Petroleum Woes

Our known petroleum reserves will last us only for another 40 years or so.  And then bam! The internal combustion engine would be defunct forever! Hybrid and electric cars would rule the roost. Maybe cars running on water and hydrogen will also become prevalent. One never knows what may be in store for us in the next 40 years. Novelties such as the Ford Basura, a disposable car, have already been showcased as concepts. I don’t think people 40 years before us would have even thought of the concepts coming out today, in their wildest of dreams!

Technology is constantly evolving and with it is our ability to think out of the box and create new inventions which would revolutionise the world of motoring. The cars in the market today would soon become antiques and when the present generation grows up, it would tell the next generation tales of cars that ran on petroleum in the not-so-distant past.

Imagine no V8, no V12, just a meek rechargeable battery tucked away where the majestic engine used to live out its days in pride!

Produce them Please!

It is an unfortunate truth that most of the concept cars nowadays, do not reach production. And the small fraction of them that do, are changed so much from the original, that the production model retains little of the original design. Concept cars are supposed to be precursors to better things. But the ‘better things’ take so much time to come to life that people start losing interest. It is important that concept cars are quickly built into production models which do not differ too much from them.

The technology incorporated in concept cars is highly advanced but it is essential that this technology is replicated in the production model. More often than not, production models based on previous concepts are just their scaled down versions, and are not as advanced as them. Moreover, their looks are also much simplified. Many exceptional concepts have not even made it to production. For instance, the Bentley Hanaudieres, the Lotus M250, the Ford GT40 and GT90 and countless other cars which have been unlucky to have not been produced. Until concept cars are produced, I would reiterate, “they will remain just that, concepts.”

Summer Troubles

The sun is beating down on us once again. While you rush into your home to save your skin, spare a thought for your car. Is it maintained well enough to stand the summer heat? That’s the big question. Some common summer maladies faced by cars are tire pressure loss, exhausted engine coolant, stale air filters, and worn out belts and hoses. A quick checkup at the nearest petrol station can erase all these and give longevity to one’s car. Apart from these, the car’s heat protection film may get worn out, as can the paint job and as such, these problems may need to be looked upon seriously. Regular vehicle maintenance is a necessity in the Middle East due to our unrelenting summers. Don’t fall prey to the summer, beat the heat!