Economy car

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An economy car is an automobile that is designed for low cost operation. They are designed for drivers who use their car primarily for personal transportation. The best of these cars are not merely cheapened or miniaturised versions of a conventional car, but instead they are designed by taking a fresh look at how to meet their design requirements. Typical economy cars are small, light weight, and inexpensive to buy. The size of a 'small car' (and so economy car), was until recently, larger and heavier in the USA than in the rest of the world.

1 History
2 Economy cars today
3 List of economy cars
4 References

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-war

At the birth of the car, in the 1890s it was considered a replacement for the carriages of the rich. The first car to be marketed to the ordinary person and so the first 'economy car', was the 1901-1907 Oldsmobile Curved Dash - it was even mass produced. It was inspired by the buckboard type horse and buggy, (used like a small two seat pickup truck) popular in the rural USA. It had two seats, but was less versatile than the vehicle that inspired it.

Although there were low cost cars before it, the 1908-1927 Ford Model T is considered to be the "first" true economy car, because previous vehicles were 'horseless carriages' rather than cars. The first 'real' cars featured the FR layout first used by the French car maker Panhard. While it was at first the only large scale mass produced car, that very innovation, along with the attributes it required (a simple, inexpensive design) allowed it to be the first car to exemplify the ideals of the economy car. The complexity involved in making it a successful design was in its production and materials technology; particularly the use of new vanadium steel alloys. The River Rouge Plant where it was made was the most technologically advanced in the world. The innovation of the moving production line, was inspired by the 'dis-assembly' plants of the Chicago meat packing industry. The continuous improvement of production methods, allowed Henry Ford to progressively lower the price of the Model T throughout its production run. It was far less expensive, smaller, and more austere than its hand-built pre-first world war contemporaries.

In 1911 in Europe, Ettore Bugatti designed a small car for Peugeot, the 850 cc four-cylinder Type 19 "Bébé".

At the New York Motor Show in January 1915, William Durant the head of Chevrolet (and founder of GM), launched the Chevrolet Four-Ninety, a stripped down version of the Series-H, to compete with Henry Ford's all conquering Model T, it went into production in June. To aim directly at Ford, Durant said the new car would be priced at $490 (the source of its name), the same as the Model T touring. Its introductory price was $550, however, although it was reduced to $490 later when the electric starter and lights were made a $60 option. Henry Ford responded by reducing the Model T to $440.[1]

The subsequent decades led to economical cars that reflected the needs of their creators. The cycle car was an attempt in the period before 1922 in the post First World War austerity period, as a form of "four-wheeled motorcycle", with all the benefits of a motorcycle and side-car, in a more stable package. Crosley, a U.S. appliance manufacturer, would also be an early pioneer of very small cars.

In 1923 Chevrolet tried again with the Chevrolet Series M 'Copper-Cooled', air cooled car, designed by General Motors genius engineer at AC Delco Charles Kettering, it was a rare failure for him, due to uneven cooling of the inline four cylinder engine.[2] [3]

But by far, the most development occurred in Europe. There, there was less emphasis on long-distance automobile travel, and a need for vehicles that could navigate narrow streets and alleys. The Citroën Type A was the first car produced by Citroën from June 1919 to December 1921 in Paris. The Type A reached a production number of 24,093 vehicles. The Opel 4 PS, Germany's first 'peoples car', popularly known as the Opel Laubfrosch (Opel Treefrog), was a small two seater car introduced by the then family owned auto maker Opel, early in 1924, which bore an uncanny resemblance to the little Torpedo Citroën 5 CV of 1922.

On an even smaller scale, European cars, such as the Austin Seven, (which made cyclecars obsolete overnight), would also start to catch on in Japan during the same time period, as a Datsun, leading to the start of their own automobile industry. It was also produced by BMW in Germany and by Bantam in the USA.

Also, in the 1920s, Ford (with the Model T in Manchester, England) and General Motors, (who took over Opel in Germany and Vauxhall in Britain), expanded into Europe. Most Ford and GM European cars, but especially economy cars, were technologically conservative and all were rear wheel drive to a smaller European size, with improvements focused mainly on styling, (apart from the introduction of the Macpherson strut by Ford in the 1950s/60s), until the late 1970s / early 1980s.

In the late 'roaring' 1920s, General Motors finally overtook Ford, as the US car market fragmented into niches on a wave of prosperity, with GM producing a range of cars to match. This included a Chevrolet economy car. Henry Ford was wrong-footed by staying with the one size fits all, 'any colour you like as long as it's black', Model T for far too long. By the end of production in 1927 it looked like a relic from another era. It was replaced by the Ford Model A (1927).

In the 1930s, Fiat in Italy produced the more advanced and very compact Topolino the precursor of the 1950s Fiat 500.

The Volkswagen Beetle would be the longest-lasting icon of this 1930s era. Adolf Hitler admired the ideals exemplified by the Ford Model T, and sought the help of Ferdinand Porsche to create a 'peoples-car' - literally Volks-Wagen, with the same ideals for the people of Germany. Many of the design ideas were plagiarised from the work of Hans Ledwinka with the Czechoslovakian Tatra company. The Nazi "KdF-Wagen" ("Strength through Joy - Car") program ground to a halt because of World War II, but after the war, the Volkswagen company would be founded to produce the car in the new democratic West Germany, where it would be a success.

[edit] 1945-1973

VW 1300 (1972), the most popular car of all time - an economy car.

As Europe and Japan rebuilt from the war, their growing economies led to a steady increase in demand for cheap cars to 'motorise the masses'. Emerging technology allowed economy cars to become more sophisticated. Early post-war economy cars like the VW Beetle, Citroën 2CV, Renault 4CV and Saab 92, looked extremely minimal, but technically they were extremely advanced.

The VW featured an air cooled rear engine with rear wheel drive, all round fully independent suspension, semi monocoque construction and the ability to cruise on the Autobahn for long periods reliably. This cruising ablility and engine durability was gained by restricting the engine breathing and performance to well below its maximum capability.

The Citroën 2CV had interconnected all round fully independent suspension, radial tyres and front wheel drive with an air cooled flat twin engine. It was some 10 to 15 MPG more fuel efficient than any other economy car of its time - but with restricted performance to match. It was specifically designed to motorise rural communities where speed was not a requirement.

The Saab 92 had a transversly-mounted, water-cooled two-cylinder, two-stroke based on a DKW design, driving the front wheels. It had aircraft derived monocoque construction, with an aerodynamic cW value (drag coefficient) of 0.30 - better than any car until the 1980s. It was later developed into the Saab 93, Saab 95, Saab 96 and Saab Duetto. It was produced until 1980.

They were technologically more advanced than almost all conventional cars of the time.

In 1957 FIAT in Italy launched the Nuovo Fiat 500. It was the first real city car. It had a rear mounted air cooled vertical twin engine, and all round independent suspension. It was for Italian scooter riders who had settled down and had a young family. Fiat also launched the larger Fiat 600 with a similar layout but with a watercooled inline 4 cylinder engine.

In the late 1950s the DDR German Democratic Republic produced its 'peoples car'. The Trabant sold 3 million vehicles in thirty years due to its communist captive market. It had a transverse two-cylinder air-cooled two-stroke engine and front wheel drive.

The next big advance was the 1959 Austin Mini, designed by Alec Issigonis as a response to the first 'oil crisis', the 1956 Suez Crisis. It was the first front wheel drive car with a watercooled inline four cylinder engine mounted transversely. This allowed eighty percent of the floor plan for the use of passengers and luggage. The majority of modern cars use this configuration. Its progressive rate rubber sprung independent suspension (Hydrolastic 1964-1971), low centre of gravity, and wheel at each corner with radial tyres, gave a massive increase in grip and handling over all but the most expensive cars on the market.

In the 1960s the Renault 4 (arguably the first five door hatchback), and Simca 1100 were produced in France. The Toyota Corolla, Datsun Sunny refined the conventional small rear wheel drive economy cars as postwar international competition increased. Japan also codified a legal standard for extremely economical small cars, known as the keicar. During the 1960s FIAT designed the first car with a transverse engine and an end on gearbox Fiat 128. This gradually superseded the gearbox in the engine's sump of BMC Austin Morris and later Peugeot. The 1960s also saw the swansong of the rear engined rear wheel drive car, with the introduction of the Hillman Imp - UK, NSU Prinz - West Germany, Renault 8 and Simca 1000 - France, Chevrolet Corvair - USA. This layout was an affordable way to produce a car with all independent suspension, without the need for expensive constant-velocity joints needed by front wheel drive cars, or axle arrangements of FR layout cars. These cars also had better interior space utilisation than front engine rear wheel drive cars.

While economy cars flourished in Europe and Japan, the booming postwar American economy combined with the emergence of the suburban and interstate highways in that country led to slow acceptance of small cars. Brief economic recessions saw interest in economical cars wax and wane. During this time, the American auto manufacturers would introduce smaller cars of their own, in 1950 Nash Motors introduced the Rambler designed to be smaller than contemporary cars, yet still accommodate five passengers comfortably. Nash also contracted with BMC to build the American designed Metropolitan using existing BMC mechanical components, (the engine is a BMC B-Series engine also used in the MG MGA and MG MGB). The 1960s brought the Chevrolet Corvair, Ford Falcon, and Plymouth Valiant into the market segment dominated by the Rambler. These vehicles were still much larger than the ones enjoying popularity in Europe and Japan, however. Imported cars began to appear on the U.S. market during this time to satisfy the demands for true economy cars. The spectacular initial success and then failure of the Renault Dauphine in the U.S. in the late 1950s, may have significantly harmed the acceptance of small cars in America.

The launch in the 1960s of the Mini Cooper to exploit the phenomenal chassis of the Austin Mini, along with its massive success in rallying and circuit racing, first showed that economy cars could be very effective sports cars and made the likes of the MG Midget look old fashioned overnight. The old tech rear wheel drive Ford Lotus Cortina and Ford Escort 1300GT and RS1600, along with the Vauxhall Viva GT and Brabham SL/90 HB in the late 1960s opened up this market still further in Britain. Meanwhile, Abarth tuned Fiats and Gordini tuned Renaults did the same in Italy and France.

[edit] 1973-1990s

The oil crisis of 1973 caused a great deal of renewed emphasis to be placed on economy, especially in the United States with its greater distances, arguably the nation hardest hit because of their oversized cars with large inefficient engines,(made worse by new emissions and safety legislation). The Ford Pinto, Chevrolet Vega and Chevrolet Chevette showed just how far behind in the design of small cars US car makers had fallen. Because of this, imported cars sharply gained in popularity on the U.S. market.

Technologies developed during the post-war era reached maturity during this time, leading to iconic cars such as the Mk 1 Volkswagen Golf designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, Fiat 128 and Honda Civic. The Civic's CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) Stratified charge engine engine debuted in 1975 and was offered alongside the standard Civic engine. The CVCC engine had a head design that promoted cleaner, more efficient combustion, eliminated a need for a catalytic converter to meet emissions standards - nearly every other U.S. market car for this year needed exhausts with catalytic converters.

Some previously-exotic technology such as electronic fuel injection and radial tires became cheap enough for these cars in the US during this time, (they were adopted in the 1950s and 60s in Europe), which allowed the production of high-performance hot hatch sport compacts like the Volkswagen GTI, which combined economy of use and a practical hatchback body with the driving fun of a sports car.

In 1983 FIAT launched the next step forward in small car design, the Fiat Uno. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign its tall, square body and low drag coefficient of 0.34 won it much praise for airy interior space and fuel economy. It incorporated many packaging lessons learnt from Giugiaro's 1978 Lancia Megagamma concept car, (the first people carrier / MPV / mini-van) - but miniaturised. Its tall car / high seating packaging is imitated by every small car today. It showed that not just low sleek cars could be aerodynamic, but small boxy well packaged cars could be too. It was voted Car of the Year in 1984.^[1]

Also in 1983 Peugeot launched the Peugeot 205. While not as radical as the Uno in body design, it was also very aerodynamic. It was the first European supermini with an XUD diesel engine. It provided the sprightly performance of a 1.4 L petrol with economy - 55 mpg–imp (5.14 L/100 km / 45.8 mpg–U.S.) - that was better than the base 1 L petrol version. It was in at the beginning of the start of the boom in diesel sales that are still increasing in Europe today. The 205 GTI was also a runaway success.

[edit] Economy cars today

Today economy cars have specialised into market niches. The city car, the all-round economy car (that may not be small at all, just cheap), and the performance derivatives, that capitalise on light weight of the car that they are based on. Some models that started as economy cars have increased in size and moved up market over several generations, so that all that is left is the name. Smaller new models have been slotted into the market by their makers beneath them.

The much tougher design challenges for economy cars, (cost, lightness vs safety, lightness vs ride quality, lightness vs durability, maximising interior space), continues to be the driving force behind development. Technology improvements: Electronic engine management, Hybrid cars and smoother, more powerful diesel engines first seen in the VW Golf and Peugeot 205 have improved fuel economy and performance. Safety and comfort have become increasingly high priorities. Safety design is a particular challenge in a small light car. This is an area where the Renault has been particularly successful. Sport compacts and Hot hatches have developed into a highly competitive genre, although outright economy has been significantly compromised, they are still the most economical cars for their performance - because of the lightness of the cars that they are based upon.

The growth of developing countries has also created a new market for extremely inexpensive new cars. Utilitarian but advanced 'peoples cars' have not been the favoured design solution. Instead the adaptation of standard or obsolete models has been the norm. This has been furthered by the fact that increased competition in developed markets means that cars are replaced at shorter and shorter intervals. The brilliant Chrysler CCV design failed to reach production because of this trend. The new Tata Nano launched in January 2008, in India by Tata Motors, may mark the beginning of the return of 'people's cars' because of its spectacularly low announced price - touted as the world's cheapest car at US$ 2,500.. It remains to be seen though, if it can be profitably produced at that price.

China has become one of the fastest-growing car markets, followed by India, with a preference towards cheap, basic cars, but they are moving upmarket in their tastes as their economic rise continues. Some mainstream European automakers have also specially developed models with these features, such as the Fiat Palio, Volkswagen Gol and Dacia Logan. Renault has teamed up with India's Mahindra and Mahindra to produce a low-cost car in the range of US$ 2,500 to 3,000. In other cases, older, simpler economy car models may be offered at very low prices in markets like South Africa and Brazil. The Volkswagen Citi Golf is an example.