Originally Posted by nuTinmuch

I never said they did, but they were hardly the only thing inflating the weight of cars.

In fact, I'd wager they weren't even the largest factor, especially when you consider the shift in building materials used and the birth of the crumple zone.

A BMW isn't heavy because it is safe, for example, it is heavy because it is designed to be comfortable and quiet. Those design choices have way more of an implication on vehicle weight than the inclusion of something like traction control, ABS, or structure rigidity.

But that is irrelevant. My point is that it is possible to have a safe, relatively efficient, fun car. None of these things have to mean major sacrifices -- they just often do because they are the road of least resistance. But in the modern era, people are pretty demanding, and that isn't good enough anymore. We want it all, and considering the cars released in the last year or two (and a few of them in the pipeline), we're going to get 'em.