SimonDavid

Dumb question :

Is there an "industry standard" for the recharging infrastructure??

Toyota is installing 100 recharging points in London in a JV with EDF - will the be able to recharge GM's cars as well? someone better check up on this sharpish

Toyota already working on EV recharging infrastructure in Europe.....

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8b163e1c-7f8c-11...0077b07658.html

But not "almost hald a million" Sprints, I'd wager.

From the dim, dark recesses of my memory......

I believe the correct honour for the Dolmite Sprint engine is that is/was the first 16v 4 cylinder without DOHC. I'd guess the Dolly Sprint was sohc (could it have been ohv? dont think so, but?).

There was some special valve gear to operate the 4 of them. For some reason the term 'finger gear' comes to mind.

Alfas and Fiat etc had DOHC with 2valve/cyl at the time, and Triumph had the opposite. I think Alfa went to Twin Spark before going to 16v on their venerable dohc.

Gee guys this is all memory stuff, but I think I'm around the facts if not right on them.

BTW I'd love to see Triumph come back. Could be a great niche brand if they are at least fairly affordable. Could be a product line like Pontiac and Saturn could offer with the will power to do it. Kappas, Alphas with some DeltaII's and a dash of Zeta. All with good looks and driveability. Brum brum brum instead of Zoom zoom zoom?

The first Lotus Cortina was 1964 wasn't it? 16 valves 4 cylinder

Personally Id love to see Triumph come back but not sure what's in it for BMW - how would it stretch their range? Who would buy a TR who wouldnt buy a "Z2"?

Could be useful in Europe

Over here the RX hybrid is something like half of Lexus's total volume - that's what has really driven there development, expanded their dealer network

Really dumb question

What about all us people (like 90% of people here in Europe) who live in an apartment or terrace house with no allocated parking and end up parking down the street wherever they can find space? Very Long extension cord needed....

i remember asking some people at the dealership who were alive in mexico durring the sales period... and they denied a normal misconception would be to read it as "no go"

And in Europe everyone thought that Ford Mondeo sales would suffer because it's French slang for "my deoderant"

So

No Delta 2 production in North America (except for the Volt) - makes sense if theyre building them in Korea + Mexico + 4 plants in europe

No GMT355 in NA - Thailand? Mexico?

No obvious sign of Pontiac post 2013

Large Chevy built in Kansas in 2010 - stretched Epsilon FWD Impala replacement?

I think SAAB after the next generation of models will be the Audi to Opel/Saturn's VW

9/3 and 9/5 share ep2 with the Opel Insignia

and a future 9/1 shares with Astra

plus 9-4x and you have a neat lineup.

In Europe diesels more than retain their value premium in the resale market. In some European markets it's got to the point where a second hand petrol car is difficult to sell.

So that 1000 dollars is not costing you anything in reality, and the fuel savings start on day 1.

The 5 grand is only a penalty if you don't get it back at resale time, which in Europe at least you do.

Anyway what's wrong with simply building it to demand, if youre selling it in europe anyway? Let the market decide

with a diesel engine, that car will definitely sell in Europe

I think the ARTSY FARTSY French and other Europiens would like the HHR! And the British I am SHURE woud LOVE IT!! Just imagion an American Flag painted on the roof as a sign of YOUTHFULL REBELLION in the streets of London! THAT would be FUNNY!!

Its not that much of a joke

Ford sell quite a few Rangers here in London

The wide boys south of the river pimp 'em out and get the whole post-mad max urban warrior look happening

I agree GM shouldnt buy Chrysler outright.

But if they can do some joint product development and get a new minivan and maybe a Colorado replacement quickly and cheaply, then how can it hurt?

Maybe this is a downpayment on a broader alliance with DCX - they are already partners in hybrids, which will be very important in a few years time

I think

Phaeton, Q7, Toureg, and Cayenne are on the same platform, all built in the same factory in Leipzig. It's not all aluminium, in fact it's very heavy.

The Bentley Continental GT & Flying Spur also share this structure but their final assembly is in England. However the basic unpainted body structure arrives in the British plant on a truck from Leipzig.

The all aluminium Audi A8 structure is completely different - VW group inter divisional politics

Is it just me or is that one thick c-pillar?

Im not suggesting Europeans are poor - far from it. But there is simply no great market here for an expensive product without a premium badge. Even in the mid market the 3 series outsells the Mondeo 2 to 1.

The only attempt in recent history was the Phaeton and that was a disaster. But at least it shared its structure and plant with the Toureg and Porsche Cayenne so VW probably got their money back.

I just think that if Opel wants a Zeta to top their range they should import from Holden - there's not enough volume to gear up local production and in any case what is the point when Holden has spare capacity.

Getting back to the "new Omega" topic..

the market for non-premium badged large cars in Europe is pretty much non existant. There is no Ford larger than a Mondeo (Contour/Mystique) sold here.

The Peugeot 607 sells a few thousand to Paris taxi fleets. There is no large Fiat. The VW Passat is a Mondeo / Vectra competitor. Think small roads, small families, high fuel prices.

The boom is in the premium segment and the new small premium (1 series ) segment, preferaby with deisel engines.

If Opel does want a Zeta I guess it would be simpler to import from Holden on a low volume basis.

So by Bob's logic, Toyota shouldn't waste its time and money on the Tundra, since the Big 3 have the segment covered???? Get real. I guess GM should give up on the Camaro too, Ford's got it covered. Give up on the Malibu too, Toyota's got it covered.

GM execs are afraid that they don't have the engineering chops to develop a competitive minivan, to they gave up. How hard is it to develop a box on wheels? Even Hyundai figured it out.

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I totally agree

anyway if they really are so hard up for cash why not just import this :

Sure it's based on the old Venture, but it's a nice evolution. and future development of it will probably be paid for by profits generated within China.

So then you have

Aveo, Astra, RWD Pontiac and a minivan as imported niche products

Looks like GMT900 has staved off bankruptcy, but they are really dying in the car market

8000 Malibus? 5000 LaX's? 6600 Ions. Only 10,000 Cobalts. Toyota selling almost as many cars as the whole of GM

They need the new Malibu to be a major hit, and some Zetas asap

a couple of questions

-Where is GM going to get the money for a 3 series size rwd sedan on a brand new platform that shares nothing with zeta or kappa?

- Pontiac is not a global brand, so who else is going to use the platform to share the costs? SAAB is fwd. Cadillac?

Interesting - Korea's getting expensive, so Aveo size cars come from India and China in future.

Sounds like a great plan. But they have to be very careful on the quality of the Opels - that size car in europe is NOT a basic product - it's the second biggest market segment and for many Europeans their main family transport.

New Step, Same Direction 

No way GM will kill the electric car says Lutz 

By JAMIE LAREAU | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

AutoWeek | Published 11/06/06, 12:37 pm et 

Link to Original Article @ Autoweek

DETROIT -- General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner will reveal a new step in GM's alternative-fuel vehicle programs at the Los Angeles auto show this month.

While not saying which direction GM will take, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says GM executives believe electric vehicles are the future. GM's work on fuel cell vehicles may first bear fruit as a "series hybrid" vehicle, he says.

A series hybrid could run primarily on electricity from lithium-ion batteries, with an engine as backup to replenish batteries, Lutz says. The backup engine could be a diesel or gasoline internal combustion engine. Backup energy also could come from a fuel cell.

"Tom Stephens (group vice president of GM Powertrain), Rick Wagoner and I believe in the ultimate electrification of the automobile," Lutz said in an interview with Automotive News. "We believe that's where it's going."

Such a vehicle would require "a much smaller fuel cell stack" than a vehicle in which the fuel cell powers an electric engine, Lutz said. It would be less complex than a parallel hybrid system, which constantly shifts between an electric and gasoline engine to power a vehicle.

Lutz said lithium-ion batteries must be improved to hold a bigger charge and deliver the charge gradually. Lutz believes there will be rapid battery development over the next three to four years that will provide more energy storage.

But, he said, for GM, "what started as a fuel cell project is now an electric vehicle project."

212990[/snapback]

so basically the driveline of a WW2 Uboat or diesel electric locomotive

am I missing something? what's so new about this?

New Step, Same Direction 

No way GM will kill the electric car says Lutz 

By JAMIE LAREAU | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

AutoWeek | Published 11/06/06, 12:37 pm et 

Link to Original Article @ Autoweek

DETROIT -- General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner will reveal a new step in GM's alternative-fuel vehicle programs at the Los Angeles auto show this month.

While not saying which direction GM will take, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says GM executives believe electric vehicles are the future. GM's work on fuel cell vehicles may first bear fruit as a "series hybrid" vehicle, he says.

A series hybrid could run primarily on electricity from lithium-ion batteries, with an engine as backup to replenish batteries, Lutz says. The backup engine could be a diesel or gasoline internal combustion engine. Backup energy also could come from a fuel cell.

"Tom Stephens (group vice president of GM Powertrain), Rick Wagoner and I believe in the ultimate electrification of the automobile," Lutz said in an interview with Automotive News. "We believe that's where it's going."

Such a vehicle would require "a much smaller fuel cell stack" than a vehicle in which the fuel cell powers an electric engine, Lutz said. It would be less complex than a parallel hybrid system, which constantly shifts between an electric and gasoline engine to power a vehicle.

Lutz said lithium-ion batteries must be improved to hold a bigger charge and deliver the charge gradually. Lutz believes there will be rapid battery development over the next three to four years that will provide more energy storage.

But, he said, for GM, "what started as a fuel cell project is now an electric vehicle project."

212990[/snapback]

so basically the driveline of a Uboat or diesel electric locomotive

am I missing something? what's so new about this?

This is brilliant news

They must have made it federal - proof when they were developing it because it's only just gone on sale in Australia

Im guessing it will be more of a niche product than the future Impala

Also, Australians do like conservative styling on their big cars, I wonder how well that will fly in the US

I just drove a Saturn Arua with the 251 hp 3.6 and 6 speed auto. Pulled pretty hard off the line and kept going. Sounds great too.

197653[/snapback]

Im not surprised - it pulls well in a heavy Commodore in Australia. Nice sound too.

Though it is a bit revvy - after youve been used to the old 3800 OHV with its stump pulling torque right off the line the new engine is a very different type of performer.