On 2009-04-17, Joseph Gwinn wrote:
Title says it all. Actually tons of metal involved. But too little for
safety.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123993371229527975.html

This is a shot in the coming fight about CAFE.

The Wall Street Journal, 17 April 2009.


So they say that minis fare badly in collision with heavier cars.
That's understandable.

I am wondering about something? Does fuel efficiency of those tiny
cars come from then being small in dimensions, or light in weight?

I suspect that it is mostly the former, due to improved wind
resistance and such.

If so, perhaps the tiny economy cars could be made heavier, but kept
to the same dimensions? Such as, perhaps, the frame could be made from
solid steel instead of tubing.