With the price of fuel increasing in the next decade & the federal mandate that ALL cars must achieve 35 mpg, how much longer will we receive high performance vehicles. GM is thinking about cutting back or eliminating R&D on their performance devision. This would mean that the R&D for 4-5 years on a specific model. Then a couple of years to sell that model & recuperate their expenses. If GM is thinking about this we all know that this is on the minds of all other car companies also.

I have a hard time coming to term with the idea of being stuck in a small car, that gets good gas mileage, with all performance stripped from the vehicle. My personal opinion is the next round of performance in vehicles will come around 2030-2040 after a decade of improvement with the new technology in the future.

I just hope that the hydrogen fuel injection takes off. I wouldn't mind converting my current high performance vehicle with new injectors, fitting it with a new fuel tank, & reprogram the computer to run on hydrogen. It would mean more performance and zero emissions.

If you have a broad knowledge of the automotive industry or keep up with the SAE publications what are you opinions on this topic?

 

fuel efficiency != small boring cars. So far they have been because.. well those looking for a sports car aren't as picky about fuel efficiency as someone who's looking at a family car or a first car or an inexpensive car.

Take a look at the GS450h. It's fuel efficient and hella fun to drive.

Now strip all the Lexus features from it and put it into a Toyota. Say the new Matrix (or whatever you think is stylish lol). Ok 339hp might be excessive so stick in a smaller V6 or put the TCH's system in. 187hp and instant torque is plenty for a car of that weight-class.

Now what about the extra weight of the battery and inverter and electric motor? Well some of that is offset by the removal of the automatic transmission. The battery is located over the rear wheels for better weight distribution. 4WD is a possibility cause you need wires and an electric motor rather than a driveshaft.


Or even better. A full electric car. Think Tesla Roadster. Isn't that a high peformance vehicle? 0-60 in 4 secs & a 200 mile range.

 

Technology will always bring us more powerful, yet, more fuel efficient engines. That will never stop.