"I see no reason for the average vehicle to have to weigh in at close to 2 tons'
Guess what. The only people who car manufacturers listen to are the ones who buy new cars, and the legislators.
30 years ago we made a car with 6 seats, weighed 1418 kg, got around 20 mpgUS, had a 160 hp engine and a manual 5 speed. It had an AM/FM radio with a cassette player and 2 speakers
When we introduced the final model in 2014 it weighed 1704 kg, had only 5 seats (crash) airbags(crash) auto only (customer preference) full climate control (customer preference) dual cats (legislation), got 24 mpgUS, IRS, much bigger (heavier) wheels and tires, ABS, TC, ESC, full audio with 9 speakers including a subwoofer, electric windows, electric seats, met stiffer emissions and crash regs, 261 hp engine (actually the same one). It was faster, quieter, rode better and is more durable.
Now we didn't put that stuff in for fun, we did it because the people who buy new cars wanted that stuff and were prepared to pay for it.
Cheers
Greg Locock
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