Our Down-under correspondent has been out with
a French chick, or that’s what I thought at first glance.
However, it turned out to be the Citroen C3 1.4 litre that
sells for around 1.3 million baht in this country. Here is
John’s opinion on this imported French chick!
“The Citroen C3 is the first five-door
hatchback the French company has offered in Australia since it
first came here 80 years ago. It is snazzily styled - genuine
French chic - very well equipped and extremely economical.
Citroen
C3
“The C3’s styling both inside and out
was admired by all - modern yet functional, practical because
of its rounded high roofline, and dead easy to manoeuvre
because of its tight dimensions, higher than normal seating
position and large glass areas.
“Standard equipment includes remote
locking, power front windows with fast up and down, air
conditioning, four airbags, radio station and volume
adjustment from the wiper control arm, digital speedo, fuel
and temperature gauges and a host of storage spaces. There are
automatic wipers, a two level glove-box, funky alloy-look
fascia air vents and individual front centre armrests for the
passenger and driver.
“The
standard Citroen C3 SX costs AUD 19,990 with cloth upholstery
(that is about a little over 500,000 baht, if you want to have
a little cry in the corner). For an extra AUD 1000 the C3
Exclusive has velour plus ABS brakes and front fog lights.
I’d go the extra grand. Automatic is available only for the
C3 Exclusive. It adds AUD 2000.
“Power - I use the word generously - is a
no more than adequate 57 kW from a 1.4 litre four cylinder
engine which develops just 115 Nm of torque. Thankfully, the
five-speed manual gearbox is a sweet shifter because it needs
lots of use on any road.
“Surprisingly, an afternoon in an
automatic C3 dispelled notions that it would further stifle
progress. Indeed the excellent auto proved adept at extracting
the most from the little engine’s lungs, thus demanding a
rather less frantic performance from the driver.
“The C3’s leisurely progress - it takes
14.2 seconds to reach 100 kph - is compensated for by
outstanding fuel economy. The highway figure is quoted as 5
litres per 100 km. We did not do that well, but the figure for
a week of widely varied motoring was near-as-dammit 50 mpg in
the more easily understood imperial measurement - say, around
6l/100 km.
“Likes were many, balanced by some
disappointments. The cutesy digital fuel gauge gives an
inadequate indication of the state of play nearing empty, but
I liked the clarity and easy reading of the large digital
speedo. The forward folding rear seats are useful, but leave a
far from flat floor. There is a high lip to lift loads over.
My lasting questions relate to overall quality. There were
some unexpected noises-off. Some items felt a little flimsy
which is rare these days. This otherwise endearing little
Eurocar falls short of the solid feel of such less charismatic
Eastern competitors as the Hyundai Getz, Mazda2 and Honda
Jazz. Its main European competitors are French too - the
delightful Peugeot 206 and Renault’s fun Clio (see my piece
on the Clio V6 next week - Dr. Iain).
“The C3’s ride is fine, but not
traditional ‘Citroen-superieur’. While there is a mite
more road noise than usual the ride is commendably
comfortable. Body roll is well contained but it is sufficient
to encourage an early easing of the accelerator in twisty
terrain.
“The C3 has bags of practical appeal and
genuine style. It will never look or feel boring, but you’d
best check that the performance is OK for your needs. Its
minimal thirst is a major plus. Five door access adds to
everyday practicality.”
Thank you John, for the Thailand situation,
the (relative) lack of power would not be such a problem.
After all, sitting in Bangkok or Chiang Mai traffic jams, the
most important performance item is the air-conditioner!
|
Auto investment. Is Thailand worth it?
According to the latest figures released by
many sources, including the Thai Board of Investment, Thailand
is looking good for many of the major players in the
automotive industry. This is despite the looming threat of
China, and the apparent slowness in getting the AFTA (ASEAN
Free Trade Area) agreements off the ground.
You only need to look at the two majors in
the one ton pick-up sales, Isuzu and Toyota, who together
spent over 155 million baht just in advertising their
respective products. Market leader Isuzu have already
indicated they will close their Japanese pick-up and SUV
plants and relocate to Thailand. The expected output is to
export 100,000 units per year from Thailand, within the next
two years.
Toyota are spending 5 billion baht on a
Research and Development Centre in Samut Prakan and this
facility which will employ 240 local staff has been given the
task of producing two new models for Asia by 2006. On top of
that there will be new production plants requiring another 43
billion baht big spend, as Toyota expects to produce 200,000
units a year plus 7.7 million parts.
Michelin and Bridgestone are also investing
further in Thailand production, plus many parts suppliers, led
by Yarnapund, Thailand’s biggest parts manufacturer who are
pumping 1.5 million baht into new plant and tooling to supply
parts for Toyota and Isuzu.
No, despite the ‘threat’ of China,
Thailand is in good shape, and with the major manufacturers
concentrating on one ton pick-ups here and 10 ton trucks in
China, it stops there being too much of an overlap between the
two manufacturing centres.
|
|
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I wrote about an engine that was
used to garner several world speed records. It was a 24 litre
12 cylinder engine, with the cylinders arranged in three banks
of four, known as a ‘broad arrow’ configuration. I wanted
to know the engine, the car it was in, and the driver. The
answer was the Napier Lion aero engine that was put in the
Napier-Railton Special driven by John Cobb. From 1933 to 1937
it set many records, including the 24 hour record at over 150
mph (240 kph in the new money).
And so to this week. Quick and easy. What
Japanese car manufacturer was founded in 1920 to make cork
products?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be
the first correct answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Anyone for Bahrain in April next year?
Having just flown to and from the UK and
having stopped at Bahrain both ways, I can tell you the
airport is lovely. Those who have ventured outside tell me
that the Grand Prix track is coming along well too, with over
42,000 cubic metres of concrete having been poured already.
Although the FIA has yet to reveal the
schedule for the 2004 season it’s understood that the
organisers of the Bahrain GP are looking at an April date.
Originally it was thought that the Bahrain event would be
slotted in at the end of the season - most likely in October -
but it was then realised that this would involve a clash with
Ramadan in subsequent years.
The deadline for completion of work at the
track is March 7 and according to the latest report everything
is on schedule with 31% of the work complete. It’s
understood that almost two thousand men are working around the
clock to ensure that the facility is completed on time, and
the mild summer has helped progress.
“So far we have been very lucky,”
resident engineer Rizwan Mumtaz told the Gulf Daily News.
“There were only one or two bad days of humidity and it has
definitely helped in construction work.”
The most crucial time is the period from
September to November since that is when the various
specialists in different department will need to work together
as the final phase of the construction begins. This is when
the track surface will be laid and the steel structures
designed to support the grandstand roofing will be erected.
Somehow the three weeks between completion
of the circuit and a Grand prix in April sounds too short for
me, and I doubt if Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA will approve.
More later! However, it is interesting to note that April is
the date for the San Marino GP. What bets that it gets
forgotten next year? After all, they have threatened they are
scrapping the Canadian GP!
|
SS
100 Jaguar