GM really clutching at straws....

[SailDesign]

Time to say "Goodbye". Please!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/5122494/General-Motors-unveils-two-wheeled-car.html

[ChinoCharles]

... I don't see why that is a bad thing. At least it isn't another revived muscle car! Kudos to GM for thinking outside the box for once!

[SailDesign]

My problem with it is that in order for it to work, they are talking about a massive infrastructure with the cars talking to each other to solve traffic problems, etc. Trying to integrate those into existing street patterns will be a nightmare. If they could start out with something more car-like (an elextric FIAT500?) and grow the infrastructure as they go, that would be better.
The two-wheeler would pretty much require its own roads to begin with, until all the other traffic was capable of being directed by "the Hive". Just not a practical alternative without huge $$, IMNSHO. :smile:
I will allow them kudos for thinking outside the box, though.

[ChinoCharles]

It certainly isn't practical, but often times you find the answer between what is and what can't/shouldn't be.

[Darb]

Feh, Toyota has them beat already. From the awesomeness that is Top Gear:

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Top-Gear-Toyota-Chair_199770.htm

[tuckevalastin]

I think it's an awesome piece of engineering!

And it's foolish to believe that GM had any involvement in it as an attempt to save their company.

[m911gt]

similar to the Toyota I-Real

[SLIK4]

that would be fun as hell to ride around campus in! imagine the looks someone would get!

[SailDesign]

It certainly isn't practical, but often times you find the answer between what is and what can't/shouldn't be.

I'm with you there, too. But (and it's a big one!) is this the kind of lateral-thinking-payoff-far-in-the-furture-kinda-thing that GM should be doing now, instead of trying to save it's ass tomorrow?
Methinks not....

[SuperFunBall]

Not to beat a dead horse but GM F'd up when they took away the EV-1 (watch "Who killed the electric car"). A full electric that actually had some hp balls to it, looked good, and was not costly. All of them were leases and at the end the took them back and crushed them all. Only one remains in a museum fully stripped of the engine and technology. Funny, now they are scrambling to come up with an electric fix to look good and justify the money the government gave them to bail them out. Bring back the EV-1 and gain some respect GM.

[TLyttle]

Man I'm with you there, Saildesign! It is actually fairly easy to design and build a prototype vehicle, hit the media with it, and disappear; history can supply thousands of examples.

But to build reliable, long-lasting, economical, environmentally-friendly vehicles is another task altogether. Had GM concentrated on this instead of campus cruisers, they, and maybe the rest of the world, would be better off.

If GM died off tomorrow, I really don't think the impact would last long at all. That would simply generate avoid that would be quickly filled by others: does anyone really think that Ford, Chrysler, Volvo, Toyota etc would not be able to ramp up production in a few months, if not weeks? It's the old trick of sticking one's finger in a goldfish bowl: pull it back out and see the hole it leaves...

[tuckevalastin]

Man I'm with you there, Saildesign! It is actually fairly easy to design and build a prototype vehicle, hit the media with it, and disappear; history can supply thousands of examples.

But to build reliable, long-lasting, economical, environmentally-friendly vehicles is another task altogether. Had GM concentrated on this instead of campus cruisers, they, and maybe the rest of the world, would be better off.

If GM died off tomorrow, I really don't think the impact would last long at all. That would simply generate avoid that would be quickly filled by others: does anyone really think that Ford, Chrysler, Volvo, Toyota etc would not be able to ramp up production in a few months, if not weeks? It's the old trick of sticking one's finger in a goldfish bowl: pull it back out and see the hole it leaves...



If GM fails it's parts suppliers would also fail. These suppliers also supply Ford and Chrysler. So now that eliminates all of the Big 3. Maybe Toyota could somehow build that many more cars so I guess it would be no big loss. Only downside I can see would be....

the MILLIONS of jobs lost by fellow Americans, the huge economic hit, and a complete loss of automotive independence. BUT, I guess Japan's economy would sky rocket so no big loss

/sarcasm

[devinlamothe]

Yeah, I really have no sympathy for them after what they did to the EV-1. That was terrible and so stupid. I would have loved to buy that car.

[SilverBack]

Meter-maid car lol

IMO it is a genius idea have to admit. It's like they made an actual use out of the Segway

Not sure if it'll save them though. They're far-in too deep already...

[supmet]

If GM fails it's parts suppliers would also fail. These suppliers also supply Ford and Chrysler. So now that eliminates all of the Big 3. Maybe Toyota could somehow build that many more cars so I guess it would be no big loss. Only downside I can see would be....

the MILLIONS of jobs lost by fellow Americans, the huge economic hit, and a complete loss of automotive independence. BUT, I guess Japan's economy would sky rocket so no big loss

/sarcasm

GM has part suppliers all over the world. Toyota has plants in the US. You could buy a camry mostly built inside the US, and a GM mostly built in mexico. I don't buy the claims that millions of jobs would be "lost" They would be more in a period of transition. They'd lose their job making parts for GM, and get them back making toyota and honda parts. Or "god forbid" a new company be allowed a foothold in the american auto industry.

Also, cars just aren't feasible with super dense cities. It takes 2 hours to go 50 miles in LA sometimes. That's not even taking into consideration all the pollution, just inconvenience. We need to stop worrying about keeping past failures alive and look to the future of mass transit. California turned down to mass transit measures that were in the 1 billion dollar range, but would make transportation easier for me than any bailout for the auto industry.

[TLyttle]

My feelings exactly, submet. The silliness of commuting is something I have never been able to understand, and very seldom have I been trapped into commuting any longer than 3/4hr each way, and found my way out in a matter of weeks. Two hours???? Oh, dear....

[Shroomster]

If GM fails it's parts suppliers would also fail. These suppliers also supply Ford and Chrysler.

seriously who came up with that whole idea? If gm fails it will be only Gm that fails they don't take anyone with them. it's not like once the execs sign the bankruptcy papers your corvette or malibu will instantly die/implode.