anyone here still own a Prius?
in [Aussie Drivers]
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From: Clocky on 9 Mar 2010 19:37 Jason James wrote: > "Milton" <millame23(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message > news:4b9619b7$0$27789$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com... >> Oh dear! Mr Toyota must be shaking in his boots. >> >> http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1025243/Toyota-Prius-in-runaway-drama-on-California-freeway >> >> A Toyota Prius has accelerated out of control on a busy California >> freeway before police intervened to bring the vehicle to a >> standstill, police said. >> James Sikes, 61, was driving on the busy Interstate 8 freeway >> outside San Diego when he noticed his car was starting to accelerate >> of its own accord, the California Highway Patrol said. >> The terrified motorist was helpless as the car hurtled out of control >> along the road at speeds more than 90 miles per hour. >> However Sikes was able to call police, and officers using a >> loudspeaker were talked the driver through the process of slowing >> down by using his emergency brake and then turning off the engine. >> Police then pulled in front of the car as it decelerated and rolled >> to a stop and put the rear bumper of the squad car against the front >> of the Prius. >> The incident came as Toyota staged a technical demonstration to >> attack allegations by a vocal critic that problems with its >> electronics may cause its cars to speed out of control. >> In recent months, Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles >> worldwide due to acceleration issues. >> The latest incident in California was a chilling echo of the >> incident last August where off-duty California Highway Patrol >> Officer Mark Saylor was killed along with his wife, her brother and >> the Saylors' 13-year-old daughter when the accelerator of the Lexus >> ES350 they were in got stuck. Minutes later, the Toyota-manufactured >> vehicle slammed into the back of a sport utility vehicle at about >> 100mph, veered off the freeway, overturned and burst into flames. >> All four family members died. > > Is the throttle "fly by wire". On that issue alone, I wouldnt buy > such a car. > I guess you won't be buying a new car.
From: Noddy on 9 Mar 2010 19:50 "Trevor Wilson" <trevor(a)rageaudio.com.au> wrote in message news:7vntnpFs0iU1(a)mid.individual.net... > **By those comments, I assume that you will not purchase any car > manufactured after (say) 2015 - 2020. Electronic throttle control will be > ubiquitous by that time. Same as electric power steering, electrically > operated valve trains, electrically operated clutchs/gearboxes, etc, etc. > Like it or not, electronic controls allow manufacturers considerable > freedoms and considerable potential to lower manufactured costs. That doesn't mean they're great. Drive by wire as currently fitted to some vehicles is *appallingly* bad, and electric steering assistance has already shown itself to be less than stellar in the reliability stakes. -- Regards, Noddy.
From: Trevor Wilson on 9 Mar 2010 20:35 "Noddy" <me(a)home.com> wrote in message news:4b96ede8$0$66796$c30e37c6(a)exi-reader.telstra.net... > > "Trevor Wilson" <trevor(a)rageaudio.com.au> wrote in message > news:7vntnpFs0iU1(a)mid.individual.net... > >> **By those comments, I assume that you will not purchase any car >> manufactured after (say) 2015 - 2020. Electronic throttle control will be >> ubiquitous by that time. Same as electric power steering, electrically >> operated valve trains, electrically operated clutchs/gearboxes, etc, etc. >> Like it or not, electronic controls allow manufacturers considerable >> freedoms and considerable potential to lower manufactured costs. > > That doesn't mean they're great. **So? Manufacturers will choose the most cost-effective solution for THEM. > > Drive by wire as currently fitted to some vehicles is *appallingly* bad, > and electric steering assistance has already shown itself to be less than > stellar in the reliability stakes. **It will not always be so. -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au
From: Noddy on 9 Mar 2010 21:49 "Trevor Wilson" <trevor(a)rageaudio.com.au> wrote in message news:7vobajFua5U1(a)mid.individual.net... > **So? Manufacturers will choose the most cost-effective solution for THEM. Of course they will. All I'm saying is that what's best for them isn't necessarily best for us. > **It will not always be so. As they continually hunt for ways to increasingly pull more and more money out of the manufacturing process I can't *really* see it getting better. Can you? -- Regards, Noddy.
From: Trevor Wilson on 9 Mar 2010 22:14
"Noddy" <me(a)home.com> wrote in message news:4b9709cb$0$66789$c30e37c6(a)exi-reader.telstra.net... > > "Trevor Wilson" <trevor(a)rageaudio.com.au> wrote in message > news:7vobajFua5U1(a)mid.individual.net... > >> **So? Manufacturers will choose the most cost-effective solution for >> THEM. > > Of course they will. All I'm saying is that what's best for them isn't > necessarily best for us. **Yup. That's the way the system works. > >> **It will not always be so. > > As they continually hunt for ways to increasingly pull more and more money > out of the manufacturing process I can't *really* see it getting better. > Can you? **Depends. When I think of the real Dollar price of my Mark I Escort, compared to (say) a Ford Focus, I can see that manufacturing costs have delivered far, far better value for money to today's motorists. It seems to me that the business of building and selling cars is VERY competitive today. That should mean that the purchaser will win (as long as not too many little guys get gobbled up by a small number of big guys). [ASIDE] I read about this engineer working for Nissan. He was awarded the Yen equivalent of US$50,000.00 for working out how to reduce the number of spot welds (from 7 down to 5) on the front pillar of a Nissan model, yet still maintaining the same strength. Wanna speculate on how much a spot weld costs? It just goes to show the lengths that manufacturers have to go to, in order to keep costs down. Lucky for us, we have mandated government safety standards. -- Trevor Wilson www.rageaudio.com.au |