The automotive industry includes a wide range of companies and organizations that are dedicated to the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the largest economic sectors in revenue, all around the world. While this may not be all that surprising, there is some car trivia that just might be. Here are some of the various, often obscure, car facts you probably didn’t know.
The Ford GT
During the testing of the roof, referred to as the “Roof Crush” test, the Ford GT was so strong that it broke the crushing machine that was testing it.
The Ford Crown Victoria
Remember cassette tapes? The majority of car companies today have integrated CD players, aux cords for portable players, and Bluetooth, in car systems. While Lexus held out on switching over from cassette players for a surprisingly long time, the Ford Crown Victoria offered the option of a cassette player to be installed until 2011, making it the last car with a cassette player.
The Austin Maestro
The Austin Maestro was one of the first vehicles that offered a talking digital dash. Actress Nicolette Mackenzie would read out warnings, such as brakes needing servicing or low oil pressure. In a few markets, however, such as Germany and Spain, Austin-Rover gave the vehicles a male voice.
The McLaren F1
When the McLaren needed to test the gearbox prototype, it needed an engine. It couldn’t have just any engine though; it needed to have enough torque to match what they were expecting the production unit to be eventually. The chosen motor was a Chevy V8.
The Honda CRV
The first and second generations of the Honda CRV had some unique features. Both first and second gen CRV came with a standard flip-out picnic table. The first generation also provided an option to be equipped with a shower kit for the back as well.
Malaysia’s Growing Car Market
While America has a pretty open car market, the same can’t be said for some other global markets. Malaysia, for instance, is heavily dominated by Toyota. Malaysia also has an interesting automotive regulation. If a particular car is selling too well, competitors can file a complaint to the authorities. The authorities will then require the price of the vehicle to be forcefully increased, to “level” the competition.