[RayChuang88]

Actually, cars will get lighter but not at a loss of safety. This is made possible because we're lowering the cost of carbon fiber structural materials, there is now serious research into using hemp fiber composites as structural material (just as strong as carbon fiber but at way lower manufacturing costs) and now we're starting to see way less expensive means to produce titanium parts (titanium is very common in the Earth soil but only in recent years has there been serious research into lowering the cost of production).

In short, within 5-7 years we may economy cars drop to under 2000 pounds in weight but be actually safer than today's steel-bodied models.

[lacrew]

“Actually, cars will get lighter but not at a loss of safety”

We shall see.

I’m glad to hear “we’re lowering the cost of carbon fiber”; but, I’ve grown skeptical of these types of progress reports.

I think us in the general population (i.e. not part of the governing class) will be presented with one choice for a lighter car, that gets 54.5 mpg - an extraordinarily small car...no titanium, no carbon fiber...just the equivalent of a motorcycle, with more comfortable seats and a few extra wheels.

And we’ll all have to deal with a new phenomenon: Car Tipping:

https://www.google.com/search?q=smart+car+tipping&hl=en&safe=off&tbo=u&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&rlz=1I7GGIE_en&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=5FWEUIfZIeOiyAHHiICICA&sqi=2&ved=0CEQQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=796