The Industry – Driven To Write

Under the Knife — More than a Nip and Tuck

The 2014 Corsa E was not as new as it might have seemed.

There is a well-established formula used by European automakers for their model renewal cycle that typically runs something like this: a new model is introduced with an expected lifespan of around eight years. Half way through this lifespan, it is given a nip and tuck at both ends to freshen up its appearance and, hopefully, sustain sales into its declining years before the replacement arrives. Automakers frequently use the term ‘new’ to describe such models, although it is a moot point, firstly as to whether or not most would-be buyers notice these minor revisions and, secondly, if such changes significantly influence their buying decisions.

Launched in 2006, the Opel / Vauxhall Corsa D duly received its mid-life facelift in November 2010. This was an inexpensive and effective rework that required no metalwork changes, just a new bumper moulding that allowed for reprofiled, slimmer headlamps, giving the front end a sharper look. This, and tweaks to trim and equipment levels, freshened the car up nicely for the next few years.

Behind the scenes, however, the havoc wrought on General Motors by the 2007/08 Global Financial Crisis that had forced the corporation to Continue reading “Under the Knife — More than a Nip and Tuck”

Banjo Yellow Dace

DTW asks, are their dreams our dreams?

Coming Soon, to a Lot Near You – Image : carnewschina.com

The local roads near my employer are awash with new Green Ovals and Bavarian Propellers. Close by, Nissan and opposite some Blue Ovals, both of which blend in more with ever increasing traffic levels. The latter has been in place a score or more years. Where once Series 2 Focuses and Fiestas sold, now replaced by new Pumas and electric Mustangs, the dealership deals heavily in the commercial side of Ford, the forecourt chock full of Rangers and Transits.

One corner of the expansive site was geared toward the top end of used Ford. Think STs and Vignales. Recently though, signs were posted onto windows informing a new kid on the block. Driving home one evening, the Fords were gone, ousted by vehicles wearing Build Your Dreams on their rears.

BYD Auto Co. Ltd has been busy. Founded in 2003, the company invested heavily in order to Continue reading “Banjo Yellow Dace”

Concept Cars Mon Amour! Initiale But Not Last!

Dreaming the impossible dream.

The jury at the sumptuous Parc de Bagatelle was coming to the conclusion of a session that seemed particularly debated — although was it really — was it not always this way every year? This time however, the deliberations seemed to go on forever! We had chosen all of the concours class winners, in addition to the special prizes, and we were reaching the end of the final debate to elect the Best of Show for the 1995 Concours d’Elégance Louis Vuitton.

Not a single pop star nor socialite could Continue reading “Concept Cars Mon Amour! Initiale But Not Last!”

Compact Ambition

Recalling BMW’s first tentative step into the automotive mainstream thirty years ago.

Given the bewildering breadth and complexity of BMW’s model range in 2024, it seems barely believable that, thirty years ago, the company offered just four distinct models. The range then comprised the 3, 5 and 7 Series saloons⁽¹⁾ and the 8 Series grand touring coupé. The company had a well-established reputation as a purveyor of high-quality cars with a sporting bias that were very much in demand from aspirational buyers.

However, this enviable position had not wholly protected BMW from a severe downturn in the Western (and especially the German) automotive markets in 1993. The US and Europe was in the grip of a recession and Germany had the additional burden of reunification to deal with. Central banks had driven up interest rates to Continue reading “Compact Ambition”

Alternating Current

A Transformer, in disguise

1994 Piontek Sportech – Image : autoweek.com

Termed not only an engineer and inventor, but also a futurist, Nikola Tesla’s (1856-1943) eponymous company’s hegemony now faces stiff competition from many sides, but the worldwide phenomenon began, as with many projects, as a dream in America, though adding rural Norfolk to the story.

Martin Eberhard’s passion for electrical engineering and sportscars led him, along with fellow Tesla co-founder, Marc Tarpenning, to observe the driving habits of their affluent neighbours in Palo Alto in 2003. Seeing a profundity of Prius led the duo to Continue reading “Alternating Current”

What on Earth…?

Twenty years ago, the SsangYong Rodius was unveiled to an incredulous public.

It might surprise many of our readers to hear that SsangYong Motors, now called KG Mobility Corporation, is still in business today, producing a range of SUVs and a pick-up truck for mainly Asian markets under the KGM badge. Since its foundation in 1954 under the name Dong-A Motor, the company has had a highly eventful and often traumatic history, having being owned variously by South Korean compatriot Daewoo Motors, China’s SAIC Motor and India’s Mahindra Automotive. None of these marriages proved happy or successful and Ssangyong flirted with bankruptcy on a number of occasions.

Over the years, SsangYong’s line-up of motor vehicles has also been somewhat idiosyncratic, and none moreso than the 2004 Rodius. At the start of the new millennium, MPVs, or minivans as they are called in North America, were still highly popular, having displaced the traditional station wagon as the family holdall. The scope for differentiation in stylistic terms with a one-box vehicle, basically a van with windows, was limited and most mainstream MPVs played it pretty straight. This conformity was reinforced by the fact that many were the product of joint ventures⁽¹⁾, hence needed to Continue reading “What on Earth…?”

Is Milano, Is Not Milano

Okay then, if you insist: Junior.

Occasionally, the journey can be more eventful than the destination. Perhaps the scenery is especially memorable, the company entertaining, or alternatively, something unexpected occurs, rendering one’s arrival something of an side-issue. It is certainly plausible to view Alfa Romeo’s recent travails in these terms, for within days of the newly minted Milano’s unveiling, the carmaker became part of the news agenda, for reasons entirely unrelated to the car’s appearance, engineering, or fitness for purpose.

Politics and the automobile have rarely been mutually exclusive, least of all in Italy. Over Alfa Romeo’s long history, Milan’s most famous carmaker has been no stranger to the machinations of power, having been under State control^[1] for almost half a century, and prior to that, being, amongst other things, Benito Mussolini’s favoured chariot. Hence, in 2024’s overwrought political climate, where it appears possible to conflate a culture war scenario from just about anything, the reaction of the Italian government’s Industry and Made in Italy Ministry to Alfa Romeo’s nomenclature choice quickly became the biggest story in town.

Briefing journalists, two days after the car’s official unveiling, Adolfo Urso, Italy’s Minister for Industry announced, “A car called Milano cannot Continue reading “Is Milano, Is Not Milano”

Concept Cars Mon Amour! Les Citadines

Cars for our cities

I woke up the other day with a number in my mind: 11 billion, which is the number of inhabitants that are projected to live on planet earth by the end of this century — we are ‘only’ 7 billion today. As of now, there are 28 megacities (more than 10 million inhabitants), in the world. The largest is Tokyo, with a population of 27.2 million but this will diminish owing to an aging population and the resulting low birth rate. Other megacities however, continue to grow and grow and grow. Care for a ride to Mumbai airport, or Beijing or Manila in the permanent rush-hour?

In the the early 1990s, many of us already began to Continue reading “Concept Cars Mon Amour! Les Citadines”

A Goddess in Peril?

DS Automobiles marks ten years as a standalone brand in 2024. Time to take stock.

It is now a decade since PSA launched DS Automobiles as a standalone brand. The revived DS name had first appeared in January 2010 on the Citroën DS3, an upmarket and more stylish sibling to the C3 supermini. From the outset, Citroën made clear its intention to launch a range of cars under the DS sub-brand that would, it hoped, recapture the glamour and typically French style of the original 1955 DS model. A year later, the company launched the DS4, a C-segment hatchback positioned upmarket of the Citroën C4. This was followed shortly by the DS5, a D-segment car, again positioned upmarket of the C5.

Of this trio, the DS3 was by far the most convincing and best-selling. The DS4 and DS5 received middling reviews, being regarded as of rather more style than substance. The DS5 in particular was heavily criticised for its poor ride quality, something unforgivable on a car that was intended to Continue reading “A Goddess in Peril?”

The Rise and fall of the Funky Cat

We got the funk. Or do we?

The ORA Funky Cat announced itself to the European Market with a loud Meow. Not least thanks to its funky name, the car stood out from the crowd of Chinese designed, engineered, and manufactured EVs that arrived on European shores since the beginning of last year. Looks, advertising and pricing burst with confidence. Billboards purring all over town and an initial MSRP of €36,985: Ora had every intention of playing in the same league as its established European, Korean, Japanese, or North American cousins.

However, just a few months later, its Chinese parent, Great Wall Motors decided to strip the car of its name and drastically slash its price. It now goes as ‘GWM ORA 03’. To all appearances, not everything has been going according to plan, has it? What was wrong^[1] with the Funky Cat? On a rental car ride^[2] from Berlin to Hamburg and back, I was about to Continue reading “The Rise and fall of the Funky Cat”

Secret Crush — Chevrolet HHR

The author confesses his liking for a deeply unfashionable car.

Despite my well documented tendency towards nostalgia in matters automotive, I have never been particularly partial to ‘retro’ designs. They are usually on a hiding to nothing: once an automaker has plundered its back-catalogue, it often finds itself in a stylistic dead-end with no viable route to evolve the design successfully into a further generation. There are many examples of single-generation retro designs that were briefly fashionable but quickly withered thereafter, cars like the 2001 Jaguar S-Type and X-type and 2002 Ford Thunderbird to name but three.

There have, of course, been exceptions to the single-generation rule, but even these have not been without their difficulties. BMW’s millennial reinvention of the BMC Mini was hugely well received, and justifiably so, but subsequent iterations of the three-door hatchback have generally been regarded as regressive⁽¹⁾ in stylistic terms and attempts to Continue reading “Secret Crush — Chevrolet HHR”

The Golf at 50 : Meanwhile, Back at the Clubhouse…

…a plan was hatched that would see the Mk1 Golf remain in production for another quarter-century.

The 1974 Volkswagen Golf was a remarkably successful car that became the archetypical C-segment family hatchback and quite literally saved its maker from almost certain bankruptcy. During its nine-year lifetime, the Golf Mk1 was assembled in eight different countries across six continents, and total production was around six million units.

The 1983 Golf Mk2 was a bigger, heavier and more robust car than its lightweight and lithe predecessor. This suited the tastes and expectations of the European and North American markets for German cars, but less so the South African market, where the Mk1 remained a popular choice. Local production of the Golf Mk1 had commenced in 1978 at Volkswagen’s plant at Uitenhage⁽¹⁾ in the Eastern Cape, which was the largest car assembly factory on the continent. VW South Africa did not want to Continue reading “The Golf at 50 : Meanwhile, Back at the Clubhouse…”

The Golf at 50 : Das Kaninchen

The Americans open the burrow

Consider today’s episode from the Wolfsburg perspective: your brand name and values are by now, known. You’re respected by purchasers, an irritant to homeland manufacturers. Detroit’s answers to your wares have been half-baked, at best. Finances are solid but the Beetle is ageing and sales are dwindling. The Back Yard work is done, now it’s time to introduce your new Wunderkind to the States. Do we Continue reading “The Golf at 50 : Das Kaninchen”

Everything You Can Think of is True

Ohm truths from abroad.

Something appears to have gone arwy with Europe’s transition to battery-electric vehicles. On one hand, the picture remains dominated by Tesla’s seemingly unstoppable march towards market saturation^[1], and of course the much-vaunted influx of Chinese-made EVs, which some of the more alarmist analysts and observers predict are set to finish the job. On the other, we have what is routinely characterised as a hidebound and slothful indigenous industry, undergoing change with foot-dragging reluctance and dinosaur-like, appear set to be consumed in the oncoming conflagration.

There is another aspect however, one which is both more nuanced and ergo, more complex — possibly too much so for a sub-2000-word article. But having started, we might as well Continue reading “Everything You Can Think of is True”

Cultural Appropriation

A handsome, competent and likeable car that was undone by events and misconceived marketing.

The 2001 Citroën C5 was a spacious, comfortable and eminently practical large family car. Thanks to a rather tortuous and confused development process, however, it was saddled with looks that could most kindly be described as distinctive, or not conventionally attractive. Would-be buyers would have to be either oblivious to matters of taste in automotive design, or take pleasure in being contrarians in such matters.

When it came time to develop a replacement for the C5, Citroën took a much more conventional and less controversial approach to its styling. Designer Domagoj Đukec⁽¹⁾ penned an entirely contemporary and rather handsome looking saloon⁽²⁾ and estate⁽³⁾ that featured a rising waistline, accentuated by a pronounced crease running along the flanks through the door handles, and a smoothly arched roof line. Large angular headlamps flanked a single-slot front grille that featured a bold double-chevron logo. The overall design owed rather more to Continue reading “Cultural Appropriation”

A DTW Kind of Car — It’s Really Simple

A car wholly in tune with the times.

As Driven To Write marks its tenth anniversary, we contributors have been asked each to choose a car that we feel deserves recognition for the qualities we hope DTW has championed on these pages over the past decade. There was much lively debate (and sherry consumed) as we attempted to agree a uniform set of criteria for such a car. In the end, the cats would not be herded, so our esteemed editor allowed us the creative freedom each to Continue reading “A DTW Kind of Car — It’s Really Simple”

Scaled Down at Le Grand-Saconnex — DTW at Geneva 2024 — Part 2

My, my, just how much I’ve missed you.

We return to the first Geneva Salon in five years, smaller but not short of intrigue.

Lucid Motors

Based in Newark, California and manufacturing in Casa Grande, Arizona, Lucid have a strong, but unconventional presence in the emerging EV ecosystem. The company was established in 2007 as Atiera, and presented the emphatically upmarket battery-electric Air saloon in 2017. Production commenced in 2021. Continue reading “Scaled Down at Le Grand-Saconnex — DTW at Geneva 2024 — Part 2”

It’s an ill wind…

…that blows nobody any good, as Volvo discovered to its benefit.

Formed in 1999, Ford’s Premier Automotive Group (PAG) was the brainchild of Chief Executive Officer Jacques Nasser, who wanted to push the company upmarket and diversify away from its largely blue-collar customer base⁽¹⁾. PAG would do so by using Ford’s technical and financial resources to develop and expand the reach of the European prestige automotive marques that it already owned (or, in the case of Land-Rover, would soon acquire). These were storied names with great histories, but they no longer possessed the financial or technical resources to compete on equal terms in the upper echelons of the automotive hierarchy.

Ford had acquired a controlling 75% stake in Aston Martin in 1987. Jaguar followed in 1989, Volvo in 1999 and Land-Rover in 2000. These acquisitions cost Ford something in the region of US $17bn, but that was only the start of the spending: Ford poured many millions more into the development of new models, with highly variable results. Jaguar in particular struggled under Ford ownership, as has been extensively documented on these pages.

PAG was an unmitigated disaster for Ford. After the company posted a staggering loss of US $12.7bn in 2006, the new CEO, Alan Mulally⁽²⁾, began the painful process of dismantling PAG and selling off its constituent companies; Jaguar and Land-Rover to Indian industrial conglomerate Tata, Volvo to Chinese automaker Geely, and Aston Martin to a Kuwaiti consortium.

PAG was, however, anything but a disaster for the companies that benefitted from Ford’s largesse, in particular, Volvo, which used the investment to Continue reading “It’s an ill wind…”

The Bug, Barkas and Some Balance

Workers of the world unite! Best get in the van, then.

Shifting goods by road behind the Iron Curtain could be a laborious process. Ancient, inefficient engines restricted sales along with painfully slow paperwork made for difficult times. But there were some enduring designs, whilst rudimentary, clearly demonstrated the skills of the collective imagination.

We begin our journey with the Bug, better known as the Žuk. FSC, Fabryka Samochodów Ciężarowych, a huge Lublin, Poland-based manufacturer brought the cab-over-engine Žuk to market in 1958, continuing virtually unchanged for another forty years. The Bug’s 2,120cc S-21 engine was derived from the FSO Warsawa — itself an ‘improvement’ on its predecessor, the GAZ M20 ‘Pobieda’, which had been licensed from Dodge way back in the mid-1930’s. It’s believed Uncle Joe Stalin considered the American engine’s 3.7-litre, in-line six cylinder too imperialist and had two cylinders lopped off and detuned. Legend or truth? Continue reading “The Bug, Barkas and Some Balance”

A Little More Fiat

The Italian automaker’s least well remembered rear-engined car?

It is difficult to imagine Fiat Auto still being in business⁽¹⁾ today had it not been for the 2007 Fiat 500. This evergreen city car has more or less single-handedly kept the automaker afloat for the past seventeen years as it was starved of capital investment during the Marchionne era⁽²⁾. Objectively, the 500 was never the class leader, lagging the best of its competitors in space-efficiency and dynamic ability, but its charming looks made it easy to overlook its deficiencies. Fiat cleverly capitalised on its appeal with endless special editions in a range of attractive paint and interior colour schemes, turning it into something of a fashion accessory.

The retro styling of the 500 was unashamedly copied from the 1957 Fiat Nuova 500, a tiny rear-engined car that (together with its predecessor, the Topolino) was credited with re-mobilising Italy after the destruction of the Second World War. The twenty-first century reinvention of the 500 reminded older motor enthusiasts such as your writer of the charms of the 1957 original and introduced that car to a whole new generation. Continue reading “A Little More Fiat”

Belle Couture Française (Part Two)

The Renault 25 proves to be something of a curate’s egg — good in parts.

Deliveries of the Renault 25 began in March 1984 and Car Magazine published its first full review of the new model in its April issue. The reviewer, John McCormick, didn’t seem to appreciate the subtleties of Opron’s design and described the styling as “surprisingly anonymous”, especially compared with the overtly ‘aero’ Audi 100. McCormick went on to say that the 25 “certainly looked better in the flesh than it did in those early publicity shots, but in no way did it look stylish. Rugged, perhaps, but disappointing.” He went on to highlight the “windscreen wipers, completely exposed to the airflow, the wheels, apparently styled without any thought to wind resistance, the non flush-fitting side windows and exposed rain guttering” and wondered “whether Renault designers have heard of aerodynamics” before acknowledging the car’s claimed class-leading Cd of 0.28⁽¹⁾.

Inside, McCormick was not impressed by the futuristic dashboard, with its “rather confused array of conventional and digital instruments surrounded by some oddly designed and strangely placed switchgear.” He criticised the “enormous binnacle” that failed “to stop sunlight that beams through the side windows rendering the liquid displays in the dash invisible.” He was more impressed with the integrated six-speaker Philips MCC radio / cassette sound system with graphic equaliser, the sound output of which was “truly magnificent in power and quality.” The interior was described as “roomy front and back” with “a quality feel to it and is obviously well finished.” Continue reading “Belle Couture Française (Part Two)”

Belle Couture Française (Part One)

The elegantly tailored Renault 25 celebrates its fortieth birthday in 2024.

Although the pressure to appeal to global audiences may have undermined their distinctiveness in recent years, the three major French automakers have historically produced cars that, although quite different in conception and execution, shared an inimitable Frenchness that, for many buyers, was central to their appeal. Peugeot produced cars that were conservatively styled and engineered and which attracted buyers of a similar mindset. Citroën had a dual personality, producing charming and simple cars such as the 2CV, Dyane and Ami at the lower end of its range and exotically styled and engineered larger cars such as the DS, SM and CX. That both could coexist happily under the same marque stands as a quiet rebuke to the current obsession with sub-branding for micro-niches in the automobile market.

Where did Renault sit within this spectrum? It was first and foremost a maker of practical cars that met the day-to-day needs of the typical French family. The 16 was an exemplar of this approach, a large and versatile family hatchback that was hugely successful, with sales of around 1.85 million over a fifteen-year lifespan.

When the time came to Continue reading “Belle Couture Française (Part One)”

Basic Utility

The vehicles that helped get the Phillippines motoring.

DTW is hardly the place to delve into the political or criminal, but often a story cannot be told without at least hovering on the periphery. This is the story of post-war Philippines’ journey into vehicle manufacturing. Come the end of the hostilities, a sizeable number of Willys Jeeps were left behind by the departing US military, prompting former-soldier, Harry Stoneman^[1] to nurture a blossoming trade in army surplus. The locals immediately began a new customising craze, the Jeepney. Crude bodywork, roofs and often colourful interpretations, along with extensions to fit additional passengers or goods.

Ageing fleets, increased demand and punitive import taxes led President Marcos to Continue reading “Basic Utility”

A Matter of Perspective

Chrysler’s first and only attempt at producing a World Car was a qualified success, and one that depends upon your perspective.

The concept of a ‘World Car’ is hugely alluring to automakers. The motor industry is highly dependent on economies of scale for its profitability, so developing a car that, with only minor adaptation, can be sold globally promises to deliver such economies and allow the development costs to be more quickly and easily amortised. However, wide variations in regulatory environments and consumer tastes make the design and production of such a car far from straightforward.

The Chrysler Horizon was (or, more accurately, was intended to be) one such car. It was conceived in the early 1970s primarily as a replacement for the long-running Simca 1100, a car that had been a strong seller in France but less so in export markets. Launched in 1967, the 1100 can justifiably claim to Continue reading “A Matter of Perspective”

Players One, Two and Three — Power Up!

Concepts from forty years ago

At a time when I was becoming a teenager, interests diversified. Spending a large proportion of my time in front of a screen, observing blocky computer graphics, cars were inordinately square. Having little access and subsequently no interest in conceptual designs then, how I now envy the child of 1980s Japan. Leave behind your Atari VCS and let’s Continue reading “Players One, Two and Three — Power Up!”

The Second Alliance — Part Two

Finding the right man.

On June 14, 1999, I sent my audit of Nissan Design to Carlos Ghosn. The document not only contained an analysis on how the downfall of the design function had occurred, but also came up with a series of recommendations. These included that the reporting of Design should once again be directly to the Executive Vice President of Research and Development Plan and Programmes. Additionally, I advocated for Nissan to hire a head of Design that came from outside of the company, fully aware that this would be an unprecedented event in Japan.

A few days later, when I returned to Paris, I was called to join the Renault President. He received me in his office in the presence of Carlos Ghosn, who had flown in on one of his numerous trips back to France. They told me that they had discussed my audit in detail and that they agreed with all of my recommendations, including that of hiring a candidate from outside to become the new head of Nissan Design.

Then Louis Schweitzer looked at Carlos Ghosn, who smiled for a millisecond and said to me Continue reading “The Second Alliance — Part Two”

The Second Alliance — Part One

Designs on Nissan.

I’m not referring to that runt of a car with its razor thin tyres that the Régie Renault manufactured at American Motors from 1983 to 1987. Bearing the name Alliance, this saloon shared the greater part of its ridiculous physique with another bore, the 5-door Encore, which was just as awkward. They had been designed during the reign, at Style Renault, of Robert Opron, former Citroën designer who had overseen the exceptional DS19 facelift, the striking SM and the CX.

This highly creative designer was manhandled to reach the bottom of design decadence with lots of help from his friendly marketing research gang, who had helped him to Continue reading “The Second Alliance — Part One”

Troubles come in Sixes (Part One)

Peugeot tried repeatedly, but ultimately failed to extend its reach into Mercedes-Benz territory.

Traditionally, Peugeot was the very essence of the French bourgeoisie in automotive form. Cars like the 404, 504 and 505 saloons and estates were well engineered, conservatively styled and designed explicitly to meet the needs and wants of the country’s professional classes. They were to France what Rover or Humber was to the United Kingdom. Unlike those two British automakers, however, Peugeot offered a full range of models, beginning with the practical and (to these eyes, at least) attractive 104 B-segment hatchback. As Peugeot buyers became older, more successful and increasingly affluent, the company provided a natural progression up through its range. A junior accountant driving a 104 would undoubtedly have ambitions ultimately to become finance director and drive a 504 or 505.

Should our ambitious accountant take the next step on his career ladder and become chief executive, what would be his next step on the automotive ladder? Peugeot’s first attempt to Continue reading “Troubles come in Sixes (Part One)”

Sushi with Surströmming

Necessity can make for unusual bedfellows.

Dubbed the ‘Saabaru’ by its detractors and subject of no end of retrospective ‘worst-of’ listicles by the lazier purveyors of automotive received wisdom, the Saab 9-2X has since been consigned to the tundra of Trollhättan lore. But after twenty years in the wilderness, what can be said of this Swedish-Nipponese amalgam and can we Continue reading “Sushi with Surströmming “

Raising Arizona (Part Two)

The Anglo-French Peugeot makes its debut and is well received.

In the months prior to its formal launch, there was still no certainty as to what the new PSA C-segment hatchback would be called. Even those who speculated that it would be a Peugeot expected it to be called 206, given its close relationship with its smaller sibling. Production started at the former Simca plant in Poissy, outside Paris, in September 1985 and at the former Rootes plant in Ryton, near Coventry, a month later. It would be a Peugeot after all, but use 309, not 206 as its model name. When Car Magazine confirmed this in its November 1985 edition, there was still no official announcement that the Talbot marque name would be retired, but it now seemed all but certain.

The importance of the new 309 to Ryton couldn’t be overestimated. Production of the Talbot Alpine and Horizon would come to an end in 1986 and a replacement model was needed to maintain the plant’s viability. Continue reading “Raising Arizona (Part Two)”

Black Thoughts from Abroad

Looking back, forging ahead.

Truth be told, when I look back on my 42 years in the automobile industry, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed that chapter of my life. I took pleasure in the learning process, first with my colleague John Pinko, an American designer, who had taken part in the design of the first Mustang, before choosing to leave Motown and live in France, where we both worked for the French manufacturer, Simca. This was my first job and he tutored me to create renderings using acrylic paint, which was something new at the time in Europe. He also taught me to think big and to make very large renderings, which drew the attention of those who decided!

As a young designer at Ford, I relished having Uwe Bahnsen as my first Chief Designer. I was somewhat less enamoured when he sent me to Continue reading “Black Thoughts from Abroad”

Raising Arizona (Part One)

An orphan, adopted.

Stellantis, the French-headquartered automotive conglomerate, is currently trying to make sense of the barely believable fourteen⁽¹⁾ brands within its portfolio. Many of these are storied marques with long and proud histories, but they have been shamefully abused as they were passed from pillar to post during changes of corporate ownership and have suffered from a toxic combination of inconsistent product planning and / or outright neglect. Anyone who loves cars would wish Stellantis success in reviving beloved marques such as Alfa Romeo and Lancia⁽²⁾ while maintaining and developing distinctive identities for the others.

Forty years ago, Stellantis’s predecessor company, Groupe PSA , faced a similar if more modest challenge following its agreement in August 1978 to Continue reading “Raising Arizona (Part One)”

Kedah Daryl FC Rules OK!

Happy motoring, not only in yellow.

Thirty years have passed since the company, secretly code named M2 was established — Perusahan Otomobil Kedua Sendrian Berhad — otherwise known as Perodua. Dr Mahathir Mohamad, then Malaysian prime minister, cut the factory ribbon on August 1st 1994, with the first car, the unfortunately (for English speakers) named Kancil rolling off the lines just twenty eight days later.

Perodua initially concentrated on compact hatchbacks in order not to Continue reading “Kedah Daryl FC Rules OK!”

Chimney Dismantlers, Detroit Area : Part 2

The stars align.

_{The second part of DTW’s review of ‘Reinventing The Wheels – Ford’s Spectacular Comeback’, by Alton F. Doody and Ron Bingaman^[1]}

Form, Function, Fit & Finish

Making the Taurus front-wheel drive was another tough decision. Realising the cost implications, the marketing advantage made the decision. Another being attempts to make the car ‘European slippy’. The 1983 Thunderbird had a cd of 0.35. The production Taurus measured: Sedan, 0.33, Station Wagon 0.34. Sister Sable managed 0.32.

Interior appointments received ergonomics that no American made machine had previously seen. A slightly concave or ‘swept-away’ dashboard, clearer instruments, buttons and stalks. Headrests adjusted vertically and horizontally with the Sable having adjustable rears — an American first. Windshield wipers were recessed in order to Continue reading “Chimney Dismantlers, Detroit Area : Part 2”

Golf Stream

Machinations along the Mittellandkanal.

Never would I have dreamt that one day I would find myself in the city of Wolfsburg. During the mid 80’s, the city was grey, bleak, rainy and foggy, with none of the fancy buildings like the Autostadt Kunstmuseum or the Zaha Hadid-designed Phaeno Science Centre, all built years later under the austere reign of Dr Piëch. Instead, there I stood at the factory gates with its peaks of four chimneys, which I instantly renamed under my breath, ‘Stylingrad’.

This was my first visit to the Volkswagen headquarters, located in the east of Lower Saxony, some 15 km from the iron curtain, as my initial interview had taken place in the US, when chairman of the Volkswagen Group, Carl Hahn was making one of his regular visits to their HQ in Troy, Michigan.

I had been hired on the spot, and given to fathom the offer being made to become the first head of all brands, namely Volkswagen, Audi and SEAT. My mission would be to Continue reading “Golf Stream”

Quantum Leap — [Part One]

The unbearable lightness of heritage.

It is a universal truth worth restating: For those in the business of building cars, heritage stands foremost on the list of double-edged blessings. This has been especially true of the more historically significant carmakers, since for every perennial market favourite like Neunelfer or Range Rover, there are innumerable examples of a rich back-story proving more hindrance than helpmate.

Nowhere has past glories weighed as heavily than the marque of Jaguar — its history littered with landmark designs, revered for their beauty of line, performance and allure. But the heel of history has in latter years served as much to obstruct as inform the marque’s evolution — technically, but most notably in design terms.

The sharp irony of the matter is that when Jaguar was overseen by founder and CEO, Sir William Lyons, he was not apt to Continue reading “Quantum Leap — [Part One]”

Meet Me at Le Grand-Saconnex — The European Car of the Year 2024 Shortlist

An industry shifting uneasily on its axis

The Great and the Good of Europe’s automotive media have deliberated, and have declared the final seven ECotY contenders from a longlist of 28. The ability and appeal of the chosen products is a consideration, but so is reflection of the route the industry is set upon. Five of the seven have purely battery power, one encompasses full battery power and petrol and diesel hybrid options. There is also a contender with internal combustion power for all versions, combined with various levels of hybridisation across the entire range.

And so to Continue reading “Meet Me at Le Grand-Saconnex — The European Car of the Year 2024 Shortlist”

Of Mouse and Men

Eureka moments and the birth of digital design.

I never was a geek, never changed over time, but for some unexplainable reason, while at Ford in the early 80’s, a fuzzy digital revolution took form in my head. I was eventually trained to use a computer in 1998, feeling bound by a decision taken by the board of directors at Renault (of which I was a member), to strongly encourage the company to become digitally operational.

I have to admit that at first, I paid lip service, relying on my secretary to Continue reading “Of Mouse and Men”

Book of the Dead — Eagle (Part Two)

A new owner takes charge.

Chrysler, itself almost consigned to history some years earlier but now doing much better with plenty of cash available, did not hesitate long to pounce. For a sum of approximately US $1.5 billion, the deal was finalised in March of 1987. Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca’s main interest was in the profitable Jeep division and not so much in AMC itself.

Both Alliance and Encore were discontinued in June 1987 as they represented unwanted competition for existing small Chrysler Corporation vehicles. Instead, Iacocca had the Kenosha plant temporarily build the classic rear-wheel-drive Chrysler Fifth Avenue, which enjoyed a sudden spike in demand at the time likely related to the drop in gasoline prices (combined with the fact that, if you still wanted a traditional rear-wheel-driven Chrysler, now was the time to act). AMC produced a not insignificant 50,000 of them for Chrysler⁽¹⁾. Continue reading “Book of the Dead — Eagle (Part Two)”

How Borgward Shaped the Keijidōsha Class – Without Even Trying

Bijou in Japan, born in Bremen?

Images: R M Sothebys / Classic and Sports Car

Long before Borgward Group’s momentous and controversial demise in 1961, one of its post-WW2 product ranges played an important part in establishing the parameters for Japan’s indigenous Kei car classification for micro-vehicles, and also provided the pattern for a successful Hamamtasu based-motorcycle manufacturer’s^[1] first venture into four-wheeler production.

The Kei (short for Keijidōsha meaning ‘light automobile’) class had deeply humble beginnings. The vehicles complying with the earliest July 1949 (2.8m long x 1.0m wide 100/150cc) standard were primitive, mostly three-wheeled motorcycle-based delivery carts. A year later the dimensional envelope was extended to 3.0m long x 1.3m wide with 200/300cc engine capacity, increasing again to 240/360cc in August 1951. The dual capacity limits signified two or four-stroke engines.

In 1955, Japan’s MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) was struck by a wave of common sense and moved to Continue reading “How Borgward Shaped the Keijidōsha Class – Without Even Trying”