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Compact cars to rule future urban roads

Sukrat Gupta:

A small car does not demand more attention than the long, large-sized ones. Whenever one is walking on the street, his eyes are drawn towards a long limousine passing by rather than a small Nissan car. However, there is one harsh truth that one forgets: it is the small car that is known for fuel-efficiency and better mileage than a larger one. Adding this trait with today’s trend of soaring prices and rapid depletion of crude-oil, anyone can guess that it is the small, compact, humble car that holds the key to road-dominance in the future. The paradigm-shift to smaller cars has already started; as per the statistics, B- and C-size passenger cars have gone from 14 percent of the market in 2004 to 21 percent in 2009, the time when there was whopping $4 per gallon increase in crude-oil prices in the Middle East.

Keeping an eye on the increasing market of such cars, many car-companies are coming up with revolutionary ideas and designs that can, if implemented correctly, dominate the future roads.

WHAT IS IN FOR THE CUSTOMER

Before buying a compact car, customers should know something about them, so that later on, they are not disappointed. For instance, a compact car means the presence of a compact engine. As till now, no engine has been developed which give high-performance despite its small size, the compact car cannot be expected to scale high-speeds. These engines, due to the capacity of 1.5- to 2.4-liter fuel, and generating 170 to 300 horsepower, are restricted in their operation, but are the best for casual traveling without indulging into races or very long drives. In short, a compact car is not meant for speed-freaks.

However, this car comes with more benefits than one can anticipate. They run pretty well on gasoline due to small engine-sizes, and, as gasoline prices are usually lower than petrol-prices, fuel is much cheaper. Super-charged compacts are even better, running better on gas and running over 300 miles per tank, making it an ideal car for long distances. As these cars do not take up much space, they are easy to park, and are capable of fitting in small spaces, thus removing any worries related with parking.

1) Honda P-NUT

Honda has unveiled the Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT), an ultra-compact and sophisticated city couple. The three-seater vehicle is designed to be powered by an ecofriendly low-emission engine that can include a low-emission IC engine, hybrid-electric or an all-electric setup. However, due to excessive use of glass and absence of side-mirrors - which violate basic manufacture-norms - this car cannot be brought to streets, unless modifications are made in this. It, anyway, manages to make a statement: size does not matter in beautiful-designing and provision of amenities and facilities.

2) Pixel Concept car

Tata Motors shows up an innovative city car concept for Europe dubbed, Tata Pixel at the Geneva Motor Show 2011. Tata seems to have inspired from its own small car, Nano, to develop Tata Pixel concept. In design and size, Tata Pixel resembles the celebrated Tata Nano, but it is certainly a different car. According to Tata, unlike other city cars, Tata Pixel can take four adults. Most city cars in Europe can only carry two adults and children. Tata Pixel is featured for its capability to park in congested spaces in cities, due to its Zero Turn Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT) that help Tata Pixel rotate and parked in less space possible. The IVT technology will help rotate the car’s outer rear wheel forwards and inner rear wheels backwards at a time, and front wheels will turn in clear-cut angles. It will result in a turning circle radius of just 2.6 meters for the new Tata city car. The small car also features scissor doors, which help passengers get in and alight even in packed streets. Tata Pixel sports its 1.2 liter three-cylinder diesel engine in the rear. The engine realizes low-friction and features rapid warm-up options. The city car for Europe greatly complies with the European combined cycle (NEDC) fuel economy of 3.4 liters and CO2 emission controls.

3) Navis Concept Car

The Navis car is another concept among many other urban transportation solutions trying to make space in the next-gen environment. Its zero emission electric engine and compact size make it ideal for urban streets. The design is such that it doesn’t require extra space for motors. It incorporates a FreeMotion wheel system, whereby the wheels also work as electric motors. Here the outer section of the wheel rotates and the center section stays fixed. An SCS (Scent Concentration System) located in the front and rear provides you complete advantage of airflow and scent detection. Further, scent detection surfacing is used to navigate and traverse along the already acquainted routes.

The surface is made up of semi-porous electrostatically sensitive metal-matix composite. Two additional layers of solid metal ensure protection against damage. An ultra-compact lithium-ion battery placed in the front of car will store energy. Two super-formed high tensile spring steel plates are wrapped in carbon fiber that makes the ride smoother. The main structure is separated from suspension plates by oil-filled rubber bladders. The reciprocal seating arrangement makes interaction between the driver and the passenger more convenient. The concept sounds appealing, but it will be hard to comment on its fate in the absence of detailed specification.

4) Kinetia Cuboy

The Kinetia Cuboy concept car, designed by automotive designer Sasank Gopinathan, seeks to redefine compactness. Out with a vengeance to give competition to Volkswagen, Beetle and even an Austin Mini, Kinetia is a miniature devil on the roads, complete with just a square and a diagonal for its exterior body. Don’t get fooled by the miniature size of the car. It may be small and compact for all its worth, but it encloses within 4-5 seats and one Isetta inspired door at the front. This is not all. The cuboys have been neatly arranged like a train and further have been placed aptly, forming an L-design inside the car. However, this design was what the designer had planned on initially. What came out eventually was completely different from the blueprints. Finally, when the car rolled off the production floor, it comprised of 3 seats: one for the driver and the two at the back. Not to forget the doors. The driver has access to one door from the front and the back seats can be accessed through the door at the back. The right seat can be conveniently used as a recliner, while the left seat can be revolved. Some of the other features which can make your day are detachable headlamps (use them as individual torch lights), a collapsible steering column and an all rounder body design which makes parking in congested areas all the more easier.

Source http://www.designbuzz.com/entry/compact-cars-rule-future-urban-roads/
Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:18:16 GMT
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