Are Thai made vehicles good enough?
For many people, there is that nagging worry as to whether a
car made in Thailand is screwed together well enough. Should
one stick to imported vehicles because the quality is better
(or perceived to be better)?
Yaris
a winner again.
Many years ago, when BMW first opened their manufacturing
plant on the Eastern Seaboard, I remember the local GM
saying that the cars produced here were not “Thai BMWs”, but
BMWs made in Thailand. I understood immediately what he
meant. In fact, in the German BMW’s audit of the plant, the
BMWs made in Thailand were some of the best in the world, as
far as freedom from faults was concerned.
What reminded me of all that were the results of the JD
Power Asia Pacific Thailand Initial Quality Study. In this
critical examination, owners of new vehicles were asked
about the quality of the cars they had bought. The
questionnaire covered ride, handling, braking,
features/controls, seats, ventilation and cooling, sound
system, exterior and interior, engine and transmission. The
end result is expressed as the number of problems per 100
vehicles, and obviously, the lower number of faults the
better.
The latest study was carried out on almost 3,500 owners, and
covered 49 different vehicles, including cars, pick-ups and
utility vehicles, and spanned 10 different manufacturers.
The industry average, according to the JD Power survey, was
216 problems per 100 vehicles, which was the best figure
since 2003, a 14 percent improvement.
And what brand came out on top? Guess! Yes, it was Toyota,
top in all five categories. I actually had an interesting
chat with one of the engineers from a car manufacturing
plant here on the Eastern Seaboard a week ago. He was using
the words “perceived quality”, but I believe the JD Power is
much more objective than that, and we are not looking at
subjective results here. Certainly Toyota is ‘perceived’ by
the buying public as having reliable vehicles, and quite
honestly, I believe they do!
Even though I personally think that the sample size was a
little small, the results did come out as I imagined, with
Toyota Yaris on top of Honda Jazz in one class, Corolla
Altis followed by Mitsubishi Lancer and Honda Civic in
another and the Hilux variants on top of the various pick-up
based segments such as single and double-cab and extended
cabs.
So the answer to the question as to local quality, the
answer is yes, Thai made vehicles are certainly well made.
What the Germans thought of the 2006 F1 season
I was very fortunate in being given a
translation from the German Auto, Motor und Sport magazine
done by local expat resident Peter Wehrli. I was interested
to see if the German press could be objective and unbiased,
considering “their man” Michael Schumacher did not win the
hoped for 8th world championship.
The item began with “Alonso is the old and new champion.
There was no happy ending. When the curtain fell, Michael
Schumacher was only second. And yet, his last performance
once again proved his extraordinary class. Schumi drove the
race of his life as if he emphatically wanted to show
everybody, for one final time, what we’ll be missing without
him.” I certainly have no complaints with that wrap up.
Schumi did show that he was still the master.
The report also stated correctly that Alonso won his second
title not least because he committed fewer errors than his
rival. Again, totally correct. “Schumi crashed in Melbourne
and Budapest, paid the parking fine in Monte Carlo and
wasted valuable time by sliding out in Istanbul.” Spot on.
The report was also objective in discussing BMW’s year,
stating that generally points were beyond their reach. It
also stated that you did not have to be clairvoyant to see
that BMW is pinning its faith on the Pole Kubica, and not on
the German Heidfeld.
The Auto, Motor und Sport articled finished with a
prediction for 2007. “Ferrari consoles itself with
Raikkonen, McLaren with Alonso. Only Renault cannot
adequately fill the gap. The movement of musical chairs
within the upper echelon provides a chance for the B-teams.
If Honda, Toyota, BMW and Red Bull cannot capitalize on that
unique opportunity in 2007, then they probably never will.”
Hear, hear! (Thank you again Peter Wehrli for a unique
insight.)
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week was an easy one. I mentioned the Swedish Volvo
P1800 as being one of those iconic cars, but it was not made
in Sweden. I asked where was it made? It was made in the UK
in the Jensen factory!
So to this week. Which five cylinder diesel engined
experimental record breaking car was originally built with a
four chamber Wankel style rotary engine?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Electric Hub Motors heralding another revolution?
I firmly believe that the cars of the future will be
electric. Forget the hybrid gasoline/electric combination,
the future will not only be electric, but the cars will be
powered by rechargeable batteries that you plug in overnight
into the three pin system in your garage. Just like your
current mobile phone.
Mitsubishi
system
The latest developments in Lithium-ion (L-ion) batteries are
showing that the concept of electric cars is far from
finished. It was also evident that whilst there are some new
technologies around the corner, at this stage, most of the
development seems to be in refining old techniques.
We should look at a little history of electric power for
passenger vehicles. The leading manufacturer of electric
vehicles in the world, at the end of the 19th century, was
the Baker Motor Vehicle Company, started by Walter C. Baker
in 1898. Indeed, the company still stands as the largest
producer of electric vehicles in history, despite ceasing
business in 1916. This shows that we have not really been
furthering the concept since 1916, by which time we had
fallen in love with the gasoline engine, to the virtual
exclusion of other power sources.
However, the manufacturers themselves are now also looking
at hub motors for direct propulsion. A couple of years ago,
General Motors demonstrated a low-tech, high performance
technology that the automaker believes could improve vehicle
acceleration, traction and maneuverability, and enhance the
performance of hybrid electric vehicles. This was through
the use of electric hub motors.
Electric
hub motor
While GM stated that although electric wheel hub motors have
been used before on bicycles, golf carts and lawn mowers,
one of their top engineers said the motors could provide
enhanced performance on passenger vehicles. “You get the
economy of a four-cylinder engine with the performance of a
six,” said Jim Nagashima, who was manager of the advance
development group at GM’s Advance Technology Center in
Torrance, California. “Icy, snowy conditions can be sensed
immediately and all the torque could be put onto one wheel,”
Nagashima said in an interview. The use of wheel hub motors
could become a cheaper, lighter substitute for the electric
motors now used in today’s hybrid vehicles, Nagashima said.
Of course, GM is not the only manufacturer looking at this
technology. Toyota displayed their Fine N concept vehicle at
the Bangkok Show last year too, which was designed around
fuel cells providing electric power for four wheel hub
motors.
Another manufacturer to come up with a vehicle using this
wheel hub motor concept is Mitsubishi, who believe that the
fuel crisis will stimulate electric technology. The
Mitsubishi MIEV has four high-efficiency direct-drive motors
inside its 20 inch wheels, each producing 50 kW of power and
518 Nm torque adding to maximum output of 200 kW (270 bhp).
And because this drive system allows precise regulation of
power at each individual wheel, it opens the door to
creating a vehicle dynamics control system in its ultimate
evolutionary form.
The MIEV is a proposal for next generation electric vehicles
that utilizes the environmental technology Mitsubishi has
been developing over the years. The in-wheel hub motors and
the lithium-ion battery system, which is located under the
floor to reduce the center of gravity, propels the Lancer
Evolution MIEV from zero to 100 km/h in less than eight
seconds and up to a maximum speed of 180 km/h. Performance
figures that place the MIEV in the middle of passenger car
performance.
The foremost feature of the in-wheel hub motor is that it
allows drive torque and braking force to be regulated with
high precision on an individual wheel basis without
requiring transmission, drive shafts, differential gears or
other complex and heavy components. Housing the drive system
in the wheels also gives greater freedom in designing the
layout. The space-saving benefits of the in-wheel motor also
offer exciting possibilities in terms of body design.
The major shortcoming of the EV to date has been its limited
cruising range. This is now well on the way to being
overcome with recent improvements in battery performance.
MIEV uses the lithium-ion storage cell for its main power
source, this offering advantages in terms of energy density
and life over other types of secondary or rechargeable
battery.
So from many points of view, environmental, functional and
breaking the dependence on fossil fuels, the in-wheel hub
motors look as if they present a very tempting solution to
many problems.
What must not be forgotten, however, is that Dr. Ferdinand
Porsche was the first to come out with electric hub motors,
with the electricity generator being driven by a gasoline
engine mounted on the chassis. This was in the
Lohner-Porsche of 1902, a mere 104 years ago. The first
hybrid!
It seems as though the (electric) wheel has now gone full
circle!
Four Hour race at Bira in January
Pizza Company
Vios Team.
Yes, it has been confirmed that there
will be a Four Hour endurance race at the Bira circuit on
the January 6/7 weekend. There will be two main classes with
Honda Civics and Toyota Vios/Yaris production cars, though
there are some additional freedoms being allowed, such as
rear discs and non-standard ECUs. So there will be classes
and sub-classes in each category. Each car must have a
minimum of three drivers, and only one can be an “A Grade”
driver per car.
I have a personal interest in this event, having been
invited to join the Pizza Company race team for the event.
The Pizza Company team has done well all year in the
restricted Vios class and the regular drivers include the ex
Thailand GoKart champion Thomas Raldorf, Norwegian Martin
Stuvic and Australian Paul Kenny.
More on this event next week.