Comments on: Five Car-Related Predictions For The Coming Year

By: Are We Headed For $5.00 Gas?

Are We Headed For $5.00 Gas? — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:01:52 +0000

[...] I made my car related predictions for the coming year, I said that gas would top $4.00 a gallon by the end of 2011. I also said that [...]

By: Craig Thompson

Craig Thompson — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:34:29 +0000

Fuel prices will certainly go up, demand we know is growing supply is relatively constant, one disaster or war and their is only one direction for price to go – up. Its been said foe some time that when the price of any commodity goes up Americans simply waste less – that is where efficency comes in. Thi syears Xchallenge winner was (to my surprise) an ultra light internal combustion engine. Why not electric? Weight for our current battery technology is its limiting factor and that, I predict is primed to change soon and will likely be connected to nano technology and ultra conductive carbon materials as will contruction and weight saving measures. I already drive a MINI Cooper S (efficient if you want it to be and fun when you ask) and will likely hang on to it for the next few years as now, in my opinion is not the time to buy.

By: Kurt Ernst

Kurt Ernst — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 15:16:43 +0000

Tom & Speedie, there’s no doubt that that’s the direction the industry is going. GOOD performance hybrids are going to take time to engineer and build, since you’re having to overcome the weight penalty of electric motors and batteries (in addition to the gasoline engine).

I suspect (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) that GM is already hard at work on performance hybrids, although I can’t confirm this. Plausible deniability and all that…

By: speedie

speedie — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 06:11:08 +0000

I agree with Tom’s. Cafe just means that we will find new ways to get our speed. I can imagine an electric that goes 0-60 in 3 sec and gets over a 100 miles to a charge. This is exeactly the kind of challenge that american car companies need. Be leaders and set the standard!

By: Tom's Foreign Auto Parts

Tom's Foreign Auto Parts — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:20:35 +0000

I only partially agree with the HP downsize. Corvettes and the like will still exsist for the next decade because people will continue to buy them.

I think we’ll find new ways to make things fast though. Politically everyone wants to think we’re out making cars that get good mileage going 55mph but realistically theres still a lot of people that want a car with some power behind it. I think we’ll see more things like hybrids that can combine the motors to make power. The Honda Cr-z does it and most of the hybrid super car concepts can also do it.

Car guys will just have to embrace the new age of horse power. I personally look forward to owning a car that gets 35mpg+ on the way to work but has a “sport” button that combines the motors and makes it a power house on the weekends.