Different roads : automobiles for the next century : the Museum of Modern Art, New York, July 22-September 21, 1999 [Christopher Mount]

Date 1999

Publisher The Museum of Modern Art

Exhibition URL www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/194

The Museum of Modern Art's exhibition history— from our founding in 1929 to the present—is available online. It includes exhibition catalogues, primary documents, installation views, and an index of participating artists.

MoMA © 2017 The Museum of Modern Art Different Roads

Automobilesfor the Next Century

The Museum of Modern Art, New York July 22-September 21, 1999 Archj ve Introduction 0 h MA USEUM OF IKS' LIBRARY

When the automobile was first con the 21st Century, says "The machine the rethinking that is beginning to take ceived in the late nineteenth century it itself may need a . . . holistic renewal, a place in automotive design. This is not was imagined as a leisure vehicle for wholesale overhaul in order to remain to suggest that these are the only sorts the affluent. Unthinkable to these early the central component of our modern of , nor that they are appropriate inventors would have been the mass society's transportation system." The or everyone or every situation. Instead, proliferation of the automobile and its radical new developments being intro these cars represent an important and immense influence on modern society duced by many of the major automo growing aspect of the market that and its economy. The role of the pri tive manufacturers support this claim. caters to a consumer who is more atten vate began to change in the 1920s These innovations are fundamental, tive to thrift, and thus more attracted with Henry Ford's lucrative concept of from revolutionary types of power to the improved economy of these cars. the inexpensive auto for the "multi plants to new materials, innovative Unquestionably, many of the innova tudes," the Model T. Since then, in structures, and even new classes of tions first tested in the low-end market industrialized nations, the auto has autos. Interestingly, a significant por will filter up into the production of other increasingly become a fundamental tion of this change is occurring at the sorts of cars, as well as trucks and even part of everyday life, a thing more util entry-level market. The intention of public transportation. itarian and borne out of necessity than this exhibition is to survey this current for leisure. In recent years the use of generation of automobiles and outline The auto industry has been showing the automobile has grown most expo different paths to the future. These are fantastical prototypes of futuristic cars nentially in developing nations, where cars intended for the average person since the fifties, but in reality the auto the private car is also quickly becoming and will satisfy the predicted need for mobile has actually changed very little a primary form of transportation and simple, affordable transportation in since then. Science fiction prepared us an integral aspect of their economies. the near future. In short, these auto for flying-saucerlike cars in the next mobiles are ultimately more intelligent, millennium; however, as we approach Many have predicted that the automo efficient, user-friendly, and better the year 2000, these new vehicles are bile is ripe for a reinvention and that in suited to the tasks for which they wilt far more sober than we might have the early part of the twenty-first cen be most frequently used. expected. The private car of the next tury we will see changes both in the century will have to confront real glob kinds of cars we use and how we use By focusing on the small, efficient, and al issues, such as overcrowding, pollu them. Automotive engineer Robert affordable private car, this exhibition tion, and finite reserves of fuel with an Riley, in his book Alternative Cars in illustrates the scope and direction of uneven worldwide distribution, that some believe have already reached a next century. Further, we face the fact Traditionally the small car has never crisis point. Internationally we face a that the petroleum reserves may at been popular in the , with drastic intensification of all of these some point dry up. However, because perhaps the short exception of the peri issues if the proliferation of the auto in of the basic lack of knowledge about od soon after the oil embargo of the developing nations takes place as possible reserves and our ability to mid-seventies. This is primarily because predicted in the early part of the next recover them, this remains a most con gasoline prices have remained extreme century. The most dramatic forecasts troversial subject. Despite this debate, ly low in America, even recently selling suggest that in 2010 India will have the political turmoil and instability cre for less than the price of bottled water thirty-six times more cars then it does ated by an uneven distribution of oil in some areas. Compared with most now and China may have as many as reserves recommend that conserva other industrialized nations, where ninety-one times its present rate. tion is a worthwhile endeavor. gasoline sells from $4 to $6 a gallon, These kinds of increases could wreak there is very little incentive for austerity havoc on the earth's ecosystem. Conservation and sacrifice, however, in the U.S. Not surprisingly, petroleum don't sell cars on their own. Automo imports have actually risen to 10 million Globally, overcrowding already exists biles that appear hair shirt or under barrels a day, nearly double the level in many urban areas-conspicuous in powered like the previous generation twenty years ago. At the same time, the the "go slows" of Lagos, midtown traf of econoboxes don't inspire the kind of average fuel efficiency for all automo fic in New York City, or the rush-hour yearnings that prompt consumers to biles in the U.S. has also decreased in crunch in Los Angeles. Cities like Sao buy, particularly in good economic recent years. Paulo, Caracas, and Bogota have times. The auto industry has respond- already begun to regulate what day of ed-in the U.S.,but particularly in Asian But all this may be about to change, as the week a given car can be driven. In and European markets-by manufac it runs contradictory to cultural and some instances the large number of turing an entry-level segment of cars societal realities that may encourage cars literally on the road puts intolera that is more appealing, better looking, the use of smaller cars. It is inconceiv ble strain on the infrastructure of and safer than in the past. Instead of able that gasoline prices will remain as urban centers that were planned too promoting their economy, the automo low as they are forever. Overcrowding long ago to assimilate the growing tive manufacturers have stressed in many American cities is a serious numbers. A direct consequence of this these cars' quality, comfort, and power problem, and the American family is congestion is, of course, pollution and to meet any highway situation. Manu statistically getting smaller. In the last smog, which have already reached facturers have also realized that good few decades it has become common for critical points in places like Los design doesn't necessarily cost more, both adult members of the household Angeles, Hong Kong, and Mexico City. and these cars are a testament to this. to work, a fact that has transformed Automotive emissions also significant Frequently these vehicles are marketed the dynamic of commuting to work and ly contribute to the greenhouse effect to younger consumers who may be automotive use. Recent statistics show that many say is stimulating global naturally more adventuresome and will that on average most automobiles warming and will lead to catastrophic accept new technologies and types of worldwide have only a 1.6 to 1.8 aver environmental circumstances in the styling more readily. age passenger-occupancy rate. And because the distance of that com SUVs. Other regulatory attempts mute is becoming longer, often from include the founding of the Partnership one suburb to another, the ordinary for a New Generation of Vehicles car is using more gasoline on a daily (PNGV) in 1993, an automotive think basis. These facts suggest that there tank supported by the three major should be a market in the U.S., as American manufacturers: Ford,General there already is in Europe, for second Motors, and DaimlerChrysler. cars used primarily for travel to and from work (for example, Daimler- Although governmental legislation 's Smart Car). has been essential to encouraging research and development, another New developments in automotive perhaps more explicit evolution has design have also come from outside come from within the automotive the ordinary consumer-industry rela industry. The growing of tionship. Governments have begun to manufacturing has resulted in larger encourage better technologies and worldwide markets. And with the more efficient cars through legisla recent merger frenzy, specialized car Interior view of the tion. Western European nations and markets are declining. Instead, the pri Multipla Asian countries have long imposed var vate car is becoming more universal, ious types of restrictions that include and the money savings afforded by imposing higher taxes on gasoline than the use of shared platforms encour in the United States, charging pur age the manufactures to market the chase and income taxes proportional same types of autos internationally. to the size of the automobile, and Consumers in Asia and Europe have even requiring proof of a parking already embraced smaller, more prac space before allowing the purchase of tical vehicles, which in turn motivates a car, as in Tokyo. Taxes are unan the new, larger motor conglomerates imously unpopular in the U.S., and to further develop these car markets increased gasoline taxes would gen elsewhere. Eventually innovations erate political turmoil. However, some originally pioneered for these smaller, recent measures have been taken to more efficient cars-or even the cars encourage a broader thinking in themselves-will appear in the U.S. America, such as California's Clean market. The potential universality of Air Act that mandates that manufac the car market would increase the turers develop zero- or low-emission profit margin for the industry, contra vehicles and implements new legisla dicting the old adage "smaller cars tion regarding pickup trucks and mean smaller profits." What should be done to ensure that we even carbon composites. Ironically still have enough petroleum deposits, much of the initial research into use enough clean air, and enough room to of these substances was pioneered in maneuver our cars and prevent glob automotive racing where weight al warming in the coming century? reduction is in direct proportion to One extreme and unfeasible sugges higher speeds. These investigations tion is that we abolish the private car into new materials and structures of altogether and find other forms of course will eventually lead to new transportation. However, the most im kinds of styling and ultimately new mediate and realistic solution appears aesthetic solutions. EV1 to start with a rethinking and redesign of the car itself. Make the private car In ordinary cars cutting weight of the better; make it a more intelligent and vehicle does not always mean cutting a more efficient machine. Ecologist size. Many of the cars in this exhibi Amory Lovins refers to this approach tion—the Ford Ka, the Fiat Multipla, the as mining the potentially rich "oil Smart Car, and the Daimler Chrysler fields under ." CCV-have small exterior dimensions but afford relatively large interior The key to making automobiles more space for passengers. One of the ways gas efficient is to make them lighter this has been achieved is through the and provide them with a less wasteful development of new skeletal, or space, engine. A large car is not always best frames. The space frame is important suited for its purported function. because it generates greater strength Somewhere between only two and five and stability, and also makes these cars percent of the energy used to power a safer-an important concern for con large car is actually employed to move sumers when purchasing a small car. the passengers; the other ninety-five to ninety-eight percent is used to Although the laws of physics are un- simply move the car itself. This can be deniable-the larger the car, the more remedied without much suffering on it weighs, the more closely it resem the behalf of the consumer. bles a military tank, and the safer it will be-because of new develop Conseguently, much of the current ments, these autos are far safer than development focuses on new materi the compact cars of the past. Several als that can replace the steel parts, of these cars feature multiple air bags including strong composite plastics, The Multipla and the Smart even have aluminum, magnesium, ceramics, and ingenious engine placements that permit the motor and drivetrain, plants are transforming the internal Presently, the major drawbacks of an placed underneath the passenger, to combustion engine that has been the electric motor stem from the batteries absorb much of the impact in a crash. automobile's dominant power provider that store the energy. The storage is In Europe and Asia, where most vehi since Daimler Benz's gasoline engines only sufficient to allow a limited driving cles are small, the differential in an prevailed over early steam engines. range: the EV1 can go approximately accident is less of a problem, and many Some automotive engineers have equat fifty to seventy miles per charge, less if believe the added agility of a small car ed the significant transformations tak the air conditioner is used or in cold cli reduces the risk of accidents in the ing place in this area with the nine mates. This, coupled with the inconve first place. teenth-century metamorphosis from nience caused by the limited availabili horse-drawn carriages to gasoline- ty of charging stations, makes the car Improvements to the exterior body powered cars. New investigations are inappropriate for long trips. Instead have also made these cars more effi being conducted into the use of alter electric autos in the near future seem cient. Friction produced by the air native fuels like methane, ethanol, and to be most valuable as commuter cars passing over the and between fuel cells. However, the most immedi or in local use, perhaps performing the road and the tires can create ately significant developments may be specific tasks as with postal trucks. drag, particularly at high speeds. The electric- and hybrid-powered cars. General Motors EV1 is surprisingly the For these and many other reasons, the most aerodynamically "slippery" auto The electric motor presents some obvi hybrid engine has emerged as the in production-not, as would be expect ous advantages and disadvantages over more practical power source of the ed, a sleek, expensive . The the conventional combustion engine. near future. Hybrid cars combine both aerodynamics of this car, however, do Becauseit doesn't use petroleum to sup an electric motor and an internal com not reflect a desire for speed but are ply power to the engine, it runs clean, bustion gas-driven engine. This combi necessary because of their limited elec without emissions. The electricity can nation has the benefit of both types of tric power plant. The VV, the Ka, come from many external sources that power plants without the problems of the and the AL2 are also aerodynam run on coal, nuclear, or hydroelectric super clean but limited range electric ic in design, and the Toyota Prius and power. Most experts agree that pollution cars. These cars produce significantly the EV1feature thin, low-resistance tires at these plants can be better controlled, lower emissions and get remarkable that cut down significantly on the fric and the local smog created by cars gas mileage. The hybrid's batteries tion created between the road surface would disappear. The use of electricity don't require recharging because they and the vehicle. is particularly appealing to countries are continuously recharged by the like China, which has few natural oil gasoline engine and through regenera Although these structural improve reserves. The electric EV1 can be re tive braking. Sophisticated hybrids like ments contribute to the overall effi charged at stations equipped with a the Honda VV and the Toyota Prius are ciency, a more radical change is taking charging device, or even at home. The run by computer that automatically place to one of the most fundamental engine has fewer movable parts and alternates between gas engine and parts of the car-the engine. Exper thus needs less service, and it is also far electric motor depending on the dri iments with alternative fuels and power quieter than a conventional engine. ving situation. In a conventional car it is this period from a stop to fifteen their users have exacerbated-pollution, miles per hour that produces the most overcrowding, and the precariousness Symposium: What Is the Future of exhaust. The Prius, therefore, employs of oil reserves-we can be optimistic the Automobile? the electric motor in early accelera based on the exceptional technology Tuesday, September 7,1999 tion. Faster acceleration may require that will be available shortly. These cars both engines, and at highway speed all offer very real solutions. They are A panel of designers, engineers, and the cars most commonly use the gas produced by major manufacturers other professionals will discuss auto engine. However, in stop-and-go city and should be available at reasonable mobile design and its implications for traffic, when speed is not a factor, the prices-a technology that is too expen the coming century, as well as other hybrid cars switch to electric power. sive for widespread application would issues raised by Different Roads: Eventually there is little reason why be useless. The circumstances are not Automobiles for the Next Century. hybrid technology can't be applied to yet so dire that one cannot be hopeful other larger types of vehicles, includ that human ingenuity will meet the For further information, please call ing public buses, SUVs, sedans, trucks, challenges necessary to permit the the Department of Education at 212- and . continued use and proliferation of the 708-9781. private automobile. All of these innovations represent an More in-depth information related to early step in the transformation that Christopher Mount automotive design, new materials, and the automobile is soon to assume. fuels is available on MoMA'sWeb site at These automobiles are a preview of www.moma.org. the first generation in the reconsider This exhibition was organized by ation of the automobile. Some of Christopher Mount, Assistant Curator, these cars are in production, some will Department of Architecture and Design, be soon, and some are prototypes that with Phil Patton, curatorial consultant. may never come to the market in their present form. The ideal car of the The automobiles in the exhibition have future is likely to incorporate and syn been lent by the manufacturers. Partial thesize certain elements from each funding is provided by The Junior Asso one. We have attempted here to high ciates of The Museum of Modern Art. light nine differing views in the hopes of provoking thought and debate as to what kind of automobiles we will be and should be driving in the early part of the next millennium.

In regard to the ever-increasing prob lems that modern automobiles and

W

General Motors EV1 v

The two-passenger EV1 is the first electric automobile made by a major manufacturer for large-scale distribution and production. Its radical design makes it remarkably effi cient in terms of aerodynamics and weight, a fact made more crucial given its electric power plant. The car is the most aerodynam- ically "slippery" car in production, with rear wheels that are nine inches closer together BODY CONSTRUCTION Aluminum alloy space than the front wheels creating a tear-drop frame with aluminum and plastic body panels shape, covered rear wheels, and a flat-bot tomed undercarriage. Its light weight results YEAR AND COUNTRY 1995 from its aluminum skeletal frame, or space INTRODUCED frame, paired with composite plastic body TOP SPEED (MPH) 80 mph panels that are actually, in many areas, glued to the frame. These plastic body panels are ENGINE Electric motor extremely sturdy and easily replaceable. The DIMENSIONS (INCHES) /s" car's overall weight has been even further Length 1695 Width 69 W 1/2" reduced by such innovations as a magnesium Height 50 7/s" steering wheel. 98

CURB WEIGHT 2,970 lbs. The aerodynamic qualities and light weight give the car acceleration and a top speed FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) N/A similar to a quality gas-powered car. The 137- the EV1must be recharged at a special charg (PREDICTED) PRICE IN Presently for lease only horsepower motor can go from 0-60 in nine ing station or at home with a smaller portable $us seconds. The motor never needs a tune-up, charger. At specially equipped stations, the SECONDS FROM 8.5 seconds and the oil never needs replacing. The batter recharging takes three hours to complete, 0-60 MPH ies, however, have a life expectancy of only and at home, the car takes twelve to sixteen 25,000 to 30,000 miles. Refreshingly, no key hours to recharge fully. Because of its electric is necessary to start the car; instead a code is motor the car produces zero emission and is used to open the doors and activate the extremely quiet-so quiet that a special beep engine. Regenerative braking converts ener ing horn had to be installed to alert pedestri gy generated by stopping into electricity to ans that the car is coming. ALL SPECIFICATIONS WERE SUPPLIED BY assist in recharging the batteries. Otherwise, THE MANUFACTURERS. Honda

BODY CONSTRUCTION Aluminum space frame VV with aluminum and plastic composite body panels

YEAR AND COUNTRY 1999 in America and INTRODUCED ; 2000 in Europe

TOP SPEED (MPH) 80 mph The Honda VV is scheduled to reach the American market by early winter of 1999. The ENGINE 3 cylinder and electric code-named VV is a two-, subcompact motor Type Engine: 1.0 liter. Motor: automobile. Like the Toyota Prius, the V V is a J battery-operated hybrid-powered car. The principal power comes DIMENSIONS (INCHES) from a lightweight one-liter, three-cylinder Length 155'/a" gasoline engine with a five-speed transmis Width 68 Vz" sion. An electric motor serves as its sec Height 52" /2" Wheelbase 94 , ondary power source. The activation of one nd or both of the power drives is determined by CURB WEIGHT 1,750 lbs. an advanced computer system that evaluates FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) 70 mpg their usefulness in any given driving situa tion. The car's average fuel economy for high (PREDICTED) PRICE IN Under $20,000 $US way and city is 70 mpg (miles per gallon). Its tremendous fuel economy is a result of its SECONDS FROM N/A 0-60 MPH light weight, only 1,760 pounds-800 pounds lighter than the -due to its alu minum space frame and its composite body panels. According to the manufacturer the VV can go 700 miles on one tank of gas, or approximately the distance from New York to Detroit. The car meets California's ultra-low vehicle-emissionsstandard and, like the Toyota Prius, is expected to sell for under $20,000.

QUO Toyota Prius BODY CONSTRUCTION Space frame and panels made of high tensile steel

YEAR AND COUNTRY 1997 in Japan INTRODUCED Although the Prius looks relatively ordinary from the outside, this belies the sophisticated TOP SPEED (MPH) 88 mph (engine alone); technology on the inside of the car. The "nor 100 mph (engine and electric motor combined) mal" exterior suggests Toyota's desire to create instant acceptance for the car as a ENGINE 4 cylinder and electric motor traditional five-seat family vehicle. In Latin Type Engine: water-cooled inline. the word prius means "to go before," and this Motor: battery operated car is in fact the first hybrid-powered car avail Displacement 91.3 cubic inches Power Engine: 58 hp at 4,000 able for mass distribution and has already rpm. Motor: 40 hp at begun selling well in Japan. The Prius has sig 940-2,000 rpm Torque 75 ft.lb. nificant advances in terms of fuel economy and emission over current gasoline cars. The DIMENSIONS (INCHES) 5/i6" Lenqth 168 i /i6M two power sources include a 58-horsepower, Width 66 11 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine, and a 40-horse- Height 58 V,e" /a" power electric engine. In congested urban Wheelbase 100 3 areas the electric motor is the workhorse, CURB WEIGHT 2,728 lbs. and the car uses the gasoline engine when extra power is needed. A computer seamlessly FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) 66 mpg alternates the power sources, only activat (PREDICTED) PRICE IN Under $20,000 ing the gas engine when necessary. Because $US idling and low acceleration usually produce SECONDS FROM 14 seconds the greatest amount of emissions in a gas 0-60 MPH engine, the Prius employs the electric motor under these driving conditions. In fact, the Prius gets its best gas mileage in the stop- and-go traffic of a city. A unusually long wheel- base enhances handling, and low resistance tires help to produce an estimated gas mileage of 66 mpg. Fiat Muitipla Bipower

As suggested by its name, the Muitipla is an placed at different heights along the chassis. auto that provides for a tremendous flexibil For safety considerations the auto is engi ity both in terms of choice of power sources neered in two parts: a lower section contain and in the configuration of the interior space. ing the engine and drivetrain, and tall upper Despite its small exterior, the Muitipla has the section for passengers and cargo. In an acci BODY CONSTRUCTION Steel space frame with cabin room of a or and dent, this lower section of the car bears the composite body panels is intended as a , large enough for brunt of the impact, with the higher riding YEAR AND COUNTRY 1998 in Italy; 1999 in the six passengers. It is unusually tall, and the passengers remaining protected. INTRODUCED rest of Europe windows have a vertical emphasis that per TOP SPEED (MPH) Gasoline: 104 mph; mits a better view as well as an enhanced The Muitipla included in this exhibition is a methane: 98 mph sense of spaciousness. The night visibility is bipower-engine type that uses regular gaso line or methane or both. The Muitipla will soon ENGINE 4 cylinder improved by headlights and taillights that are Type 1.6/16vgasoline or methane be available in Europe with a , Displacement 96.5 cubic inches and as a hybrid, with both electric motor and Power 103 bhp (methane 68 bhp) at 5,750 rpm gasoline engine. Methane fuel produces no Torque 106.2 ft.lb. (methane benzene or particle emissions and reduces 95.9 ft.lb.) carbon dioxide emission by twenty-five per DIMENSIONS (INCHES) cent. The same engine runs on both fuels Length 157'A" with two separate tanks and separate routing 5/a" Width 73 Height 67" systems. The driver can switch between meth Wheelbase 105" ane and gasoline, but the car also does it auto

CURB WEIGHT 3,241 lbs. matically in cold starts or when the methane has run out. FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) 26.4 mpg (Combined)

(PREDICTED) PRICE IN Under $17,800 $US

SECONDS FROM Gasoline: 13 seconds; 0-60 MPH methane: 16 seconds NEW SOLUTIONS: MATERIALS, STRUCTURES AND FORMS DaimlerChrysler Composite Concept Vehicle BODY CONSTRUCTION Metal space frame with recyclable composite body panels

YEAR AND COUNTRY 1997 Concept Vehicle- The result of this rethinking is an extremely INTRODUCED Frankfurt Auto Show The quickly emerging market for personal transportation in developing nations pre rational automobile. A process was developed TOP SPEED (MPH) 70 mph sents many problems for manufacturers. The to make injection-molded composite body

ENGINE 2 cylinder issues that must be addressed include econ parts that were three times the size of what Type 800 cc; overhead-valve, omy, politics, availability of maintenance and was previously possible, and the entire body air cooled fuel, unusual uses, poor road infrastructure, is joined together using only four bolts and Displacement 48.8 cubic inches Power 25 hp at 4,250 rpm overcrowding, and the devastating possible adhesives. The composite body-two halves Torque 36 hp at 2,800 rpm repercussions of increased pollution. The split front to back-is attached to a steel DIMENSIONS (INCHES) DaimlerChrysler CCV,produced as a working frame and is molded in color rather than Length 144" prototype in 1997, is an ingenious example of painted, saving costs and production time, as Width 63" Height 64 Vz" a car designed from scratch for exactly this well as reducing emissions at the plant. Wheelbase 101" market; an inexpensive and sturdy car for Because of this new manufacturing process developing nations. The car's styling and start-up is much faster, the costs are only a CURB WEIGHT 1,200 lbs. name are reminiscent of the much loved quarter of the average costs, a much smaller FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) 50 mpg Citroen 2CV, and the designers and engi factory is required, production time is cut to six and a half hours as opposed to twenty for (PREDICTED) PRICE IN Low; market dependent neers of the CCV began the project by $US rethinking the actual production with an average economy car, and the number of emphasis on keeping costs down. "Our initial parts is one quarter of the previous amount. SECONDS FROM 25 seconds 0-60 MPH direction was to develop a car that was as The cost of the material polyethene tereph- easy to assemble as a toy," said Chrysler thalate (similar to that of plastic soda bottles) Executive Vice President, Frangois Castaing. is only $1.10compared to $5-$10 per square foot of material for a normal car and is also one hundred percent recyclable.

Because the car is extremely light, weighing only 1,200 pounds, it can be powered by an extremely small, two-cylinder engine that gets about 50 mpg (miles per gallon) and produces little emission. The sparse interior is easily washable, as is the exterior, and its zip-down hood is desirable in the commonly hot climates of poorer nations. Consideration for the quality of roads is also apparent in the unusually high wheel clearance of eight inches. DaimlerChrysler BODY CONSTRUCTION Steel space frame with Smart Car plastic composite body panels

YEAR AND COUNTRY 1998 in Europe INTRODUCED

"Reduce to the max" has been the marketing use of a clutch. Passengers actually sit above TOP SPEED (MPH) line for this city commuter car developed by the mechanical parts and the engine to save ENGINE 3 cylinder Swatch watch company and Mercedes Benz. space. The Smart is only eight-feet, two-inches Type 55 hp Displacement 36.6 cubic inches In 1998 Daimler Benz, now DaimlerChrysler, long and four-and-a-half-feet tall and wide. Its Power 55 hp at acquired Swatch taking over full control of length is ingeniously only half of the space of 5,250 rpm production of the car. This two-seat, ultra- a traditional European parking space, poten Torque 95-119ft.lb. lightweight, gas-efficient auto represents a tially creating twice as much parking. It weighs DIMENSIONS (INCHES) rethinking of the private car and the way it is only 1,700 pounds but has a reinforced metal Length Width marketed to the public. They are sold across frame visible from the outside that makes the Height Europe at one-stop "Smart Centers" where car strong, stable, and relatively safe. one can purchase, lease, rent, finance, and CURB WEIGHT insure a car all under one roof. The auto is FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) 49 mpg intelligently designed for those living in or (PREDICTED) PRICE IN near crowded urban environments who need $9,300-511,500 a small vehicle to run errands or commute to an office. The car is intended to be afford SECONDS FROM 17.5seconds able, easily customizable, and stylish-bear ing a direct connection to the Swatch watch, which revolutionized the marketing and pro duction of watches in the 1980s. The car takes only four and a half hours to produce compared to the approximately twenty hours for most economy cars. The rust- and dent- resistant body panels are available in a vari ety of colors, and if the owner tires of the color, it can be easily replaced by a technician in two hours for a reasonable fee.

The Smart Car, with its unique multi-colored dashboard and controls, is intended to attract a younger auto buyer or urban sophisticate looking for something unusual. This is further evidenced in features such as front and side airbags and a "softip" gearbox that allows the driver to switch gears manually without the The Ford Ka, introduced in Europe and South America in 1996, is an appealing, small, and afford able car that doesn't induce any of the sense of sacrifice that many of the entry-level cars of the past did. The Ka-an Egyptian word for vitality-has an unusual front-to-back bubble shape that offers a sophisticated and likable contour. The car is a mere 1,958 pounds and shorter than even the Ford Fiesta or Escort. Its performance, however, out shines many subcompact cars, even with a fuel rating of 48 mpg (miles per gallon). Its organic shape affords the car a low drag efficiency, and the BODY CONSTRUCTION Unitary-welded steel body three-door styling achieves the maximum amount of interior space with the minimal footprint for YEAR AND COUNTRY 1996 in Europe and Brazil INTRODUCED easier parking and maneuverability. Visibility has also been maximized by including large glass TOP SPEED (MPH) 96 mph areas. In addition, the interior has been rethought

ENGINE 4 cylinder to include a curving wraparound driving console Type 1.3i Endura-E 44KW (60 and many small storage units, a feature popular PS) or E 37KW (50 PS) with younger drivers who tend to keep lots of Displacement 79.3 cubic inches smaller objects in their cars. The production of the Power 37KW or 60 PS Torque 77.4 ft.lb. car was also streamlined by reducing the number of parts from 3,000 for a Fiesta to only 1,200 for DIMENSIONS (INCHES) the Ka. Length 142Vz" Width 64 Vw" 7/e" Height 53 3/s" Wheelbase 96

CURB WEIGHT 1,962 lbs.

FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) 48 mpg

(PREDICTED) PRICE IN $11,200-$14,000 $US

SECONDS FROM 15 seconds 0-60 MPH Audi AL2

The AL2, a concept car developed by Audi, addresses many of the issues integral to the car for the next millennium and represents an important departure both in terms of styling and engineering from present auto mobiles. Scheduled to go into production in the fall of 1999, the AL2 features extensive use of weight-saving aluminum that was pio neered by Audi in the A8 . The overall gas mileage is as much as forty percent bet ter than a conventional car. A sophisticated space-frame structure enhances weight windows supported by light alloy struts. In an savings, stability, and strength. This automo attempt to make the car "family friendly," an bile weighs approximately 1,700 pounds- advanced electronics package includes a 575 pounds lighter than the same car with YEAR AND COUNTRY Fall 1999 steering wheel-based control system, a navi INTRODUCED steel parts. The AL2 debuts a three-cylinder, gation system, photo-sensors for parking, spark-ignition model that produces fifteen to emergency call, and an automatic distance TOP SPEED (MPH) 106 mph twenty percent better fuel economy than a control that alerts drivers when they are get ENGINE 3 cylinder conventional spark-ignition engine. Like the ting too close to the car ahead. A manual Type Spark-ignition direct Multipla and the Smart, the passengers are gearbox features an automatic clutch. injection; aluminum cylinder crankcase raised above the power source, creating Displacement 73 cubic inches greater safety and a comfortable amount of Power 75 bhp at 5,500 rpm room for four occupants. Torque 115Nm at 3,000 rpm DIMENSIONS (INCHES) The rectangular and boxy form of the Audi Length 148" 3/V' Width 63 3/16" illustrates a recent trend among some manu Height 60 3/4n facturers away from the sinuously continu Wheel Base 94

ous shapes of the past first made popular by CURB WEIGHT 1,653 lbs. the Italian Continental designers of the 1950s and 60s. Like the recent Beetle and the Audi FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) 57 mpg TT, the AL2's styling appears to confirm the (PREDICTED) PRICE IN N/A manufacture of the automobile as sum $US

of different interconnecting parts. The car's SECONDS FROM less than 12 seconds unigue transparent roof allows light to 0-60 MPH stream in through frosted green plastic BODY CONSTRUCTION Steel space frame with aluminum panels BMW/Rover Group

YEAR AND COUNTRY 1997 as concept car only Millennium Concept Car INTRODUCED

TOP SPEED (MPH) 130 mph

ENGINE The Mini, produced originally by BMC (British Type Rover K Series Displacement 109.6 cubic inches Motor Corporation) in 1959, is an archetypal Power 145 PS at 7,000 rpm example of the small, economical car. Devel Torque 174 Nm at 4,500 rpm oped to fulfill the growing need for basic DIMENSIONS (INCHES) affordable transportation in postwar Europe, Length 1571/2" especially following the 1956 that Width 67" Height 55" necessitated gasoline rationing throughout Wheelbase 94" England, the Mini in one form or another has

CURB WEIGHT 2,425 lbs. been in continuous production ever since. Originally designed by Sir Alex Issigonis, who FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) 36.3 mpg intended it as a sporty and affordable form of (PREDICTED) PRICE IN N/A transportation for four passengers, the car $US allows for the greatest interior space with

SECONDS FROM 7 seconds the smallest exterior dimensions. This was 0-60 MPH achieved by placing the small engine hori zontally in the front and providing the car with front-wheel drive. Its popularity is attested to by the fact that over 5 million have been sold internationally.

Built on an existing mechanical platform used for the current MG, the new Mini features a steel frame with lightweight, aluminum body panels. Its shape represents an updating of the traditionally functional and boxy Mini form-more rounded, sportier, and with softer edges than its predecessors- producing a less awkward and more purely functional look than the original. The BMW/ Rover Group's new Mini Millennium Concept Car represents a return to a classic people car and confirms the growing need for these kinds of cars in the coming century. Different Roads

Automobilesfor the Next Century