome to my world. :)

[Erasmus]

That's a fish car too, isn't it?

[Solamente]

Probably gerbils, if you get my drift...

[Proud2BeRight]

And I thought the Japs had a lock on ugly-looking vehicles.