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Transportation RSS FeedsCO2 - the big picture - The auto industry takes a lot of flak as a source of man-made CO2 and greenhouse gases (GHGs). But efforts to quantify the overall problem are revealing. Deforestation as part of the rising global appetite for meat products is being identified as a growing problem and there are UN statistics suggesting that agriculture is playing a bigger role in GHG generation than transportation. It's food for thought. Shun meat, says UN climate chief...Feed Source: www.just-auto.com 1966 and all that - Okay, August new car sales in Britain were bad. Very bad. And they should give people like the Chancellor Alistair 'we're doomed' Darling and the grandees on the Bank of England's interest rate review committee something to chew on.
And someone at the SMMT dug out an interesting stat: August sales this year were the lowest since 1966. What? How bad is that? It's certainly an irresistable stat - especially with the resonance that particular year has for many in England - and I can't blame anyone for wanting to use it. We're instantly transported back to Bobby Moore holding the Jules Rimet aloft, Swinging London in full swing and Twiggy in a Mini (skirt and car). The clear implication is that the national economy and the car market must really be in frighteningly rapid reverse.
Maybe Mr Darling is on the button with his 'sixty years' remark after all (no, he's not - and even if he was, he was ridiculously naive to say it publicly).
B... Going to Paris? - If you are going to Paris for the auto show next month and planning to be there on the press day (Oct 2), my advice would be - get your accommodation booked quick. I should have learned my lessons by now, I know. Book well in advance. But I always seem to leave the admin stuff like travel and hotel to the last minute. As a result, I am staying at an Ibis that means a metro journey involving one change to get to the Porte de Versailles Exposition grounds. It could have been worse and that was the closest on my budget I could find. There appeared not to be many rooms left. One of these days I will book early. And pigs may well be flying.... Transatlantic product issues, segmentation and oil - I've come across an interesting posting on GM's corporate blog 'driving conversations'. Carl-Peter Forster very succintly explains GM's position on getting its smaller European cars into the US marketplace. While the 'size-to-value' equation in the US is changing in terms of what US consumers will pay for in a small car, the position for a vehicle manufacturer like GM is a little more complex than some of the headlines might suggest.
One thing I am keeping an eye on is the oil price. With oil threatening to slip under $100 a barrel on the back of a strengthening dollar and expected lower oil demand (those investment bank analysts who grabbed the headlines a few months ago with those '$200 a barrel is just around the corner' headlines are well worth their more than ample remuneration aren't they?) will some of the momentum behind market segmentation shift dissipate? It may take time to feed through to consumers who are still reeling, but what if oil co... Nano Argy Bhaji - Sounds like it's been 'kicking off' lately at a still-under-construction Tata Nano plant in the troubled Indian province of West Bengal. Construction work at the plant has had to be 'indefinitely suspended' as local farmers there got a bit angry about losing their land and started intimidating contractors. Tata appears confident, thus far, that it has contingency plans in place that mean the Indian launch schedule for Nano is unaffected. Maybe that is so, but will costs go up though?INDIA: Tata suspends work on new Nano plant... 'Interesting times' for Volvo Car - So, Fredrik Arp has left Volvo Car Corporation. As far as I can see, he is 55-years of age and that's a bit young for retirement I would think. I interviewed him a few years ago and found him to be a very decent fellow and, well, very Swedish. What do I mean by that? It's a slightly flippant thing to say but he was a bit like Sven-Goran Eriksson, the football coach.
Like his footballing compatriot, Arp also spoke his English very clearly and in a measured way. He was polite and courteous, but still businesslike - delivering crisp and full answers to all of my questions. I was in and out in the allotted time - it was efficient, but in a humane way. I had the feeling that he was someone who cared passionately about Swedish things and Volvo, but probably wouldn't scream and shout about it. Understated. Rather like Volvo cars.
What does his replacement b... Honda's new hybrid - Honda's new small hybrid car gets unveiled on Thursday and it's a new model unveiling that is potentially more important than most. This a ground-up hybrid rather than an adaptation of an existing model (Civic). That makes the Honda engineering approach interesting for starters. How has Honda crammed two powertrains into what sounds like a fairly small car? Will it take hybrids to a whole new audience? GERMANY: Covers about to come off 'cheaper' Honda hybrid... Conti-Schaeffler - I guess it was inevitable that a deal would eventually be struck and it has. Schaeffler takes a stake in Conti that gives it a big say, but it won't be able to do any of the more radical things it might have been eyeing (like selling tyres) for another four years at least. It does however, get access to Conti technology through this alliance.
And former German Chancellor Schroder acting as referee ought to provide some reassurance to Conti employees. The offer from Schaeffler has been upped and the shareholders ought to accept it.
I guess the only person not smiling is the Conti CEO who has very honourably fallen on his sword. He said some things that probably made it difficult for him to continue in the role. Mind you, he will probably be well looked after with a golden handshake which might just take the edge off any bad taste in his mouth.GERMANY: Deal buries Conti-Schaeffler hat... China business perspectives - Watching the coverage of the Olympics in Beijing has been rewarding on lots of levels. There's the raw excitement of the events themselves, of course - plenty of drama and much to marvel at in terms of human endeavour and application. Imagine training for years for an event that will be over in a matter of seconds. That's pressure (and you have to feel for the guys who made mistakes in the 4x100m relays yesterday).
But there's also the mind-boggling fascination in seeing how the Chinese are staging the event. It's a spectacular with the organisers keen to leave nothing to chance. There's a kind of Orwellian and totalitarian feel to some of what has gone on. I expect the London Olympics in 2012 will have a very different vibe.
If you do business in China, you might find this article of interest. 7 Deadly Perceptions About D... Sign o' the times - Sounds like Honda has a major hit on its hands with its Fit (Jazz) in the US. I think this reviewer in the LA Times liked the car. 'Man-Maximum ergonomics'?Honda Fit review in LA Times... Diesels - you mean there's a downside? - Diesel engines these days are - in their (relative) cleanliness, performance and technological sophistication - very different animals from the clattering beasts of yesteryear. And their low CO2 ratings continue to draw new buyers in Europe - despite the recent spike in diesel fuel prices. But you do pay a premium for a diesel car and the payback period in terms of lower fuel bills may be longer than people think. Some reviewers have complained also that the increasing technological wizadry inside the diesel engine is creating reliability issues. And I have heard some talk that the public health concern associated with very small (nano) particulates may be about to rear its head again. Those traps don't catch everything.Diesel: the truth about running costs... Dig that cool eco-car, man - Hemp? That's a cannabis-related organic material that hippies harvest for clothes and carpets isn't it? Yes, maybe it is those things. But it's a strong renewable material and it can also have application in cars. Lotus has produced an 'Eco-Elise' concept which incorporates the use of hemp. Seat fabrics you're probably already thinking - and maybe the carpets perhaps. Yes on the seats but Lotus has employed another renewable crop for the carpet. It's an interesting exercise and points to some future possibilities with organic materials.
And get this; hemp has been used as the primary constituent material in some of the car's composite body panels - such as the hardtop roof and spoiler. Far out, as Fat Freddy might have said. A whole new take on that 'new car smell'.
Okay, where have I read about the Eco-Elise - in the latest issue of proActive, that's where. It i... Clarkson for PM? - It's the silly season and news is thin on the ground. In London's Westminster district - from where the UK is supposedly governed - politicians, lobbyists and civil servants are either on holiday in Tuscany or looking for creative ways to fill the dog days of August. Some officials in the Prime Minister's office have been busy with video content for the Number 10 website.
There's an amusing video clip response to the slightly barking idea of having no-nonsense libertarian and Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson as PM (though he shades it over Gordy in my book). The YouTube clip is below. There's also a link to the coverage of the item on the BBC which goes on to describe how some test stuff material made it on to the Number 10 public website - an unfortunate individual being lampooned as a 'prat' (a Brit colloquialism meaning stupid idiot). Well, it made me laugh. Good to know that we are getting value for money from our civil service. Actually, ... 'Ebony and Ovary' - Must admit I enjoyed John Voelcker's take on the annual Traverse City auto execs' pow-wow that recently took place. I think he has captured the mood and flavour of the event in his review for just-auto. The 'singing political satirist group' certainly sounded a surreal note or two FEATURE: Traverse City - perspectives... Petite cars become big players - Even Toyota is experiencing problems in North America and has resorted to playing 'musical factories' there to adjust its manufacturing footprint in line with changed demand for particular models. There is a structural shift taking place in the market which impacts everyone, shining corporate stars and laggards alike. Big trucks and SUVs are clearly not the thing to be big in, going forward.
I guess the game for the OEMs is to make the necessary adjustments as quickly as possible to be big in the product areas that are becoming hot. In this respect, Detroit has further to move than the Asians and will incur more pain in making that adjustment - and that's been happening.
But Ford and GM are realising that they have some important strengths to play to. They can call on their considerable global resources to help make that adjustment happen and there was a speech by Mark Fields last week describing Ford's medium-term strategy that illustrated the scale of the shift takin... McKinsey supply chain survey - I'm not sure if my viewing of the results of a 'McKinsey Quarterly' supply chain survey of execs is cookie enabled or not (perhaps I registered for this eons ago - can't remember, but they send me emails from time to time with links that work for me). I thought it worth a look, so here's the link. The McKinsey Quarterly is worth registering for, actually. Apologies if the link doesn't work for you. McKinsey Quarterly article... Ford at Traverse City; Davos for autos - I often wonder whether going to Traverse City in August would be a worthwhile use of my time. There are certainly some grand fromages circulating there and it is reputedly a good event for networking at. Maybe next year. Does much hard news come out of it? No, not generally, but some use it as a convenient platform to speak to the industry about corporate direction. One such this year was Ford's Mark Fields who spoke about Ford's strategy to shift into small cars in North America.
I reckon the Focus-sized C-car platform is indeed the right one to concentrate on for NA. Sure, there will be an increase in sales of Fiesta-sized cars in the US but the US is not going to transmogrify (I could use the word morph but I haven't used that particular word for some time and I am rather fond of it) into a European segmented market. For all sorts of reasons that I don't have time to list here, the US light vehicle market is changing and changing fast, but it... Balance of power shift - It's not 1968 is it? Condoleezza Rice was bang on there. But there has been a shift in the international balance of power with the rise of an economically more powerful Russia that is now starting to 'assert' its interests - and the West seems to be in some disarray in terms of knowing how to deal with today's Russia. One thing is obvious though: Western firms are falling over themselves to get presence in Russia, one of the few places where the business barometer is looking up at the moment. Western carmakers are at the front of that wave, suppliers looking on and ready to follow. The OEMs have invested considerable sums and don't want that investment - or the returns from it - endangered.
What business leaders will likely be saying to politicians is that they would rather see Russia brought more into the international community as a positive participant, than see Russia marginalised or isolated.
After the Bush administration has gone, it makes se... How many coins for that truck? - It's a bizarre one and another take on the idea of not trusting the banks and stuffing your life savings under the mattress. There's a chap in America who's taken it a step further: he just doesn't trust paper money. Well, it can burn but you need more than a match to melt a dime. Anyway, the eccentric fellow walks into a dealership with some $8,000 in coins to put down for a new truck. Is he an eccentric to marvel at or an individual in need of some professional help and counselling? Man buys Chevy with small change... Flavio flaunts it - Here's an unusual item I have come across. Is F1 dripping with money? Of course. I guess some people flaunt their wealth more than others. Sounds like Flavio Briatore has no qualms about flaunting it a bit and and Italian newspapers have reported an incident at a beach which sounds a bit bizarre. Luxury yachts can be so difficult to park sometimes. Out of my way plebs!Angry bathers throw water at Flavio Briatore and WAG... Copyright © 2008, Pinellas County Real Estate. All Rights Reserved. |