DESIGN
DYNAMICS
CHRYSLER
REWRITING THE BOOK
Two years ago, GM showed
off a concept car in Shanghai
called the En-V, a two-wheeler
that is shaped like a Russian
nesting doll. Its meant to drive
no faster than 35 mph, designed
to make commuting through
overcrowded cities much easier.
The automaker is also looking at
other kinds of transportation:
Bikes, trains, commuter trucks
that could carry pint-sized oneor two-seater cars. They’re trying
to solve future transportation
problems that are sure to develop
as the world grows increasingly
more crowded, Dean said.
Growing urban populations are
a challenge for carmakers, because
those cities lack the infrastructure
to handle the millions of cars on
the road. That results in huge
traffic jams, like a 12-day traffic
jam that happened in China in
2010. More often, though, people
end up spending an inordinate
amount of time in their cars,
driving no faster than 30 mph.
About 3 billion people live in
cities today; by 2040, that figure
is expected to grow to 6 billion.
Automated cars will play a
large role in moving all those
CADILLAC DEVILLE (1959)
These pastel-colored land yachts were a
symbol of opulence and style in the late
1950s. Each car sported massive tail
fins on its rear — a signature feature.
PONTIAC GTO (1964)
With a list of optional equipment
described as being “as long as your
arm and twice as hairy,” the “Goat”
became the preferred car of hellraisers in the late 1960s.
FORD MUSTANG (1965)
One of the most gorgeous mainstream
cars ever put on the street, it created the
“pony car” class of American automobiles
— sports car-like coupes with long hoods
and short rear decks.
HONDA CIVIC (1972)
Renowned motorcycle manufacturer
Honda unveiled this fuel-sipper in 1972.
It ran on the revolutionary new CVCC
engine and got 39 miles per gallon.
w
CHRYSLER MINIVAN (1983)
A bigger, more comfortable alternative
to station wagons, the Minivan
became the go-to choice for family
road trips and the official vehicle of
the suburban soccer mom.
TOYOTA PRIUS (1997)
The birth of the modern, environmentally
conscious automobile, it popularized the
use of alternative energy in fueling cars.
All information from Paul Ingrassia’s
new book, Engines of Change: A
History of the American Dream in
Fifteen Cars