How would YOU design an extremely low-cost car?

[MS Fowler]

The announcement of the upcoming $2500 Tata caused me to think how I might make a low-cost car. Here's my starting list--How would you do it?
Remember this is an extremely minimal vehicle.

4 passenger.
Tricyclce car with the single wheel in the rear, driving the car--eliminates differential, and does not have problems with inside wheel lifting as in a powered 2 wheel axle in a trike.
One Door--passenger side to promote curb-side egress, and simplify. Also promotes rigid safety cell by having no opening in driver's side.
No interior door panels
Floor covering might be a spray-on in 2 layers--first layer is a resilent material for some sound deadening, topped with a tough layer like Rhino liner material.
Probably about 35-40 HP driving thru a 3 or 4 speed tranny--maybe a planetary gear train, depending on costs.
Side windows slide up and down with catches at only 3 positions--fully closed, about 1" open ( for vent), half open, and then fully open ( no catch required at bottom of the travel. Catch is a rod running in a track at the bottom of the glass--not spring catches like on a school bus ( too many parts)
Flat side glass and same shape for all side glass--interchangeable side-to-side and front-to-rear. Maybe even flat glass front and rear. ( All glass safety type, of course)
Simple seat construction--steel loop frame and elastic (bungy) cords with some padding and cover.
No external trunk ( simplifies exterior sheet metal and no hinges or shut lines to worry about) access to spare storage is thru the wide single door and folding rear seat.
All gauges in a single cluster --speed odometer, fuel and temp.
Heat, vent and defrost only--NO provision for A/C

Well, I gotta get back to work, but this is a start.
What would you do?

That's not terribly far removed from the older VW Beetle.

If you really stripped - I mean *REALLY* stripped down an aircooled VW Beetle it would probably make for very inexpensive (albeit miserable) basic transportation.

[E150GT]

I wouldn't. I suppose in India it's a good idea, but for me it seems a low cost car would be more trouble than it's worth.

[TX76513]

Fabrication, assembly and distribution are a huge cost on any product. Questions like where would they be built and who would build them are key questions.

[Botnst]

^^^ Good point.

So design simplicity such that it almost snaps together. Do the fine machining and assembly in say, Japan and North America's eastern seaboard or Europe. Japan covers China, the Pacific Rim, Oceania, to East Africa while North America covers the Atlantic basin islands & continents and the Med. Have lower-tech stamping plants in 2nd-tier industrial countries with painting and assembly stations in several labor-rich port cities around the world.

B

[TX76513]

Originally Posted by Botnst

^^^ Good point.

. Have lower-tech stamping plants in 2nd-tier industrial countries with painting and assembly stations in several labor-rich port cities around the world.

B

Alright more jobs for Louisiana and Mississippi

[Botnst]

Originally Posted by TX76513

Alright more jobs for Louisiana and Mississippi

Ha!
We gotta look after our own.

[Gurkha]

http://www.autocarindia.com/new/autocar_forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=926

Bajaj getting into the fray of the $2500 car with help from Nissan.

[IMG][/IMG]

[dynalow]

Some of you must remember these...
The Isetta.. BMW variant.
I like this:
"The cost of the bodywork is decisively influenced by the number of doors. You can get by with one door. The door is not hung in the outer skin of the bodywork, but stands proud of the front end and hence is accident proof."

http://www.worldcarfans.com/5050328.001/50-years-of-the-bmw-isetta

[OldPokey]

A picture is worth a thousand words:

[jlomon]

Originally Posted by TX76513

Fabrication, assembly and distribution are a huge cost on any product. Questions like where would they be built and who would build them are key questions.

Excellent points. Don't forget about looking at who will retail them, as well. Right now the manufacturers sell their product to authorized dealers at a profit. The dealers then retail them for a profit. Cut out the middle-man and figure out a way to retail the product direct to the consumer through a website, following Dell's business model.

You would have to take a couple of pages from Henry Ford's book of Model T production. Colours? Black, only because black paint dried faster than other colours, allowing the production line to move faster. Options? Forget it, this is how the vehicle comes. You would also have to cut costs by reusing materials as much as possible. The floorboards on a Model T? Wood from packing crates used to deliver parts to the factory.

[kerry]

Originally Posted by dynalow

Some of you must remember these...
The Isetta.. BMW variant.
I like this:
"The cost of the bodywork is decisively influenced by the number of doors. You can get by with one door. The door is not hung in the outer skin of the bodywork, but stands proud of the front end and hence is accident proof."

http://www.worldcarfans.com/5050328.001/50-years-of-the-bmw-isetta

Saw quite a few of those when I was a kid in the UK. Used to call them 'Bubble cars".
Messerschmidt had a similar kind of vehicle with two seats fore and aft.

[WVOtoGO]

Not sure about the car itself.

But, I’d for sure design the manufacturing plant to be a UAW free zone.

[Botnst]

UAW, duh-OH!

Big 3 could even make a profit without that millstone.

B

[WVOtoGO]

Originally Posted by Botnst

UAW, duh-OH!

Big 3 could even make a profit without that millstone.

B

On the side ---

I think DJ sent you a PM about the P-39. Did you get it?
She's all ate up with that sort of stuff. And it's in the UK to boot!
Thanks from me as well.


Now, back to the thread.