the third world, what would it be like

Personally I think that it must be:
*robust (thicker steel, torsion bars/leaf springs, steering boxes)
*simple operate/repair, with no special tools reqd (ie no torx bits, no spring compressors, no caliper rewinders)
*cheap to buy
*ground clearance/semi-offroad ability
*fuel economy
*easy to manufacture (if manufactured in third world i.e. mostly spot-welded, few pressings as possible, so long as this does not compromise other specifications, also easy to manufacture RHD or LHD)
*reliable

it should have
*carrying ability (five/six people (car-share) and fold-down rear seats for carrying large loads)
*safety (seatbelts all round, rigid passenger compartment (airbags probably too far))
*good packaging/moderate size (i.e. no bigger than a VW Golf)

and it could have
*speed
*good handling
*comfort
*ability to run on different fuels (research needed into what fuels are available in other countries i.e. cost of petrol, diesel, bio-ethanol, vegetable oil)


It would also be interesting to see what vehicles are already popular in developing countries. VW Beetle springs to mind

i agree on the running on variety of fuels, if you look at brazil, for instance, they use ethanol derived from sugar cane, and the bio-mass thats left over is burned to power the plants that make the ethanol, they have 100% or so ethanol at the pump.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_Brazil

they use e25 in everything else, and have e100 at the pump. woo hoo, cheap liquor at the pump.

i dont really think it should be too comfortable of a ride, if its a hard suspension to work on. shits gonna break, i'd rather it be easy to work on, and cheap for parts. like the old model-t, ford made it able to be run on ethanol, because back in its time there wasnt a big infrastructure for gas stations, and if you lived out in the middle of nowhere, it wouldnt be hard to make alcohol, but hard to find a gas station.

i'm thinking a standard front engined rwd, or rear engine rwd a la the original beetle. leaf springs in the back, for simplicity. and body on frame, for ease of body / frame repairs, no uni-body to fuck up.

I was thinking body-on-frame with a mostly pressed steel combined chassis/floorplan like a Beetle - very easy to manufacture although a bit flexible

I was also thinking of a rear mounted engine so that there's no propshaft/exhaust to catch on rocks or bumps

Rear leaf springs and front torsion bars to keep the suspension nice and simple (or possibly torsion bars all round as they can be easily raised and lowered to suit road conditions)

Keep in mind monocoque is very cheap/easy to mass produce, and uses less material than using a ladder frame. You are right about repairs though. It's a toss up for me.

For suspension, I would go with a leaf sprung live rear axle for the back, cheap and simple, and 99% of people won't be able to tell, and perhaps McPherson's struts for the front, for lower material costs.

Yeah but to work on struts, you need spring compressors and a special tool to undo the top nut while retaining the strut body.

What about an old VW beetle with the torsion bar suspension from a 2CV.

Throw in solid rubber tyres or, at least extra thick tyres to minimize punctures.

Possibly an automatic or cvt based gearbox, with a simple "D/N/R" and a separate handbrake?

I don't think it needs to be rugged, so much as agile. In the sense instead of throwing lots of heavy metal on to weigh it down and be hard to repair; make it more resistant to damage. Whether this could be done in the suspension or frame or both is another matter for discussion.

Full modularity, extensible frame, air cooled engine, body on frame, some way to run on several fuel grades.

Edit: nearly all of those were mentioned before. Fuck.

Remake the old beetle to old specifications for hardly anything, sell it.

The third world is behind, so recycle.

http://en.wikivisual.com/images/7/7d/USN_hovercraft.jpg



Take your pick.