Giugiaro Strikes Again

[Darksied-X]

http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/cars/toyota_volta.asp

Giugiaro is an automotive GOD! If only it had a turboed boxer 6....

[Mr. Pockets]

Ahhh...that's much better. I'm glad they went back to designing pretty cars.

[lee]

there's always exceptions, but IMO only the English and Italians know how to design a car body. I mean sometimes I get to thinking I might like a BMW or Mercedes design, then I remember what they look like after aging a few years. Anybody here think a Ferrari Daytona, or the Jaguar XKE is ugly even after all those years?

[Michael Blue]

Where's that DROOL smiley when you really need it?!

Ugh..... ROOL: !!!!!!!

[Seraph]

Why can't they have a prettier girl in that pic?

[LarryIII]

Could we be witnessing the future direction for Mr. Two ?

[MartyMcFly]

@Darksied-X

I share the Automotive-God statement with you!

This car is awesome. There is a picture in a local newspaper today. The car is at the Auto-Show in Genf (Switzerland)!

I have always loved the design of Giugiaro.
Mabye that's the reason why I bought my current car

mfg hrc

[upnygimp]

Originally posted by LarryIII
Could we be witnessing the future direction for Mr. Two ?

Most likely no. That body is way too exotic(read:expensive) to be used for an MR2. The MKII became way too expensive, it stickered out at ~$30K or more. Not many people had $30k to throw around, especially for an odd little car with 2 seats. Even the Spyder isn't doing too hot at ~$24k.

My predictions for the MR2

1)It's gonna be axed as unprofitable

2)Theyre gonna redesign it once again, this time going even more in the direction of the MK1 in an attempt to bring it under $20k


Most likely if they decide to use that body, it will become the MKV Supra, or maybe a completely new vehicle.

[LarryIII]

What really, really ticks me off about this is that it is a Toyota. Where are we Americans? We are supposed to show the way to the future. We invented the steamboat, the airplane, and put ourselves and ultimately the world in automobiles.
We had turbine powered cars and air supported cars when I wore a younger man's clothes.
We have had Toyota & Honda hybrid drive cars running around here for about 5 years now. Where are the American hybrid drive cars. GM supposed to have somekind of technology sharing agreement with Toyota. Why doesn't GM use this to make it's own Prius in a Korean plant and undercut Toyota.
Today, our corporate executives lack any balls and try to take absolutely no risk. It was alot different when I was growing up.
We had better straighten up or we are going to wind up like Italy without the great food.


Sorry for the rant. I remmember a different USA.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by LarryIII
Sorry for the rant. I remmember a different USA.

Well, people make their voices heard with their pocketbooks. And and people aren't telling GM they want hybrids, they're telling them they want bigger SUVs.

American car companies are going a totally different route with hybrids. Toyota and Honda introduced passable cars and developed them into very nice cars. GM, Ford and Chrysler ar ewaiting until they can integrate hybrid technology into already 'nice' cars. Time will tell which route proves more effective, but I prefer the Toyota philosophy.

[Seraph]

Originally posted by LarryIII



Sorry for the rant. I remmember a different USA.

Because the current chief is a buddy of oil industry so that's not going to help him or his buddies by going hybrid. If I were to become president (not that I could yet -- until we change the constitution), we could see some changes.


On a serious note, American Car industry knows of the move and they have the technology to move. It's just that they are also friends with the oil barons.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by Seraph
On a serious note, American Car industry knows of the move and they have the technology to move. It's just that they are also friends with the oil barons.

While I think that's part of it, I think that people who say things like that are forgetting their responsibility in the matter. Car companies are driven by the cars people like you and I buy. American car manufacturers, in my opinion, are no longer into innovation. They're too defensive. They'll make hybrids when they're sure that people will buy them.

[LarryIII]

Originally posted by Mr. Pockets


While I think that's part of it, I think that people who say things like that are forgetting their responsibility in the matter. Car companies are driven by the cars people like you and I buy. American car manufacturers, in my opinion, are no longer into innovation. They're too defensive. They'll make hybrids when they're sure that people will buy them.

Nick,

That's my point. We used to be risk takers in this country and rise to the ocassion with novel solutions to problems (putting a man on the moon). Now all we do is worry about the next quarter's profit sheet.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally posted by LarryIII



Nick,

That's my point. We used to be risk takers in this country and rise to the ocassion with novel solutions to problems (putting a man on the moon). Now all we do is worry about the next quarter's profit sheet.

Well, hey, maybe a moon base and a trip to Mars will inspire people, I dunno. I still think there's a good bit of innovation happening in this country - the automakers are just on a back foot after losing so much of their market share to foreign makers.

[lee]

Originally posted by LarryIII
What really, really ticks me off about this is that it is a Toyota. Where are we Americans? ...snip...

Read an interview with an American car executive (some business rag while getting my MBA last year) in which he said GM could do what Honda/Toyota are doing....test through road experience, or....wait until it's viable, "steal"/buy the technology, and produce cars, albeit at a lesser reliability level than Honda/Toyota.

Claimed there was a significantly greater profit margin in the latter route - so guess which one they're following