China's economic growth in the last decade is nothing short of phenomenal. There are so many new found rich in China and many of them have barely 10 years driving experience but have the cash to buy the fastest and loudest super and hypercars money can buy. You can walk down XinTiandi in downtown Shanghai and spot dozens of Ferraris, Lamborghini's, Aston Martins, Mercedes SLS, Mclarens and etc. The new found wealth is no doubt great for super car dealers since they have move so many cars from the showroom floor. However, the big problem comes when most of these Chinese buyers can barely handle a 200hp VW Passat let alone a 550hp Ferrari. It is like learning how to fly before you can even crawl!
Ferrari claims that more than 30% of the cars sold in China are crashed but the owners who do not have the skill to control the car. Ferrari has been actively promoting their driving programs to help the new owners learn how to drive the cars safely. Being rich, the ego factor comes into play and many of these rich buyers cannot be bothered attending the driving programs and just literally buy the cars and drive it the way they wish. There has been many documented cases where many super cars have crashed on city streets or highways in China. Recently a Porsche 918 was destroyed by a young rich owner and in the last 2 days the first La Ferrari was destroyed also by a young driver.
Like the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. This is something that ego alone cannot save the driver. It is like giving a loaded 357 Magnum to a child! The problem is more pronounced in China. The problem occurs world wide where rich people buy the toys that they want but not necessary that they know how to use it.
Car makers really need to install a super nanny program to limit the power of the super car until the owner has gone through the driving program and passed before the car company will give them the access code to unlock the full potential of the car. This nanny mode is good since it can be activated at any time and if the owner himself is not driving and the keys are handed to a person with little or no experience with such powerful machinery they are less likely to wreck it! or kill other people along the way. Alternatively, the car company can provide 2 sets of keys just like how Dodge Hellcat has a black key and red key. The black key is on safe mode and limits the power of the car. For the case of China the owner will be handed a black key to start with and the red key will only be provided once they have gone through the driving program.
Seeing pictures of wrecked exotic cars are not pleasant and I am sure that car companies also do not want to see pictures of their cars destroyed. it is bad publicity!
Tuesday 28 April 2015
Monday 27 April 2015
Audi's incredible development of new diesel
Audi recently developed a way to create diesel fuel from water and carbon dioxide. This is truly amazing since all this while all automakers have been dependent on either electricity or fossil fuel. Audi's engineering team worked out a way to create diesel by using hydrogen from water and fusing it at high temperature with carbon dioxide to create a clean new diesel fuel. This could spell disaster for oil companies since this method of creating diesel is renewable since the key ingredients are readily available. Audi is now doing further tests on this new fuel and claims that it can be combined with regular diesel or run 100% on its own.
This could be a new chapter in Audi's business and could potentially boost their income many times over. Being a renewable source of fuel the key thing now is to bring the cost of production down once the fuel is 100% stable. As it is already well documented, diesel engines are very efficient and offer great torque but a little noisy. Audi claims that the new fuel is quieter and cleaner than regular Euro 5 diesel. This is great news for EU countries since their regulations are always focused around carbon emissions.
If the price of the new fuel is able to be cheaper than regular diesel, don't be surprised to see Audi's new fuel overtaking regular diesel as a fuel source in the near future. Oil companies would want a piece of this technology and would pay top dollar just to buy the license or the patent for it. Since VAG is a big auto maker it is likely that they turn this technology into a cash cow for many years to come.
This could be a new chapter in Audi's business and could potentially boost their income many times over. Being a renewable source of fuel the key thing now is to bring the cost of production down once the fuel is 100% stable. As it is already well documented, diesel engines are very efficient and offer great torque but a little noisy. Audi claims that the new fuel is quieter and cleaner than regular Euro 5 diesel. This is great news for EU countries since their regulations are always focused around carbon emissions.
If the price of the new fuel is able to be cheaper than regular diesel, don't be surprised to see Audi's new fuel overtaking regular diesel as a fuel source in the near future. Oil companies would want a piece of this technology and would pay top dollar just to buy the license or the patent for it. Since VAG is a big auto maker it is likely that they turn this technology into a cash cow for many years to come.
Thursday 23 April 2015
Japanese car companies finally decided on engine downsizing with turbo!
The European car companies started engine downsizing over 10 years ago and now the Japanese finally decided to join the party. Honda being the first to announce this move last year with the planned introduction of 1.5 litre turbo engines for the Civic, Accord and several other models. They finally saw the benefit of the engine downsizing and how much the European car makers have been pushing this initiative. BMW, Mercedes, Audi/VW, Peugeot, Citreon and Renault have all been using small turbo charged engines to great effect since 2004 and earlier (VW and Mercedes).
The next to follow is Toyota who also announced their plans for small engines with turbo but it is rumoured that they are collaborating with BMW for engines. In terms of out right engine technology and development Honda and BMW are among the best in the world for making ultra efficient engines which punches well above its weight each time.
Gone are the days of using a regular 2 Litre engine on a mid size saloon (Camry or Accord size), a 1.6 litre turbo will offer more power and more torque while using 15-25% less fuel. For the guys who cannot resist the temptation of tuning, the turbo engine open up a lot of potential for tuning. A quick ECU remap will easily gain another 20-25% more power and torque. Of course this is a headache for car companies who want to keep their warranty programs intact.
Small engines with turbo plus hybrid system will be next wave after this. all because of the elusive search for better efficiency. From 5L/100km average will soon drop to 3.5L/100km with hybrid systems.
It is time for American car companies to think about improving themselves. Their dinosaur age engines are too far behind and lack the required levels of efficiency to compete with the best from Europe and Japan.
The next to follow is Toyota who also announced their plans for small engines with turbo but it is rumoured that they are collaborating with BMW for engines. In terms of out right engine technology and development Honda and BMW are among the best in the world for making ultra efficient engines which punches well above its weight each time.
Gone are the days of using a regular 2 Litre engine on a mid size saloon (Camry or Accord size), a 1.6 litre turbo will offer more power and more torque while using 15-25% less fuel. For the guys who cannot resist the temptation of tuning, the turbo engine open up a lot of potential for tuning. A quick ECU remap will easily gain another 20-25% more power and torque. Of course this is a headache for car companies who want to keep their warranty programs intact.
Small engines with turbo plus hybrid system will be next wave after this. all because of the elusive search for better efficiency. From 5L/100km average will soon drop to 3.5L/100km with hybrid systems.
It is time for American car companies to think about improving themselves. Their dinosaur age engines are too far behind and lack the required levels of efficiency to compete with the best from Europe and Japan.
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