Writing on the wall for some manufacturers?

[Poweredbyhopealone]

Also,  if I come across as patronising or generally an arsehole please tell me. I'm not great at social interactions

[Poweredbyhopealone]

2 minutes ago, sierraman said:

It’s not an argument at all, it’s debate which is rarely had in this day an age.

Totally agree with you there. Poor choice of words on my part. I'm trying really very hard to improve my debating skills, see above. So please be critical of me, its the only way I will improve.

[AnnoyingPentium]

23 minutes ago, Poweredbyhopealone said:

Also I think @AnnoyingPentium was joking....

Indeed. Most things I say really shouldn't be taken seriously...

[castros_bro]

21 minutes ago, Poweredbyhopealone said:

I think that the Mirai actually uses a Proton Exchange fuel cell type, and I know for a fact that the TFL buses do. Solid oxide is generally but not exclusively tipped for use in industrial settings because they run so hot they need loads of shielding and take a good while to start up. Not ideal for transport ops. Its a nerdy thing to dispute but like I say, I'm interested.

All the things you say are happening and its good to have hope, but I also understand why some would feel otherwise.

Also I think @AnnoyingPentium was joking....

I am not allowed to dispute that due to a confidentiality agreement.

[Poweredbyhopealone]

1 minute ago, castros_bro said:

I am not allowed to dispute that due to a confidentiality agreement.

Oh my bad man, I bow to your greater knowledge!

[martc]

18 hours ago, sierraman said:

The problem you’ve got is that China control something like 50% of the worlds lithium production. That’s to say lithium is mined in all sorts of places but the controlling company is usually Chinese. Obviously this is likely to mean they’ll completely monopolise the supply at some point meaning they’ve pretty much got the supply aspect by the bollocks. Which is not good. 

And oil production in the hands of the middle east and Russia has gone really well over the last 100 years.

[Dyslexic Viking]

3 hours ago, Poweredbyhopealone said:

Also,  if I come across as patronising or generally an arsehole please tell me. I'm not great at social interactions

I do not think so and you're not the only one here struggling with this. I'm among them.

[AnnoyingPentium]

18 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I do not think so and you're not the only one here struggling with this. I'm among them.

Me too. I have the same issue in person where I intend to sound excited or interested but merely sound like a sarcastic prick instead. 😆

[Poweredbyhopealone]

11 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Me too. I have the same issue in person where I intend to sound excited or interested but merely sound like a sarcastic prick instead. 😆

This is literally it. I'm just excited.

[Jerzy Woking]

Motorbikes have to comply to zero emissions by 2035, which maybe a death knell for new bikes. 

I have used a borrowed a Zero to see if it would handle my commute of 60 miles. Despite the bike having a range of 136 miles  it only just made it the 60 miles. They do not like constant speed, and stop/start traffic is what they need.

Last year I rode 947 kms from Millau in France to home, taking exactly 10 hours, 7 hours of that on motorways cruising at 120 kph. How long would the same ride take on an all electric bike? I'd rather not know really.

[Metal Guru]

5 hours ago, martc said:

And oil production in the hands of the middle east and Russia has gone really well over the last 100 years.

We seem to get at least 50% of everything else from China, so why would we do differently for Lithium?

[New POD]

6 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Indeed. Most things I say really shouldn't be taken seriously...

Well.  Should I take that seriously? If not does that mean that ... oh wait... If I don't take that seriously does that mean I should take you seriously...I'm confused. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

1 minute ago, New POD said:

Well.  Should I take that seriously? If not does that mean that ... oh wait... If I don't take that seriously does that mean I should take you seriously...I'm confused. 

Yes.

[tooSavvy]

23 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Yes.

I was once stopped in the street -well, hailed - with "Ah! You're <some person's name>, hi"

I shot back "No, I'm not..." glowering....

Poor guy looked confused >>> mebbies he owed some guy £20 = he'd be so much happier and me the richer *

..... might have been screwing his wife

lol

[AnnoyingPentium]

5 minutes ago, tooSavvy said:

I was once stopped in the street -well, hailed - with "Ah! You're <some person's name>, hi"

 

 

[AnthonyG]

On 1/27/2022 at 6:28 PM, sierraman said:

Interesting stuff, what’s the thinking behind that?

[Quote didn’t work - it was about JLR moving production from the UK]

Shit quality and workers who don’t really know what they are doing perhaps?

I read the Slovakian JLR  factory was built in the middle of nowhere with mostly rural labourers as the recruitment pool. 

Anyway - being controversial - I can see Ford being forced by their US shareholders to dump their European operation soon.

They are simply not interested in making cars - as opposed to crossovers/SUVs/trucks anymore - the only ‘car’ you can buy in the US now is the Mustang.  If you read their financial results in Europe all they talk about is their commercial vehicles. 

If they care about Europe at all the next Fiesta has to have a decent electric version, like the Corsa.  TBH, I don’t see the current Focus getting replaced, it’s not even sold in the US any more. From the point of view of their shareholders - why bother going toe to toe with VW when you can just build more Broncos for the fanboys at $50/60k a pop - it’s easy money. 

Vauxhall are comparatively safe in comparison. The Opel brand is a total non starter for the U.K., you might as well call the cars Borgward.  

So for Stellantis and Vauxhall - you either give up the 2/3rd market position and walk away, and maybe try and get some extra Peugeot sales, or you stick at it. Why not when Ford seem to be so close to jacking it all in? 

Vauxhall is much stronger in the U.K. than Opel is in Germany.  Opel is probably strongest in Eastern Europe, as it is seen as giving German ‘quality’ without the historical baggage of, say, VW. 

[sierraman]

I think Ford are making the next Focus based on the VW ID4 platform. 

[AnthonyG]

On 1/27/2022 at 3:41 PM, carburettor said:

Apparently in 2020 Honda spent €140 million on their F1 engine, im not sure if it was the internal combustion engine, I would have thought so because the whole “ lump” is called a power unit so I’m told. It seems pretty daft to me whilst closing branches, but then maybe General Motors was right, this country is fu**ed and so is europe, because of cheap imports.

I’m not sure why Honda bother with F1, the Americans - their biggest market - don’t give a shit about it, or even really know what it is.

Maybe it’s the coming thing in China? It’s so long since I’ve followed it, I assume there must be a Beijing/Shanghai GP by now? 

[AnthonyG]

20 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I think Ford are making the next Focus based on the VW ID4 platform. 

That makes a lot of sense - I had heard they were ‘getting in bed’ with VW. 

[AnthonyG]

It’s amazing in many ways that Alfa continues to survive but considering that Stellantis haven’t pulled the trigger yet on Lancia - only available in one model and Italy only - it will live on for a while. IIRC the Stellantis CEO has given all the weaker brands - and, when you include the American ones like Chrysler there are quite a few - 5-10 years to prove themselves or face the end. 

People go on about the Chinese invasion but none of the ICE engined efforts got anywhere, apart from MG which probably gets a fair few sales in this country due to nostalgia. If they were called ‘Great Red Mao’ or something they would be nowhere.

Would you pay anything like the asking for this PoS, for example? 
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/hongqi/e-hs9/first-drives/hongqi-e-hs9-2021-review

[lesapandre]

I have seen a few Chinese vans in London. There is a biggish one that looks just like a Transit right down to an oval badge.

[lesapandre]

5 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

It’s amazing in many ways that Alfa continues survive but considering that Stellantis haven’t pulled the trigger yet on Lancia - only available in one model and Italy only - it will live on for a while. IIRC the Stellantis CEO has given all the weaker brands - and, when you include the American ones like Chrysler there are quite a few - 5-10 years to prove themselves or face the end. 

People go on about the Chinese invasion but none of the ICE engined efforts got anywhere, apart from MG which probably gets a fair few sales in this country due to nostalgia. If they were called ‘Red Flag’ or something they would be nowhere. Would you pay anything like the asking for this PoS, for example? 
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/hongqi/e-hs9/first-drives/hongqi-e-hs9-2021-review

Electric vehicle with a big front air-intake. 🤣

[Metal Guru]

4 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Electric vehicle with a big front air-intake. 🤣

Was the design brief, “make it uglier than any current BMW?

[AnthonyG]

I know, even for the Chinese and their love of BIG GRILLES it is exceedingly hideous.

Mind you, in the dashboard pic, the badge of the steering wheel looks like the old Rover Viking longship! Well, if you squint a bit….

[Dave_Q]

RE the general thread title, most badges will probably survive but there will be more and more shared engines/platforms etc. 

We'll probably end up with a maximum of 2 or 3 basic designs in each segment which you can have with lots of different badges and slightly different panels.

On the topic of hydrogen, my company are working on IC hydrogen engines: https://www.cummins.com/news/releases/2021/07/13/cummins-begins-testing-hydrogen-fueled-internal-combustion-engine

Dunno the details or if it would ever be an option for upfitting existing engines but it's interesting, Lots of people backing the hydrogen horse.

Do we just go mental on renewables and always use the excess to make hydrogen from water? Don't care how inefficient it is if the energy input is free/green?

[lesapandre]

29 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

I know, even for the Chinese and their love of BIG GRILLES it is exceedingly hideous.

Mind you, in the dashboard pic, the badge of the steering wheel looks like the old Rover Viking longship! Well, if you squint a bit….

Well you could say the vehicle has plundered a number of classic Rover/David Bache design features.

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

I know, even for the Chinese and their love of BIG GRILLES it is exceedingly hideous.

Mind you, in the dashboard pic, the badge of the steering wheel looks like the old Rover Viking longship! Well, if you squint a bit….

Apart from the front, I think it’s better looking than a Bentayga or Cullinan ( not saying much , granted).

[1duck]

I honestly think ford, the Mondeo man now buy German because why would you want a ford? So that leaves the fiesta, small town car better served by a fiat/Toyota/french brands. Then what else is in their range? The focus? It was decent when it first came out, but you'd just buy a golf/Leon/a3.

Shy of something actually new coming from them I think they'll retreat back to America and their native market of pick up trucks etc, although I've heard the new f250 gets absolutely slammed as crap, but it is a ford so par for the course really. If America didn't protect its domestic truck market I think ford would be in serious trouble altogether.

 

[83C]

I don’t know so much, I see plenty of new Ford Fiestas, Pumas, Kugas and S-Maxes about, so certain models are still popular. There’s a few Mustangs about too. That said I don’t see that many new Focuses, and the Mondeo is being killed off in March. Where the Blue Oval are still scoring big time is with the commercial stuff - the Transit and its many variants, and the Ranger. They’ll be around for a while yet.

[TheOtherStu]

11 hours ago, AnthonyG said:

I’m not sure why Honda bother with F1, the Americans - their biggest market - don’t give a shit about it, or even really know what it is.

Maybe it’s the coming thing in China? It’s so long since I’ve followed it, I assume there must be a Beijing/Shanghai GP by now? 

Ok, I have news for you 😆

firstly, Honda are no longer in F1. They pulled out a couple of years back, but were contracted to supply to Red Bull. That’s come to an end.

secondly, the US has realised that F1 is the future. The Austin GP could now sell out several times over, so they’re having a race in Miami this year and possibly adding New York next year. Plus the Canadian and Mexican GPs are popular too - we met a lot of Americans in Montreal.