Date published: 2007/07/07
The BBC says:
Market forces have sparked an obesity epidemic in the car industry, according to automotive industry expert Professor Garel Rhys of Cardiff Business School.
"We looked into it and to our amazement, we found that cars are getting heavier," says Professor Rhys, speaking as the car industry body SMMT released its latest report on the emission of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.
"The weight element has gone straight out of the window."
"Weight has been increasing by about 1.5% per year over the last 10 years," confirms Greg Archer, director of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership.
The automotive weight-gain is counter-intuitive, given that cars these days are built using lighter and more rigid steel than in the past.
...
The industry tends to blame the additional weight on regulation that requires them to load cars with heavy safety equipment.Professor Rhys sees a couple of additional reasons. As vehicle weight came down, their designers saw it as "a chance to load up with seven speakers", Professor Rhys adds.
Manufacturers have been adding a slew of electronic wizardry to their cars - ranging from satellite navigation systems and climate control units, to electric sunroofs and doors that close at the touch of a button - all to boost sales and profits.
Indeed, as electronics prices have come down, such added extras have in effect bolstered the carmakers' hard-pressed margins.
Moreover, as is often the case in humans, the automotive weight gain has been coupled with bulkier shapes.
Increasingly, observes Professor Rhys, car makers steer away from the aerodynamic "egg-shape" as they struggle to make their cars appear different from those made by rivals.
"The market has become so competitive," observes Professor Rhys, "it's desperation to get your share of the market."
The result of all this added weight being piled into cars - which have been designed more for visual impact than for efficient streamlining - is increased fuel consumption and, thus, a rise in emissions of carbon dioxide.
Who is this guy kidding? Is he saying that cars in (say) the 1950s or 1970s were more aerodynamic than today? Does he really believe that (say) GPS systems are only being added to cars "to boost sales and profits"? Well, if he sees no advantage for the consumer in having (say) GPS systems then it's lucky he is not in business selling cars. Car companies that failed to provide GPS systems would be failing their customers. GPS systems provide a useful service. And Rhys doesn't answer the real question. How much of the additional weight in cars these days is due to all the health and safety regulation and how much to other things? Rhys is also talking as if the only thing car companies should be considering is how much their cars weigh, which is a rather silly idea.
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