Efficient Autos Hit the Road

摘要

In May 1951, racecar driver Wilbur Shaw tested a batch of cars that-in contrast to the veritable barges trendy at the time-were billed as "little." They were cheap to purchase and drive. "You get what you pay for, and no more," was Shaw's assessment of the Henry J (in blue), which cost $1,360-about $12,500 in today's dollars. It lacked such amenities as a trunk door (penny-pinching owners would need to fold down the rear seats to retrieve their luggage). The pioneering compact car didn't sell, and Kaiser-Frazier manufactured it for only a few years. Though smaller cars did start finding favor in the 1970s, few of today's models are so light: At 2,300 pounds, the Henry J weighed about as much as a Fiat 500. But with U.S. fuel-efficiency requirements rising to 54.5 miles per gallon in 2025 (from 34.1 today), cars need to get lighter again, and quickly. Carbon fiber [page 38] and 3-D printing [page 35] miqht help automakers get there.