Posted on 01/08/2012 10:04:38 AM PST by taildragger
The Link above is for the photos of the car leaked from a Czech Blog, but is their a bigger story?
Look at this car compared to the Volt, obviously easier on the eyes, but will it spark a bigger debate?
I.E., the free-market approach of product improvement vs the Governments envolvement in GM and lack of market acceptance of the Volt.
What we know from the web.
* It will use the very good handling "Ford Mondeo" Chassis ( possibly new or upgraded )
* It will probably be 4 or 5 star crash rated, seems to be Fords redesign mantra
* It will probably get 10 to 20% better fuel economy, again, what they have achieved in their redesigns. The green car blogs are rumoring 48 mpg in the city for the Hybrid.
* As these pictures note, it has the DNA of the "EVOS" Show-car.
The timing is perfect for me. My lease is up in fall 2012, right when the 2013 Fusion will be out. Looks like a winner.
I don’t like the hood
Had a neighbor as a kid that had the Charger variant, 440 I think, white with blue stripes but he used to troll slowly threw the neighborhood with that muscle rumble, might have been an automatic, more of a luxury type of guy not a hot rodder. Never got on it, I wonder where it is today...
I like it. It does look like an Aston Martin. I still won’t buy anything made by UAW thugs, though.
Maybe pick you battles? All comrades are not equal? Ford UAW rank and file ( this is just my guess ) would not trade their places or jobs with a GM-er or Fiat/Chrysler worker for all the tea in China, and are they more reason-able...
There's been a lot of heated discussion about this - and I don't want to fan the flames - but ultimately, I think the Volt is just a flash in the pan. I mean, sure, where there's smoke there may be fire, but the Volt just strikes me as something for the ash-heap of history.
At one time, I had an old mopar. A big ole late 60s chrysler newport 2door hardtop(similar to a fury) with a hopped up 440 and a dana limited slip rear end. Mine had 4 wheel drum brakes that didn’t work in the rain, and an AM radio that didn’t get reception when the sky was cloudy. The front suspension was such that if you installed radial tires, the car was virtually uncontrollable on uneven pavement. The heater got hot enough to cause blisters on your feet. I could drive it in below zero temps with the windows down and stay warm. It had a 3 speed automatic and would do 60MPH in first gear. If I drove veeery carefully, I got 8MPG, but under 5MPG if I drove with a lead foot.
I don't think there was ever really any smoke. It was all just manufactured vapor.
I would like to see the following results:
Volt vs. a 74 Pinto (working or not)
Volt vs the Hugo(working or not)
Volt vs 1899 Baker Electric (probably still works)
It looks like a happy cartoon shark, even the color is right. Regarding the burning battery, I heard a report saying that the battery did not develop its problem for days after the “crash”. Hardly a major danger.
I'd think that might make it more dangerous. Days after a crash, it's likely to have been towed somewhere, and be stored indoors, or in close proximity to other cars and/or buildings. If it catches fire there it's more likely to take a lot of other stuff with it.
IIRC, the newly enforced Euro safety regs require a vehicle crumple zone on the hood between the hood and the hard engine components so that when a pedestrian is hit hard in the thighs and their head is then rotated downwards onto the hood with force there is a nice soft crumply hood for them to splat onto.
All new Euro designs and all US and Japanese models that are also sold in Europe have had to be re-designed with this high-hood look...with the striations help with the controlled crushing, I suspect.
Yes, they stole some design cues from recently sold Aston Martin. Legal action coming from Aston Martin to defend design rights?
The current Focus is a Mazda-based platform assembled in Mexico with no UAW input...and I expect the next Volvo-based platform to be assembled there as well to allow the car to be sold at a profit in the US.
Yup, that is how my 71 Duster will look when I paint it. I have a stroked 360 (408) and get 20+ MPG. Lots of fun and fast!
SWEEEEET!
Even a Duster with a slant 6 would be a catch if found in good shape!
It’s hard to find any old Mopars driving around anymore. I also have a 70 D100 truck. Classic lines and a warmed up 360 engine. Gets some looks!
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