Auto Parts for Brains

This week, Tata Motors from India just released what a lot are saying is a breakthrough in motoring.  Priced at just $2000, the Tata Nano is now considered to be the world’s cheapest car.  For this reason, the Tata is now also dubbed as the People’s car.  The car currently has three variants with the basic not having air-conditioner, power steering, passenger side mirror nor an extra windscreen wiper.

The Nano has already won the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award in the Transportation category in a ceremony last October with the judges falling in love with its design.  According to Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata Motors,, this car hopes to “revolutionize the lives of millions of Indians, most of whom live in rural areas many miles from the nearest bus stop. Even with its low price, the Nano is built to meet safety requirement, is fuel efficient and is low on emissions.  So far the car is compared to the Volkswagen Beetle which also was an icon in the German Motoring industry.

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After an unofficial fourth generation release in the global market, the Honda City has still not gained the consumer’s love, even after the fact that it is a pioneer in bringing to us revolutionary technologies like i-DSI and CVT automatic transmission. Hailed by many as delivering “just enough” in terms of power, these innovations have not been enough to make car lovers world wide ignore the lack of power, so-so audio systems and the overall unattractiveness possessed by Honda’s rep to the subcompact category. This year Honda is determined to help endear us back to the City with a design and an engine that tells they have been listening to us all those years.

Is it really Bigger?

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Hey! It’s Friday, August 8, 2008 (8-8-8).

Most Chinese say that the numbers 8-8-8 make for a very LUCKY day. And it only happens once! This is why there are so many couples who are going to get married today. Moreover, pregnant women for Caesarian delivery have chosen this day to give birth to their “lucky” babies.

Well, if you are not going to get married nor give birth, then how do you plan to spend this lucky lucky day? How about… by buying a car? Read the rest of this entry »

I remember an old experiment we had in grade school where we were asked to drop an egg from the fourth floor of our school building.  The challenge was to drop the egg but to keep it from breaking.  Aside from the egg, we were given scotch tape, a square piece of plastic, some newspaper and a roll of strings.  I remember passing that experiment by making a parachute out of the plastic and putting the egg inside a newspaper casing that acted as a cushion for the landing.

That experiment was not only fun but a good learning experience as well for a little boy.  Aside from learning how to protect our egg from breaking, I think that was the earliest lesson I have had on designing for safety and function.

Safety is perhaps one of the most essential considerations when it comes to every activity we engage in.  It is an important factor in designing our homes, in planning our activities and in buying the things we need from the food we eat to the vehicles we drive.

Like the egg experiment we had long ago, the cars we see on our roads today pass thru an extensive crash test before going mainstream.  Though the auto parts that make up the car are also passed through an intense quality control test, the vehicle as a whole must be declared safe for driving.  With the use of dummies, the different car models are placed in accident and crash simulations to see how well their structures will stand and how well they can protect their passengers. Read the rest of this entry »