Okay, I have a Clarkson overload for today. But aside from what that Clarkson for PM bit, it’s quite interesting for him to write about cars and computers. I’ve watched him do that Inventions that Changed the World BBC special on computers years back and I’d have to say Clarkson doesn’t quite accept all of the new technology that comes out.

In his latest feature on Times Online, he bashes the Apple iPhone as he reviews the Daihatsu Materia. Here’s an excerpt of his thoughts on Apple building a car:

This brings me on to an interesting idea. Why doesn’t Apple make a car?

The fact of the matter is that the established car makers are timid and afraid of change. They think the mini MPV is a revolution and that the Smart car can be mentioned in the same breath as penicillin. This means they never think outside the box.

Why, for instance, does a car have a steering wheel? Or pedals? Or a dashboard? No, really. As anyone under the age of 15 will tell you, the handset for a PlayStation can be used to steer, accelerate and brake a car. And there are still spare buttons on the handset that can be used to fire machineguns.

And, of course, without a steering wheel or a dashboard, there’d be a lot more space in the cabin, and no need for expensive, weighty airbags. And that’s just me, thinking off the top of my head.

Anyway, will all of this dreaming of an iCar, Clarkson proceeds to review Daihatsu Materia, which according to him, would suffice for any yearnings for a car from Steve Jobs. For the article, you may click on the link at the end of this post.

The Materia’s an MPV which is quite interesting since Daihatsu is known for building kei cars built for city driving and I quite personally quite like what they come up with. The Materia’s quite small too but is built with enough considerations for practicality. Daihatsu made 1.3L and 1.5L versions though the UK only has the 1.5L. Performance figures for the 1.5L would be 10.8 seconds for 0-60.

Source: Times Online