the nano. not the ipod, but take a good look at this, the world's cheapest car. it may look friendly and cute, but this automobile is every environmentalist's nightmare. it has the distinction of having the very clear potential to do more harm to the planet than any other single vehicle that has ever been built.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7180396.stm
why?
1. it's the world's cheapest car. it will obviously sell. lots.
2. it is specifically designed to enable people in developing countries to make the move to four wheels.
3. it is being launched in india, home to the world's most populated city, mumbai, with 14 million people. india's domestic car industry and market is predicted to soar in the coming years due to the country's fast-growing economy and increased consumer wealth. everybody it seems, wants a taste of what the west has had for decades.
within 5 years, i reckon that there will be over 5 million of these on the roads in india alone. the makers plan to export to other developing countries...
to give you some idea what those numbers mean, the ford f-series pick-up truck has been the number 1 selling vehicle in the united states for the past 31 years. it has sold a total of 25 million vehicles. the best selling vehicle ever is the toyota corolla which started production in 1966 (35 million sold).
ford has sold 10 million of its taurus models since introducing it in 1985.
within just 20 years, this vehicle could possibly be the biggest selling automobile of all time, and while that is good news for some, it is bad news for any likelihood that as a planet we will be able to reach our peak greenhouse gasses emissions and for them to begin to decline in the short to medium term, as critically outlined in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-syr.htm
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