Manufacturing accounts for 9 percent of the energy eventually used by a typical car, the book says.

The typical car can require seven years or more of development.

These are often very expensive, and a typical show-quality car may sell for $60,000 or more.

A typical new car takes half that long to reach 60 m.p.h.

The gasoline engine of a typical car weighs several hundred pounds.

Twenty years ago, a typical American car weighed close to 4,000 pounds, with virtually no plastic.

A typical car weighs 3,200 pounds, the institute points out.

An extra 100 pounds in the trunk can reduce a typical car's fuel economy by up to two percent.

The price was about a quarter of the cost of a typical car.

Thus a more European measure was applied, where a typical car would last 7-10 years on the conveyor.