Brush up on your Mandarin - the Chinese are coming
The western world has long been clinging
on to the notion that Chinese industry, and the Chinese
motor industry in particular, is very much behind the times.
We have decided that quality is very low, and the
engineering design is still at the horse-drawn wagon stage.
Unfortunately, we have been fooling ourselves.
With our complete faith in the westernized ‘Detroit of Asia’
concept, which could not be threatened by anyone, our
dominance was so complete that we did not hear the Chinese
creeping in the back door.
If you have any doubts, I suggest you take a trip to Bangkok
and visit the 30th Bangkok International Motor Show being
held at the BITEC exposition halls between March 26 and
April 6 this year.
With Thailand’s ‘Detroit of the East’ manufacturers GM and
Ford currently facing the world economic downturn and
teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, some of the
established players in auto retailing are looking to China
to boost the bottom line. Ponder on the fact that China
outsold the US for the first time in January 2009.
The Yontrakit Group, a long time player in the Thai auto
market has been split in three to allow them to concentrate
on importing some Chinese vehicles, both a completely built
up (CBU) and as CKD. One of the Yontrakit trio is Thai
Yarnon which will bring in the Chery brand from China, to
sell alongside its VW outlets. The Chery will get its first
showing at the Bangkok International Motor Show. The Chery
QQ sub-compact will be brought in initially CBU, but with
Yonytakit having assembly lines free, this will mean that
the Chery models (QQ, Tiggo SUV and Cross MPV) can later
come in CKD.
The Yontrakit Corporation is continuing to bring in the Naza
Forza, a Chinese manufactured vehicle being assembled in
Malaysia and brought in to Thailand CBU. Whilst sales have
been less than hoped for, the settling down of the Yontrakit
empire, now split in three, will see more aggressive
marketing in 2009.
Swelling the Chinese import ranks is the Wuling Scorpion
under the aegis of the PVA Motors group, and DFM Mini trucks
manufactured by Dongfeng Motor in China and brought in CBU.
DFM Thailand is looking to sales of 2,000 units this year,
and with the vehicles retailing at between B. 270,000 -
320,000, there will be plenty of interest by small
businesses. DFM is projecting 20 dealer outlets by the end
of 2009.
With China also being first with an all electric production
vehicle (the BYD - Build Your Dream) and GM putting back the
release of the Chevrolet Volt, you can expect China to be
attacking the market on all fronts.
Whilst nobody in Bangkok will deny the downturn, Thailand is
obviously looking to its neighbor in the north to counteract
flagging markets.
The ‘Supercar’ race
I was asked the other evening about ‘supercars’
and which did I think was the best. Perhaps I am getting
old, but I have rapidly come to the conclusion that
‘supercars’ do absolutely nothing for mere mortals such as
you and me, and have become increasingly more irrelevant
today.
Porsche
917
I am reminded of Professor Max Born’s statement, “Space
travel is a triumph of intellect but a tragic failure of
reason.” You can say the same about today’s ‘supercars’. So
VW managed to extract 1001 horsepower from the engine in a
Bugatti Veyron. Why? What earthly good is that for you and
me? A triumph of intellect and a tragic failure of reason.
However, if you do want to discuss ‘supercars’, make sure
you include the Porsche 917. 40 years old, it was first
displayed at Geneva on March 12, 1969. Despite initial
instability problems at speed, an intense development
program through 1969 saw the car ultimately developed into
one of the most successfully race cars of all time. It went
on to win Le Mans in 1970 and returned in ’71 with the
Martini and Gulf-Wyer teams to completely dominate the
event.
What sort of performance was available 40 years ago? The
Long Tailed Le Mans racer was capable of 0-100 km/h in 2.5
seconds and a top speed of 406 km/h. For the 1973 Can-Am
series, a turbo-charged version was produced; developing 820
kW in race tune and 1180 kW in qualifying tune (that’s 1,580
bhp). This version, the 917/30 could accelerate from 0-100
km/h in 1.9 seconds and 0-160 km/h in 3.9 seconds, hitting a
top speed of 414 km/h.
If you want one of these classic supercars, the Porsche 917
is one of the most significant race cars of all time with
current (2009) values at between $3 million to $7 million.
For the diary
BKK International Motor Show March 27 to April 6.
Autotrivia Quiz
Last week I asked which car company was
first with the key start. The answer was Chrysler in 1949.
How a once proud automaker has crumbled. Walter P Chrysler
must be revolving in his grave.
So to this week. You could still get wooden wheels as
factory equipment in 1939. What manufacturer (of the car)?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct
answer to email [email protected]
Good luck!
Honda Racing F1 finally
sold
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has announced the sale of
the Honda Racing F1 Team to Ross Brawn, the former Team
Principal of Honda Racing F1.
Brawn
GP F1
The entire shares of HRF1, held by Honda GP Holdings Ltd.,
the UK-based holding company for HRF1 that managed all
operations of Honda’s F1 racing, were sold to Ross Brawn. As
a result of this sale, the team ownership has been
transferred to Mr. Brawn, who has stated the new team will
compete for this year’s FIA F1 World Championship.
Hiroshi Oshima, managing officer of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
responsible for corporate communications and motor sports
said, “Since announcing our withdrawal from Formula One
racing on December 5 of last year, we have conducted various
studies and discussions so the team can continue its
activities as a new team. We are very pleased that we could
sell the team to Ross Brawn, with whom we have been
partaking in the challenges of F1 competition, and are
grateful for his decision. We offer our sincerest wishes for
the new team which will be led by Ross.”
This has brought to a close the very protracted sale of the
Honda F1 company, which rumor has it, is still being
supported by Honda, but in the background only.
The newly purchased team is known as Brawn GP and the two
drivers from 2008, Jenson Button and Rubens Barichello, have
both been retained, and we will see during the 2009 season
just which driver will be dominant. I will predict that only
one of them will be retained for the 2010 season. Last year
the veteran Barichello had a much better year than his
younger team member.
In testing so far, the new Brawn GP1 has been very quick,
straight out of the box, and if pre-season testing is
anything to go by, the new car will be in the top half of
the field, as opposed to being tail-end charlies as they
were last year. In fact, the new BrawnGP car, in the hands
of Rubens Barichello, recorded the fastest time this year at
Barcelona, and was over two seconds quicker than Lewis
Hamilton in the McLaren.
The 2009 season begins in Melbourne on March 29.
Is GM about to go belly up?
Much space in the financial pages as to whether
GM will go to the wall. That covers GM in the US and GM in
Europe. Simple answer - GM will not disappear like British
Leyland 30 odd years ago, but financially it might be better
for it to claim bankruptcy protection through Chapter 11
provisions. This would allow the US appointed managers to
deal more effectively with creditors, unions and suppliers.
Propping up the ailing companies with more and more
government funds may just be throwing good money after bad,
unless GM can show how it is going to turn itself around.
This scenario has already been mooted by GM, whose spokesman
stated, “We could be forced to seek relief through a filing
under the US bankruptcy code.” Its auditors have also said
there is “substantial doubt” about its ability to stay in
business if it fails to stop its losses, with Deloitte &
Touche reporting a loss of nearly USD 31 bn for 2008.
The cold hard truth is that there will be massive losses yet
to come in the auto industry. Car sales in the US have
fallen 40 percent from their 2007 peak, while global sales
are down about 24 percent from a peak in January 2008, GM
said. GM’s shares dropped 17 percent to $1.82 on the New
York Stock Exchange as investors reacted to the news.
For GM, the only question is how to cover these losses while
it restructures itself. Chapter 11 may just be the best way
out yet.
Audi to debut the Mk2 Le Mans oilburner
tomorrow
Britain’s Allan McNish debuts R15 TDI on March 21
at Sebring (US), as preparation for Audi’s next diesel LMP1
race car running up to Le Mans this year on June 13/14.
AUDI AG is the world’s first automobile manufacturer to
develop a “second” generation diesel racing sports car. Audi
aims to underline its supremacy and consolidate its
expertise in car technology once more at the legendary 24
Hours of Le Mans with the all-new Audi R15 TDI.
Audi Sport has developed a new LMP1 race car that differs
significantly from all previous Le Mans sports cars. “The
R15 TDI has many detailed technical solutions never seen
before on a sports prototype,” explains Head of Audi
Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.
The engine is a newly developed V10 TDI engine producing
more than 600 hp, with a maximum torque output in excess of
1,050 Nm and which reflects the latest version of the TDI
Technology invented by Audi. The power unit is more compact
and lighter than the twelve-cylinder engine used in the
preceding R10 TDI model. The specific fuel consumption and
associated CO2 emissions could also be reduced.
The vehicle electrical system in the Le Mans sports car is
entirely new. A lithium-ion battery, as found in some hybrid
vehicles, is used for the first time. It is lighter than a
conventional battery and supplies a higher voltage.
The headlights fitted to the R15 TDI also benefit from the
higher power. At Le Mans, Audi competes for the first time
with a low beam unit comprised entirely of light emitting
diodes, which represents the next generation of Audi LED
technology for road cars.
Audi is the only automobile manufacturer to have won the
famous 24 Hours of Le Mans with a diesel car. “With the R15
TDI we have created the base to be in a position to win also
in 2009,” says the Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang
Ullrich, in a most confident mood.
However, anything can happen in motor racing. We shall see
what happens when the flag falls in France.
Audi R15.TDI
