OTOH, try and make a crappy car now and it won't sell, thanks to the internet and rapid dissemination of information among consumers. This has really leveled the playing field. I would argue that 99 percent of new cars are quite awesome in terms of reliability and technological advancements. I'm just too cheap to buy one...
Andrew Who drives a 1983 335k 300TD and has a newer 295K 1985 300TD in the garage as a back up. On Wed, Mar 5, 2014 at 9:12 AM, Larry T <l02tur...@comcast.net> wrote: > IMO the auto industry is close to being totally government mandated, > That's why all cars look so much alike. We'll never give another Colin > Chapman (Lotus) or Ferdinand Porsche (VW and Porsche) and many others the > latitude to innovate. Everything must be cookie cutter and yet they still > must face almost 10 examples going through destructive testing. Envision 10 > Bugatti's Veyron's or Lamborghini's being destroyed! (it must be hard to > watch if you love cars.) Yet, if they are to be sold in the US that's what > happens. And depending on the amount of yearly changes they may have to > endure those tests yearly. Sadly, the US is no longer the 'car buying > capital of the world' it once was (back in 2009). No longer can some place > like Ca. dictate safety and emission regulations for the whole country. I > suspect the US wull see fewer and fewer choices when it comes to new cars. > Of course, even being Number 2 has its perks - but China will make most of > the rules or lack of them. > Of course, the effect of the USA's deep debt will continue to become > known as the years pass. Whether its a $17+ Trillion debt (or $80+ > Trillion as some say) it's a bill our kids and grandkids will pay their > whole lives. Talk about being born into poverty! And we lose more options > with each passing day. > > Car buying stats available at http://www.businessweek.com/ > globalbiz/content/may2009/gb20090518_095449.htm > > Sincerely, > Larry > > > On 3/4/2014 11:07 PM, G Mann wrote: > >> On that same thread.. one of the most advanced aircraft to be produced, >> the >> Beach Starship, an all composite canard design was a design strongly >> influenced by Bert Rutan. Beach jumped through all kinds of hoops with >> the >> FAA to get certification for composite construction airframe, yet found it >> impossible to establish the absolute finite life or number of landing >> cycles for the airframe. >> >> Beach only sold something like 50 of the design. People who owned them >> absolutely loved them. One of my very good aviation friends was chief >> pilot >> for a company that used them as exec aircraft, and has loads of hours >> flying them. However. >> >> The decision was made by the company that now owns Beachcraft to BUY THEM >> ALL BACK and store them rather than face the possibility of product >> liability as the airframes aged. >> >> Product liability lawyers "10" .... Aviation "0" ..... >> >> That issue is the overriding issue with Cessna, Piper, and every other >> manufacturer. The Cessna 172, 4 place airplane with fixed landing gear, >> now sells for nearly $400,000 new. Before lawsuit became the answer to >> stupid piloting that same airplane sold new for something like $45,000. >> >> The same spillover has happened in Medicine [no sole practitioner GP >> Doctors that I can find.. all big HMO to pay the malpractice insurance]. >> Car companies.. same issue. >> Buy aspirin... sealed in 3 layers of tamper proof packaging and then a >> child proof cap.. why.. ??? product liability... >> Kids toys.. >> Clothing.. >> Everything has taken the hit.. >> Buy a beer without a product warning lately? >> cigar? >> >> >> >> On Tue, Mar 4, 2014 at 8:48 PM, Scott Ritchey <ritche...@nc.rr.com> >> wrote: >> >> Mao, >>> >>> That may be so now, but... >>> >>> I recall presentations by the Rutan brothers at flight test symposia back >>> in >>> the 1970s; they explained that they could not afford to build and sell >>> their >>> designs because of legal/liability issues. They could (and did) build >>> prototypes and sell plans for some of the most innovative new aircraft >>> concepts ever. But, except for electronics and evolutionary tweaks, a >>> new >>> Cessna 172 is pretty much the same as one sold in the late 50s. There >>> was >>> >>> no shortage of US innovation during most of the period since 1960 (we >>> went >>> to the moon, for example). But, given the US tort environment, there is >>> no >>> business case for taking the risk to build a really-new general aviation >>> aircraft, only "proven designs". >>> >>> On the larger issue of innovation today, I submit the issue is >>> motivation: >>> no reward for success and no penalty for failure, in our society. In the >>> words of the Strawberry Alarm Clock, "Who cares what games we choose? >>> Little to win, but nothing to lose." >>> >>> Scott >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: Mercedes [mailto:mercedes-boun...@okiebenz.com] On Behalf Of >>>> Mountain Man >>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2014 7:10 PM >>>> To: Mercedes Discussion List >>>> Subject: Re: [MBZ] Norwegian Air Shuttle Scheme >>>> >>>> Scott wrote: >>>> >>>>> You can thank our legal system for the lack of innovation in aviation >>>>> >>>> today. >>>> I would also thank our cookie cutter education system for lack of >>>> innovation and lack of invention in anything today. We are cookie >>>> cutter educated in all things, including legal system training. >>>> mao >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________ >>>> http://www.okiebenz.com >>>> >>>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ >>>> >>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >>>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >>>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________ >>> http://www.okiebenz.com >>> >>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ >>> >>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >>> >>> _______________________________________ >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >> >> > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
