RE: 10 questions TVR's new bosses must answer
Discussion
soad said:
Housey said:
We will see maybe a test mule, then a business closure.
Don't say that!Lots of cloak and daggers going on in this interview, but i hope the TVR name is brought back to life over the next few years and offer a real alternative to zee German alternatives whichever price bracket it's released at.
From someone who has dreamed about owning a Sagaris for the last 10 years, i really hope it succeeds. If my numbers come up in the next 18 months, i'll be ordering a launch edition before looking at any German/Italian exotica out at the moment
(loud as possible in british racing green please)
From someone who has dreamed about owning a Sagaris for the last 10 years, i really hope it succeeds. If my numbers come up in the next 18 months, i'll be ordering a launch edition before looking at any German/Italian exotica out at the moment
(loud as possible in british racing green please)
I applaud the new TVR team for looking outside for a new crate engine and also for hiring experts in their field to assist with development but I do have reservations at the effect all this superlative engineering will have on launch price. TVR's 'golden age' started with Peter Wheeler building the S1 and selling it for £12999 in 1987. £12999 was the price of a Toyota MR2 and it got people who might never have previously considered buying a specialist english sports car to do so. By attracting people to the brand he was then able to move into true supercar territory with the Griffith and Cerbera at double and triple that price. I am a little dubious about the idea of launching their first car as a £100k supercar when that puts you into the territory of a new Jag, 911 or a secondhand Aston or McLaren.
TVR has always been a car that the everyman could potentially afford to buy and yet offered the same performance (or better) than established marques so I feel they are straying from their roots. The new TVR needs to be around £55-60k or even less to gain marketplace traction and at £100k that won't happen.
I wish them good fortune but I think they need to be realistic that competing at that £100k price level will be very tough. I've owned TVR's for twenty years and including a Griffith and there's no way on earth I can afford a £100k car even if it turns out to be the finest car ever made.
saxon
TVR has always been a car that the everyman could potentially afford to buy and yet offered the same performance (or better) than established marques so I feel they are straying from their roots. The new TVR needs to be around £55-60k or even less to gain marketplace traction and at £100k that won't happen.
I wish them good fortune but I think they need to be realistic that competing at that £100k price level will be very tough. I've owned TVR's for twenty years and including a Griffith and there's no way on earth I can afford a £100k car even if it turns out to be the finest car ever made.
saxon
Dusty964 said:
Well...does liking one mean you have to hate the other?
Whats not 'to get'? A new sports car (with little yet confirmed) surely is of great interest to those in the market for them. Boxsters and 911's are big sellers, it could be assumed that a slice of the market would be a good thing for TVR....
Or is there some kind warped reality that a Porsche driver wouldnt consider one because the old cars lacked ABS, traction control, build quality etc and the markets are too far apart?
I owned a Boxster and Sagaris at the same time. Loved them both Whats not 'to get'? A new sports car (with little yet confirmed) surely is of great interest to those in the market for them. Boxsters and 911's are big sellers, it could be assumed that a slice of the market would be a good thing for TVR....
Or is there some kind warped reality that a Porsche driver wouldnt consider one because the old cars lacked ABS, traction control, build quality etc and the markets are too far apart?
Max_Torque said:
Les Edgar said:
The next mule, which is representative of the size and weight with our drivetrain in it, we're probably a month, two months maybe from that.
So, lets say, charitably, they have what looks to be a, single, very early Attribute Prototype (AP) built and running by the Sept this year, that's miles away (for a major OEM, first AP fleet would be ~3 years from SOP as a minimum, even for pretty low volume platforms) from CP or PP level mules. And if they aren't running those levels for validation, what are they validating and how? I rather suspect they will be using their customers for the validation tbh.......I hate to say it, but as they can't even quote prices, how have they done the "business model"?? Surely their backers will have wanted to see the financial and risk projections?
Compare these answers to those given by the last successful two car startups (BAC and Zenos) both run by people who have been deep inside the automotive industry for years, (especially BAC, where Neil was with Ford PD on several major projects)
Whilst i wish them the best of luck, and truly hope they can get a stable/long lived product portfolio developed, i have to say the more i hear, the more i'm worried.......
thecook101 said:
That interview really doesn't read well. No substance, no clarity, everything forward looking, nothing confirmed as DONE. I so want this to work and I almost put a deposit down after yesterday's article but my wallet is back in my pocket now. Show us something dammit, some people, some actual specs, some earth being moved. Building a car, a £100k car, is serious business and a big smile and jokes about naked show girls just won't cut it. PH how about an interview with Gordon Murray, is he still prepared to put his reputation behind it?
I like these two replies. This was supposed to be 'Questions they must answer' but they didn't really appear to have answered anything with any kind of definite? They must have done a business plan, so surely they know to within £10k how much the cars have to sell for to make the business work? Maybe even £5k? Why not release that figure, what have they to gain by being so vague about it, isn't it just eroding confidence in the business?
They must know where they're going to build it right? I mean, they want to start next year! The article claims the Welsh factory exists and is ready to be fitted out, but the other article they link to doesn't support that?
They say they have an engine in a Mustang that's the spec they're going to use more or less, why not tell us that engines output?
They're going to sell it from the factory? And they're aiming for 2000 (or less) cars a year? Is that really realistic?
Has anyone considered that they don't want to tell you how much it will cost yet?
Nothing more frustrating than saying it will be x then coming out with y.
I have every faith it will be a great car and will retain the spirit of Wheeler. My only questions lie in the dealership and support network.
Nothing more frustrating than saying it will be x then coming out with y.
I have every faith it will be a great car and will retain the spirit of Wheeler. My only questions lie in the dealership and support network.
Why do they need all this publicity now? Haven't they got a job to do, or is it whipping up needless hype for no good reason?
Presenting stuff to the public (well) before it is ready is a recipe for having to field too many time wasting questions, which is a complete waste of precious resources they don't have. Of course, if the two guys answering the questions are just men in suits and not prepared to or don't have the skills to generate anything productive, then it's all a pipe dream.
Presenting stuff to the public (well) before it is ready is a recipe for having to field too many time wasting questions, which is a complete waste of precious resources they don't have. Of course, if the two guys answering the questions are just men in suits and not prepared to or don't have the skills to generate anything productive, then it's all a pipe dream.
AER said:
Why do they need all this publicity now? Haven't they got a job to do, or is it whipping up needless hype for no good reason?
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