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Looking to the future: A few examples of tomorrow’s ultra-efficient vehicles – Part Three: The frugal sports car
On TDI Curious, we try to explore current avenues of responsible mobility, whether it is new fuels, low-consumption vehicles, or alternative forms of individual transportation. Until now, we have focused mainly on popularizing what is happening today, but we haven’t yet covered the extremely interesting subject of low-consumption vehicles, which are certain to show up on roads in the very near future. I have three examples to offer you.
In the previous posts, we looked at the inline two-seater vehicle and the reasonable vehicle.
In this post, I will introduce the frugal sports car, which as its name suggests, attempts to combine sporty with frugality, reminiscent of those little 1960-era Brits like the Triumph Spitfire or the MG Midget.
These few examples of automotive frugality might make you smile, but I think their arrival is only a matter of time. Ten or 15 years from now, given the recent awareness of environmental problems, we should expect to see more of these low-consumption individual transport vehicles. So what do you think? Which of these “cars of the future” gets your nod?
The frugal sports car
In the early 1960s, the European automotive industry had many small engine roadsters targeted to young buyers. Their low weight, combined with modest engines, promised OK performance while going easy on fuel. This trend is over, but the Smart make tried to bring it back with the Roadster, which was produced from 2003 to 2006. Powered by a small 0.7-litre (yes, a 700 cc) turbo-compressed gas engine, the Roadster offered sporty lines, decent handling and adequate performance. Averaging 5.1 litres/100 km, consumption was also more than decent.
I consider this type of sporty vehicle to be an ultra-frugal individual transporter that also offers a certain amount of charm, and a zippy image. VW is currently working on a similar model with its EcoRacer model, which was introduced in 2005. The EcoRacer relies on a 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine.
These few examples of automotive frugality might make you smile, but I think their arrival is only a matter of time. Ten or 15 years from now, given the recent awareness of environmental problems, we should expect to see more of these low-consumption individual transport vehicles. So what do you think? Which of these “cars of the future” gets your nod?
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