Thursday, January 10, 2008

Cows in the street should be the bigger concern.

The world's cheapest car has been unveiled (that is, it's the world's cheapest NEW car - you could hop on Craigslist and find cars for free if you're willing to haul them away):



Normally, this is precisely the kind of car I would rip on. It's hideous, and I'd rather shave my legs with a cheese grater than be seen driving around in it. I think my love of a cool car is well documented.

HOWEVER. This thing only costs $2,500. No air conditioning. No radio. And you're likely to be killed if you hit a pothole while driving faster than 15 mph. But it's only $2,500, and it gets 50 mpg, and you're probably lucky if you can get the thing above 15 mph anyway, so I figure the pothole danger is low.

It's being marketed in India - a cesspool of overpopulated urban humanity. So, the 50 mpg thing isn't winning over the environmentalists and transportation planners there. They think that more cars on the road there will be a nightmare. They're probably right.

But I still think this thing could be a real boon to people with low incomes. After experiencing the molasses-like pace of mass transit in Las Vegas, I have to admit that if I were living on a shoe-string budget and had to rely on the freakin' bus to get everywhere, I'd leap at the chance to drive that little death box. Imagine getting 5 miles down the road in less than an hour...

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think that thing is awesome! And that is exactly what it is, a thing, it is no car... You'd still make that thing look sexy though... ;)

Judy said...

That's not a car, its a pregnant roller skate. Seriously. My foot is about all I could fit in there!

Actually, I think for putzing around town, they'd be great here. Austin? Maybe not - too many kamikazi drivers.