Let me ask you a question. Why is it that in 1990 you could buy a Honda CRX-HF with a plain old internal combustion engine and get over 50 mpg, but now you need a $25k prius with nifty hybrid technology to get similar numbers? I will give you a hint; the prius weighs 2900 lbs and the crx weighs 1900lbs.
There are 2 reasons fuel economy sucks: weight and aerodynamics. For a quick lesson on the benefits of aerodynamics, check this out: http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline/2 ... civic.html
If automakers would break their head-to-anus connection and look at the big picture, it wouldn't be that hard to figure out. With a little free-time (something I seriously lack) I could probably build a car that got somewhere in the 50-60 mpg range on a basic Honda motor.
Why are new cars so heavy? safety and luxury. The crx did not have nearly the sound deadening of the newer cars, but sound deadening is a couple hundred pounds. I am not saying remove it completely, but you don't need Lexus-silence in your car. The rest is mostly safety stuff, which would not be as necessary if every %@$#@#$@#$#@ soccer mom didn't have a suburban. People need to realize that good handling, brakes, and acceleration are better safety equipment than 6000 lbs of Chevy steel. The fact is, a properly designed tube chassis (like in race cars and trucks) offers all of the safety you need, but without the weight. Essentially you build a cage of safety, slap on some suspension/steering, add a drivetrain, and then add lightweight body panels to create good aerodynamics. All you would need to add is some seats (simple race-type seats are cheaper and lighter than 8-way power adjustable leather) and other interior amenities.
BTW, for a quick number in determining the impact of weight to performance, ignoring aerodynamics, it requires about 1 horsepower to compensate for 10 lbs of weight. That means if 2 aerodynamically-identical cars were to race and one weighed 1900lbs and the other weighed 2900 lbs, the heavier car would need an extra 100HP to keep up. 100HP is the difference between a Honda civic and a Honda s2000.
On a related note, carbon fiber is awesome/amazing/wonderful, but fiberglass is cheap, easy to make, really light, and just about anyone can fix it themselves. It is not nearly as cool (or inherently stiff) as carbon fiber, but it will usually work just fine. Also, lexan is a whole lot lighter than glass (they use this for some windows on the corvette Z06).
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