Honda Turbos

Honda seems to be first of the Japanese car makers to put turbo charging with a small engine into its mainstream model with the new 10th generation Civic. It is a fine example of engine downsizing coupled with a turbo. Lexus did it with the NX200T but this model is meant for the premium market whereas the Civic is more for the masses. Honda was well know for using turbos in the 1980s and it had great success with turbo engines in Formula One. The Civic is the first time Honda is using turbos again after 2 decades and it looks like they did a fine job with the 1.5 litre turbo.

174hp and 220Nm from a 1.5 litre is nothing to scoff at. it is very efficient and powerful. On a recent dyno run in the US, a car review video put a new civic on the dyno to test its power output and to be surprised it managed 177hp and 258Nm which is more than the factory claim. This is very surprising considering that most factory claims are never met or exceeded when the car is tested on a dyno machine.

This car will get many young buyers excited as this opens up the doors to tuning. With a turbo engine extra power can easily be squeezed out with increase of turbo boost or increasing fuel pressure. The only down side about this new Civic is the transmission. Honda decided to stick to the CVT for the sake of fuel economy. If the car was paired with a manual transmission or a twin clutch gearbox the car will be fantastic all round.

I wonder which Japanese car company will follow this path. It is rumoured that Toyota is planning to introduce their own turbo charged small engine car soon. Daihatsu has been making small engines with turbos for many years but these cars are popular only in Japan and rarely seen outside Japan. The Civic is a global model that is sold in US, Europe, Middle East, Asia. Honda's decision to follow the footsteps of the Europeans seems like a logical one despite the low oil price but the oil price will never stay low forever. the new Civic does offer many advantages over earlier Civic models and that is torque. The turbo engine enables the much needed torque for low and medium RPM driving. Honda's have traditionally had low engine torque but high horsepower at high RPM. this is good for racing where engine speeds are high however in city driving conditions one would need good torque spread and high torque at low and mid RPM is always more enjoyable to drive.

Can one's driving skill match the car they can buy with their money?

We have seen so many spectacular crashes and even slow speed crashes on Youtube. Often these videos are of people driving exotic cars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis and etc. These people have the money to buy it but many of them don't have the skill nor the experience to drive it. Having a heavy right foot can spell disaster for many of these folk who take it for granted that they can handle the car's power. Many times the problem comes with the ego of the owner. Companies like Ferrari and Porsche regularly offer driver training programs for new car buyers so that they are taught properly how to drive their new cars in a safe environment. Upon passing these driver training programs the owners are better equipped to drive their cars. However many of the new owners are too egotistical to acknowledge that they need to be taught how to drive their cars. This is especially so in Asia. Some of the buyers got rich very quickly and do not have much driving experience (especially the young ones) and it also goes the same with Americans who think they are great drivers but going fast straight and really knowing how to control the car under all conditions is a different thing.

I have a friend who is retired Porsche and Mercedes AMG instructor in the US from Asian origin, he was relating to me numerous stories about how Americans think Asians can't drive and they have no business teaching Americans how to drive. Well! Stereotyping is downright stupid since the person who came to learn can't drive well himself! My friend went on to put down a challenge that the American who came to the driving course will no doubt get better but his girl friend will beat him at the end the day. Having heard this challenge the American guy wouldn't want to lose his bet and the ego got the better of him. Instead of listening to proper instructions he would think that having more power in his car would mean that he can go faster... yes and no! To the ignorant it may sound like a fact but to the informed, there are many factors to consider. this American guy couldn't help himself and disregarded all forms of instruction and mashed the throttle hard coming out of turns causing his 500hp Mustang to lose control and spin. The final test course at the end of the day was a real test of driving ability and whether he paid any attention to the instructors. As expected he was 4 secs slower than his girlfriend and made himself look like an idiot. Instead of admitting defeat he was dumbfounded and insisted on a rematch in which he lost again. Finally he came to accept that his ego was the problem.. not his car, and not the instructor.

Having a super powerful car with a person that has no experience or skill is like giving a kid a loaded gun. Slow speed crashes may not be so serious but high speed crashes will definitely cause a lot of damage and even result in death. Many years back there was a case where a teenager crashed a Ferrari into a petrol station in NZ and killed a little girl. The parents of the deceased child was devastated and no amount of money offered by the teenager's parents would be enough. Money can never replace a life and responsibility of the driver is something that no one can take for granted.

Having money to buy a nice car is good... but one should really learn how to drive.

Tesla Model 3

Tesla recently many announcement about introducing the Model 3 which is an entry level version of their electric car. It is a much needed model for Tesla considering that the Model S and P and X are too expensive for many people despite tax rebates or other incentives. Their target price for the Model 3 is around US$30,000 or less. This will enable Tesla to sell a lot more cars and let people have a taste of electric car without paying more than they have to.

The Model 3 is not ready yet but it looks promising. The estimate driving range is approximately 300km on a single charge. It is not great but still better than the Nissan Leaf with 250km. If Tesla is able to stretch the driving range to over 350km it will turn the tables in its favour. Right now the biggest gripe with owning an electric car is the driving range. The Model 3 is also critical for Tesla in a sense that it will be able take the challenge to bigger car makers. Porsche and Audi are already planning more electric cars which undoubtedly will compete for sales with Tesla.

The Model X SUV is simply too expensive and the gull wing doors are not really practical. It may look impressive and is powerful but a smaller entry level model will make more sense for Tesla. The more cars they sell, the more recognition the brand receives. It will also spur many first time buyers to try Tesla or even someone who has never owned an electric car.

Tesla is well received in California but in other countries where electric cars are still not well received, the Model 3 will help Tesla get a foot in the door. The official launch of the Model 3 is still many months away and many industry observers are eager to see the outcome of the new Model 3 and how it will impact Tesla's growth.

New Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and Toyota Fortuner

Toyota and Mitsubishi recently introduced their large (large by Asian standards) SUV based on a pick up truck. The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport and the Toyota Fortuner. Both models are based on the Mitsubishi Triton and the Toyota Hilux. These models are popular in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Australia. The strange thing is that these two cars are starting to look very much alike. I am not sure who is copying who but why do the Japanese have a tendency to make their cars look similar?

Anyway, both offer upgraded engines and transmission to improve where they left off with the previous model. The one that was much needed for a replacement model was the Toyota since toyota was super conservative with their Hilux and the previous Vigo model has been around for about 10 years. It is extremely long for an one model especially for a Japanese marque. I know if it isn't broken don't fix it.. but in such a competitive world not improving one's self or just staying put, you will be left behind. Toyota saw this towards the end of the Hilux Vigo life cycle where it faced very stiff competition from the Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max.

The Fortuner and the Pajero sport is a good choice for Asian cities that are prone to flooding. It gives the versatility of a SUV and a truck combined. the high ground clearance definitely helps in the event of a flash flood and the 4WD traction will allow it get out of tricky situation in mud slides. Both car companies went to great lengths to improve the suspension so that the rear passengers are not bounced around like rag dolls. The leaf spring suspension from the truck makes for very bouncy ride at the rear but with additional modifications to the rear suspension the ride is more compliant.

I believe both cars will be well received in Asia. The updated looks are definitely better than the previous models.

Proton and Dr. Mahathir's plea for the Malaysian public to help Proton

Proton and Dr. Mahathir (Proton's founder) is at it again asking the Malaysia public to buy Proton cars and to test drive it before it passing it over for another car brand. Malaysians have been suffering for far too long when it comes to buying cars since the inception of Proton in the mid 1980s. Ever since Proton was introduced the Malaysian Government introduced various taxes on foreign brands to protect Proton. This worked for many years and Proton got too complacent thinking that this will last forever and did nothing to improve itself. Soon corruption started to creep into the company as it was too lucrative for the senior members of Proton not to indulge in such good financial opportunities for self enrichment. The corruption got so bad that poor quality parts were replacing good parts for the sake of profit for a few individuals. This obviously meant that the quality of the car suffered creating a bad reputation.
this went on for years and no one did anything about it. The culture of corruption within the company was so bad that parts suppliers had to be ready to pay various individuals to secure contracts and to secure payments. With the quality suffering year on year the Malaysian public was fed up with having to buy substandard quality cars that compromised on safety at inflated prices. Increasingly more and more Malaysians switched to alternative brands and were willing to more for a better built car. The introduction of Perodua also didn't help Proton's cause since Perodua introduced small compact cars that were of better quality and were cheaper than Proton. This naturally meant that Proton's market share was being eaten away by many competitors.

Despite tying up with European testing standard TUV, Proton couldn't turn around its bad quality image. With dwindling sales, poor profits and huge loss for purchasing MV Augusta and Lotus, Proton's cash pile was drying up fast. If Proton was well managed from the beginning Proton would be very profitable today and of course not purchase a dying motorcycle company MV Augusta and to sell it off for Euro1.  Proton's management made many mistakes from the start and this meant that it was on a path to its own grave.

Now Dr. Mahathir is again asking Malaysians to save his pet project which has took such a toll on the Malaysian automotive industry. No one in their right minds would want to buy another Proton. The trust is gone and no one believes that Proton is able to deliver anything it has promised. Proton still owes Honda a lot of money for the old Honda Accord they bought to rebadge as the Perdana. Honda has stopped supplying Proton until payment is made. Proton recently signed an agreement with Suzuki which looks like a sign of desperation for Proton to quickly get another model to do more rebadging in order to have more models to sell. It is unsure whether Suzuki will benefit more from this or Proton but either way, Proton is desperate to stay alive. It also announced that they are working with engineering house Ricardo to develop new engines and gearboxes for future models. All this is all just hot news, we have seen Proton pull out of collaborations in the last moment for god knows what reason. Without fresh funding it will be hard for Proton to develop new models and without economies of scale, any new car model they develop will be costly.
With the present Government not interested in protecting Proton since they do not get along with Dr. Mahathir it is very likely that Proton will shut down in the next few years when it is completely out of money.
It is really time to pull the curtains on Proton... a seriously long overdue termination.