Then what about Cadillac? This producer of luxury cars has introduced its Urban Luxury Concept, which was on exhibition during the recent L.A. Auto Show. Of course to match conditions in today’s cities the car has to be made smaller. However General Motors claims that four adult passengers can sit comfortably in the car. Its wheelbase is only 2.46 m and it has a length of 3.83 m and a width of 1.72 m and a height of just 1.44 m.
This city car has a three cylinder one liter turbocharger engine which was originally planned for Volt, meaning it is a hybrid car. GM claims the car consumes 4.2 liters of fuel for 100 km for city driving while it consumes only 3.62 liters for highway driving.
City cars are becoming more popular and are in great demand as traffic in major cities becomes more congested. They are perfectly suited for city life. Apart from its deft movements a city car is an energy saver as it consumes less fuel. In Indonesia the demand for city cars is naturally growing now, alongside MPVs (multi purpose vehicles).
City cars are meant for those who need a smaller car than a sedan and require less baggage space while at the same time a city car has a shorter wheelbase giving it agility in negotiating traffic jams. At every automotive exhibition, including Jakarta Fair held at JIExpo Kemayoran this year, various city cars were on show beating other types of cars. Authorized agents and dealers always include city cars due to their rising sales every year. Besides its attractive design it is also popular due to its low fuel consumption.
Manufacturers like Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Suzuki, Kia, Nissan, Ford and Geely are not the only companies racing to produce city cars. Luxury car makers, as mentioned earlier, are also launching their own city cars to meet the market demand. (Burhan Abe)
The Jakarta Post, September 30, 2011
