Automotive enthusiasts?

@Prince Artemis
 
Counterpoint

I love what Lexus does to their interiors.  
 
This is from a 2003-2006 Lexus ES300.
 
They have like the cushiest seats.

@Prince Artemis  
omg that’s from that one Subaru ad… heh good memories

@SeraphimDawn  
yes and then they made the awesome trackpads and Remote Touch interface
 

 
Currently I am in love with having a red Lexus interior
 

@SonGokuMonkey  
Last I heard GM made utes under their Australian Holden brand and the Australian factory closed, which makes the chances of an ute in America very slim.

I’m reading a book for my environmental sustainability class. it was written in 1998.
 
they said Toyota estimated they would capture 1/3 of the world car market by 2005 with the Prius… oh man, they were so optimistic back then.
 
Too bad fuel cell cars never took off the way they estimated. in 1998 they were all so happy to get these 80 mpg cars!

@RainbowDash69  
Well Prius has been quite successful, no doubt.

@RainbowDash69  
1/3 of the market? In 1998, when gas was a dollar a gallon and Geo Metros were available to buy new for anyone who was worried about fuel economy? That’s incredibly optimistic, especially considering that a 1998 Prius is far less functional of a car than later generations.

EDIT: Sorry, double post.

@Flying Pancake  
Funny how Prius started off as a 4-door sedan, then became a liftback.
 
I have to say to Toyota. If you’re going to make a great hybrid vehicle. Who do you make them look so ugly and slow?!
 
I’m turned down by Toyota cars because of their perpetual blandness.

@Flying Pancake  
exactly, the book is focusing on “Natural Capital” so they wanted cars to weigh less and pollute less, it wasn’t concerned much about the prices of gas
 
one hilarious paraphrase in the book is this: “Extrapolating, the cost per barrel of oil will reach zero in 2009.” good stuff. I am now fascinated with the Toyota Mirai, the fuel cell car of the future… 10 years late, according to this book

@SeraphimDawn  
heh, “blandless?” we’ve discussed Toyota’s new design language. they’ve moved to being the exact opposite of bland to now completely confused (too many angles)
 
One thing good about the Prius is the rear always looked… kinda nice.
 

 
I love the new look, it shares the new DNA while being not so ugly

@RainbowDash69  
The real issue with the thing wasn’t the styling, but the fact it wrote a check it couldn’t cash. Its pricy, under powered, and only gets about 40-45 MPG compared to the 60 it promised.

@Prince Artemis  
true.
 
also, people were very optimistic about 200+ mpg with “hypercars” in 1998

@RainbowDash69  
The only way I see that happening is if a car was made of paper and powered by the engine from an push mower.

@Prince Artemis  
haha :D
 
seriously though, the use of composite plastics (polymer with carbon fiber tubes inside of them) can save a lot of weight along with using hydrogen fuel cells. I’d be jealous if I lived in California seeing those fuel cell cars and the pumps all over town

@SeraphimDawn  
The liftback/hatchback/Kammback really should have been how it was from the start. I can’t think of a much less functional configuration than a miniature sedan, particularly when you’ve got batteries taking up trunk space.
 
@RainbowDash69  
Weight reduction matters, but if you really want to improve your fuel economy, you need to focus on aerodynamics. That’s how this old Civic can cruise at highway speeds and return 85-95 mpg:  

 
I’m not sure about hydrogen cars’ efficiency, but I hope they eventually catch on, if for no other reasons than that they’re better than electrics, and because I really like the look of the Colorado ZH ₂:  

 
I’m a sucker for sci-fi military vehicles.

@Flying Pancake  
You and me both

@Flying Pancake  
Oh that Prius must be from one of those youtube channels? I remember seeing one with a giant rear setup like that. it is fun to read about aerodynamic design, I really wanna get in fluid dynamics research when I get outta college. (I’m an engineering student now) it’s so fun to see how good a car can get even if it looks insane/ridiculous
 
Hydrogen cars are very inefficient right now, but if enough people take the “leap of faith,” the price will be comparable to cheap oil. The only difference will be the lack of pollutants! there’s a lot of possibilities, there just needs to be more demand. I think demand will come very quickly once people notice the climate start to change. *puts on tin foil hat*

by the way, this is probably the closest we’ll get to “military sci-fi” vehicles:
 

@RainbowDash69  
It looks like a sedan now.

@RainbowDash69  
Not sure if it’s been on a YouTube channel, but it’s got it’s own website, aerocivic.com, where they explain it in a little more detail.
 
It’d be really disappointing if Chevy were to only do an Equinox like that instead of the ZH ₂. Assuming the ZH ₂ does well in the Army’s evaluations, it’d have a heck of a selling point. I’d hope GM wouldn’t waste that opportunity.

EDIT: Sorry, double posted again.

@Flying Pancake  
Dang, that’s awesome. a 1939 Maybach inspired all that! the people in the 30s sure were headed in the right direction (too bad they weren’t trying to be hypercars)
 
well, GM has a huge contract with the military already so it would be nice to see them at the forefront of new technology
 
 
@SeraphimDawn  
ah but it is still a hatch! it’s sneaky like the A7 and Panamera!

@RainbowDash69  
It keeps fooling me every time.  
 
I see a lot of them on the road.