Description
In the early 1990s François Castaing challenged a group of free-spirited Chrysler engineers to design and build a unique automobile for the vast number of people around the world who could afford nothing but a bicycle. This project became known internally as The China Car.
This book closely examines the challenges of producing plastic car bodywork, the difficulties of selling the car inside the company as well as outside to consumers, and the reasons why the project was unsuccessful and finally canceled. It also provides an unflinching look at how decisions were made at Chrysler.
Early on, the team discovered that molding large parts of the new vehicle in recycled plastic might be the only way to achieve their goal. Polyethylene Terephthalate or PET is the common plastic material most of our bottles are made of. PET is safe, reusable, and inexpensive, but as an example, we in the USA throw away 35 billion empty bottles every year to landfills, streets, parks, and waterways.
Despite overcoming technical hurdles thanks to the strong interpersonal relationships and problem solving between engineers and their suppliers, including the car s successful use of recycled, molded PET bodywork, the China Car never reached the market.
