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mas fred wrote:

Why not reintroduce old ideas, but make the engines more efficient?

Many have.  They generally lose money.  People in the richer countries want newer and flashier.  Bells and whistles sell.  People in poorer countries do not make automobile companies rich.

revolution, green cars is a real shock, just as we must understand that one day, oil is over, what other resources?
there are many who can not afford.
are very expensive

Motorbikes are king over here, mostly because they're cheap to buy and run; it's very much like Britain of the 1950s, but a lot more bikes.
A cheap, no frills car would probably sell very well but manufacturers insist on a million extras that drive the price up.
That kills the market.

Future Cars 2000

It looks like cars of the future don't have much of a future here in Brazil, not just yet anyway!



João Alfredo Dresch a 68 year old resident of Lajeado, Rio Grande do Sul who invented the JAD electric minicar was given a R$68 ($32 USD) fine for parking cross-wise in a parking stall in the city, to showcase his revolutionary local invention. The city's Transportation Department director tries to justify the fine by saying that it is a violation of the National Traffic Code to "park in a direction which is different from that which is established" and that "we can't make any exceptions".



After receiving the fine and a stern warning from the "azuizinhos" (little blues - as local enforcement officers are called) Dresch parked parallel to the curb. He did, however, refuse to sign for the traffic citation.

The governments at every level in this God forsaken country are so hung-up on bureaucratic rules, regulations and red tape, which for the most part make no sense whatsoever; so instead offering incentives to people like Dresch who want to help cut down pollution, free up more space for parking and reduce traffic congestion here they fine them. Way to go Brazil!!!

While Dresch obviously has no taste in color choice, I think the little car has charm. I wonder if this is what a Ford Ecosport would look like if they were to do a remake of the 1989 Disney film "Honey, I shrunk the kids"???

Cheers,
William James Woodward, EB Experts Team

I wonder how many dirty great 4x4 monsters on the roads could be replaced by microcars.
I see them every day, massive machines, all trying to use tiny side roads, but just one person in them.
Perhaps a tax:
Cars could be given an economy rating, that being divided by the number of people in your family, to arrive at a tax figure on purchase (and per year).

mas fred wrote:

I wonder how many dirty great 4x4 monsters on the roads could be replaced by microcars.

For those who don't know it, the English have a great name for the monsters: "Chelsea tractors". (Chelsea is a posh inner-city suburb of London.)

In Melbourne Australia in the posh end of town called Toorak, 4WD's are called 'Toorak taxis'   

MiaCulpa wrote:

mas fred wrote:

Why not reintroduce old ideas, but make the engines more efficient?

Many have.  They generally lose money.  People in the richer countries want newer and flashier.  Bells and whistles sell.  People in poorer countries do not make automobile companies rich.

Here in Switzerland the number of smallish cars on the streets is relatively high and I think increasing. Ok, there are also some of those big monsters, what used to go under the name SUVs on the streets. Since price is not such a large issue here that is not such a restriction, but for many Swiss environmental issues are high in priority.
BTW I've got a bid on ricardo (eBay-like site) which closes this evening for a one year-old Ford Ka. It has radio, air cond. etc. but I would have preferred it without.

wjwoodward wrote:

The governments at every level in this God forsaken country are so hung-up on bureaucratic rules, regulations and red tape, which for the most part make no sense whatsoever; so instead offering incentives to people like Dresch who want to help cut down pollution, free up more space for parking and reduce traffic congestion here they fine them. Way to go Brazil!!!

Cheers,
William James Woodward, EB Experts Team

Unfortunate, but it's not just Brazil. To varying degrees governments the world over operate like that.
Yet the standard answer by most of the world's 'sheeple' to any problem is even more rules, regulations or taxes to 'solve' what they see as 'the problem'. Govts. would just love that to 'earn' more money and in turn be able to afford more idiotic monster vehicles and enforcement morons in uniforms to impose the rule book on everyone.

Gordon Barlow wrote:

mas fred wrote:

I wonder how many dirty great 4x4 monsters on the roads could be replaced by microcars.

For those who don't know it, the English have a great name for the monsters: "Chelsea tractors". (Chelsea is a posh inner-city suburb of London.)

Dude, tell me about it.
My workshop was in an old school, but the other part of the school was still open as a primary.
Stupid women, way too many driving those things (well, attempting to),would converge on the school, park about 2 yards from the curb and/or all over our car park.
When my space was taken by one of those silly women, I would park behind her and disappear for an hour.
Each silly woman only did it once before their education was complete, well, as far as taking a named parking space went.
Some got quite angry but, as I said to them, their kids were learning to read at school, perhaps they should have a go at it.