New Cars Get Smaller To Meet CO2 Targets
Wednesday, 18. August 2010
I’m confused! It happens when you get older I’m told. Why am I confused? Well just as I started to get used to cars getting bigger, and not as a result of changing my glasses, manufacturers have started bringing out cars as big as a large shoe! Look at a new Clio – it’s about the same size as an old Megane. The VW Polo is easily as big as an early Golf and a Corsa has the size these days of an old Astra. As for Mini if, as I saw recently, you sat a 60’s Mini alongside a new Mini it looks as though the new Mini has a bit of an over active thyroid. I was convinced that this was the future, all cars getting lighter and more fuel efficient but able to carry 10 passengers. That is until I recently saw pictures of the new Mini Mini to be launched. After deciding that a Smart car would be better suited to the pavement, until I was overtaken on the M11 by one tanking along at what must have been close to 90, I thought that Mercedes would grow up, throw away the idea of cars being no bigger than a child’s pedal car and get back to making proper cars, every bugger has started to follow suit. We’ve now got Nissans and Toyotas and now Mini that have decided that small is good and started to develop cars for little people when the whole nation seems to be giving birth to 7 foot giants. I didn’t mean at birth, more like teenage years. So is this the way forward? Is it right to reverse the trend for bigger cars? By Graham Hill
