RE: Connaught on the move
Discussion
Los Angeles said:
ridds said:
From an engineering view point this car is a disaster waiting to happen.
Talk about a sweeping statement. Please qualify it. Hand built car with a very expensive engine, in an expensive new facility with not great feedback from what would potentially be a large part of its customer base.
The mock-up/example car that was displayed at Goodwood FoS last year was a mess. Shody paint, massive panel gaps, etc etc. If your gonna put a car on display it has to good. That was my veiw of the car on that day and that is what I have to base my opinions on.
If the images of the engine I have seen are correct then it looks like it will be expensive to manufacture.
I'd love to be proven wrong as the more "British" manufacturers there are the better.
SOme images from FoS '06
Exactly which bits of their technology are proven and truly mature ? To have one radical new bit of technology is one thing, but to have several bits in a highly unconventional looking car (being polite) and being produced by a company that probably doesn't have £100 million plus in its back pocket is asking for real problems. Moving to a new factory won't help things either.
Although not a Hybrid they would do far better to base their business model on the methods used for the Tesla where they have a nice looking car that has sold out into 2008, have a waiting list and it has had great reviews.
Although not a Hybrid they would do far better to base their business model on the methods used for the Tesla where they have a nice looking car that has sold out into 2008, have a waiting list and it has had great reviews.
Totally agree with those who say this is an engineering disaster waiting to happen. Who's £12m is it? I really hope this isnt more tax payer's money being niaivly thrown at this project based on it's alleged environmental credentials. The engine is, I understand, essentially welded up smart cylinder bores. I've seen what it costs to develop an engine, and the problems that low volume and lack of cash can cause. The Connaught is suposed to be aimed at mainstream buyers that find a TT too dull and an Elise too specialist. That means realiability. Without reliability, warranty costs will also be a najor problem. If funding agencies want to support environmental automotive technologies, they should put money in to the specialist research groups.
this has a funny recall to me did this not happen some time back and if i remember right the press moulds ended up in the north sea as a fish breading ground. The chap in charge, got charged to! but not as much as the british tax payers. may be they will go the same way i hope not!! may be thats wot the £15 on speeding finds is going to!!!!!!! don't mine paying it if it's going to a good cures kile building fast cars
Los Angeles said:
ridds said:
The mock-up/example car that was displayed at Goodwood FoS last year was a mess. Shody paint, massive panel gaps, etc etc. If your gonna put a car on display it has to good. That was my veiw of the car on that day and that is what I have to base my opinions on.
fair point: not a good advertisement. I didn't realise the production car is to be GRP. (Quite frankly, after TVR I wouldn't go near a fully GRP-clad car.) However, I can't agree that the show car necessarily assumes an incompetent company, or a nefarious venture as someone has implied, but from what you say they don't appear to to be efficient in all the important aspects of car design and manufacture.What's your objection to a full GRP car LA?
I've got to agree with ridds with regard to the bodywork - whatever you think to the styling I was hugely disappointed by the standard of finish when I have seen the car. Shame really as i quite like the concept of targeting a different market than your usual niche vehicle manufacturer.
Los Angeles said:
ridds said:
The mock-up/example car that was displayed at Goodwood FoS last year was a mess. Shody paint, massive panel gaps, etc etc. If your gonna put a car on display it has to good. That was my veiw of the car on that day and that is what I have to base my opinions on.
fair point: not a good advertisement. I didn't realise the production car is to be GRP. (Quite frankly, after TVR I wouldn't go near a fully GRP-clad car.) However, I can't agree that the show car necessarily assumes an incompetent company, or a nefarious venture as someone has implied, but from what you say they don't appear to to be efficient in all the important aspects of car design and manufacture.I have no doubt that they may well have a good team behind the program I just feel they are probably biting off a lot with this program in the first go, the automotive world is currently a hard enough market to get right with billions behind you, let along £12m just for a shiny facility.
I just think that it's going to be a very long uphill struggle and it's a risky machine to try and climb it with.
front lights from that horrible little Japanese Baby Blue cube car, the one without the rear pillar!
Looksaside, it appears this is the way the motoring industry is going, althou i believe the global warming thing is a money making scadal, it is certainly a step in the right direction. The direction being the opposite way to the prius.
Looksaside, it appears this is the way the motoring industry is going, althou i believe the global warming thing is a money making scadal, it is certainly a step in the right direction. The direction being the opposite way to the prius.
rimmer said:
thats the type of hybrid this country needs not those shopping trolleys called the prius
Mattygooner said:
Looksaside, it appears this is the way the motoring industry is going, althou i believe the global warming thing is a money making scadal, it is certainly a step in the right direction. The direction being the opposite way to the prius.
Not really. The new diesel BMWs make more power and get better mpg, so what's the point of making it a hybrid?
did i mention mpg?
If you live in London or travel in to London or indeed live in the Posh parts of LA you will understand the prius and Hybrids are not bought for their MPG as yeas most diesels can run with them on that.
It's about image and the huge propeganda drive behind using the prius makes you a green tree hugging bunny loving savior of the universe. Although people do not really know the whole story, it makes you look like you care and that you are doing your bit. It also for some reason means your second car can be a planet hating monster and people will not hate you. These cars make everybody who buys them feel like they are doing something good, and with the current drive by the governments and random storys in the media from "scientists" showing the wrold will surely drown in 5 years unless we all get green, ficle Jo public will be looking for a hybrid as his next car. Not to mention £8 a day to get in to London is expensive and surely with this new Road pricing scheme coming in, hybrida and lpg's etc will surely have an easier time. My company is reducing its Carbon footprint by 5% over a year which is alot for a huge publisher, all Copany cars will be Hybrids, will they let me have one of these?
It is just good to know if we have to go hybrid then there is something out there with a bit of meat on the bone!
If you live in London or travel in to London or indeed live in the Posh parts of LA you will understand the prius and Hybrids are not bought for their MPG as yeas most diesels can run with them on that.
It's about image and the huge propeganda drive behind using the prius makes you a green tree hugging bunny loving savior of the universe. Although people do not really know the whole story, it makes you look like you care and that you are doing your bit. It also for some reason means your second car can be a planet hating monster and people will not hate you. These cars make everybody who buys them feel like they are doing something good, and with the current drive by the governments and random storys in the media from "scientists" showing the wrold will surely drown in 5 years unless we all get green, ficle Jo public will be looking for a hybrid as his next car. Not to mention £8 a day to get in to London is expensive and surely with this new Road pricing scheme coming in, hybrida and lpg's etc will surely have an easier time. My company is reducing its Carbon footprint by 5% over a year which is alot for a huge publisher, all Copany cars will be Hybrids, will they let me have one of these?
It is just good to know if we have to go hybrid then there is something out there with a bit of meat on the bone!
Alex said:
I do not see the point of hybrid engines. As Gordon Murray says in this month's Evo, hybrid engines only make sense in stop-start traffic, and you would get better emission reductions by shaving a few 100kg from the weight.
Pointless.
Pointless.
Yeah. Cos People hardly ever drive in stop-start traffic???
How do you lose these few 100kgs without bumping up cost or doing without luxury items that people want by the way?
mattygooner said:
did i mention mpg?
If you live in London or travel in to London or indeed live in the Posh parts of LA you will understand the prius and Hybrids are not bought for their MPG as yeas most diesels can run with them on that.
It's about image and the huge propeganda drive behind using the prius makes you a green tree hugging bunny loving savior of the universe. Although people do not really know the whole story, it makes you look like you care and that you are doing your bit. It also for some reason means your second car can be a planet hating monster and people will not hate you. These cars make everybody who buys them feel like they are doing something good, and with the current drive by the governments and random storys in the media from "scientists" showing the wrold will surely drown in 5 years unless we all get green, ficle Jo public will be looking for a hybrid as his next car. Not to mention £8 a day to get in to London is expensive and surely with this new Road pricing scheme coming in, hybrida and lpg's etc will surely have an easier time. My company is reducing its Carbon footprint by 5% over a year which is alot for a huge publisher, all Copany cars will be Hybrids, will they let me have one of these?
It is just good to know if we have to go hybrid then there is something out there with a bit of meat on the bone!
If you live in London or travel in to London or indeed live in the Posh parts of LA you will understand the prius and Hybrids are not bought for their MPG as yeas most diesels can run with them on that.
It's about image and the huge propeganda drive behind using the prius makes you a green tree hugging bunny loving savior of the universe. Although people do not really know the whole story, it makes you look like you care and that you are doing your bit. It also for some reason means your second car can be a planet hating monster and people will not hate you. These cars make everybody who buys them feel like they are doing something good, and with the current drive by the governments and random storys in the media from "scientists" showing the wrold will surely drown in 5 years unless we all get green, ficle Jo public will be looking for a hybrid as his next car. Not to mention £8 a day to get in to London is expensive and surely with this new Road pricing scheme coming in, hybrida and lpg's etc will surely have an easier time. My company is reducing its Carbon footprint by 5% over a year which is alot for a huge publisher, all Copany cars will be Hybrids, will they let me have one of these?
It is just good to know if we have to go hybrid then there is something out there with a bit of meat on the bone!
A hummer with lpg or cng coonversion won't need to pay the congestion charge either.
Like I say, how is this a hybrid with meat on the bone when a 320d has more power?
mr_tony said:
BEauty is in the eye of the beholder - and I happen to like it a lot 
Sepnt time ont heir stand at goodwood, and I've been on the list ofr one ever since first announced. Not guven a deposit or anything yet as no news on the hybrid as yet.
I think you'll find theres a lot goign on behind the scenes there, so to scoff is a little harsh.
Having said that although the attention to detail is great and I love the bespoke engineering, the show car at goodwood looked good, but there were a few rough bits that needed tidying up.
I jsut fancy a hybrid with a V10 that I can drive in london with no CC, it'll carry 4 people and be find to drive. On top of that it's homegrown engineering talent from the UK doing this so it's a positive thing for UK plc too. I guess I just like British cars
Sepnt time ont heir stand at goodwood, and I've been on the list ofr one ever since first announced. Not guven a deposit or anything yet as no news on the hybrid as yet.
I think you'll find theres a lot goign on behind the scenes there, so to scoff is a little harsh.
Having said that although the attention to detail is great and I love the bespoke engineering, the show car at goodwood looked good, but there were a few rough bits that needed tidying up.
I jsut fancy a hybrid with a V10 that I can drive in london with no CC, it'll carry 4 people and be find to drive. On top of that it's homegrown engineering talent from the UK doing this so it's a positive thing for UK plc too. I guess I just like British cars
if you can afford a 75k car then surely the CC is a complete irrelevance?
I like it!! i think its got personality which in this day and age of recycled MX5's and BMW spaceships makes a change. Lets face it there arent many cars out there that people say "oh thats different", to quote a famous brand "You either love it or you hate it". The guys behind this had a dream if you will and to keep knocking them because you dont happen to like the look of it is a bit childish.
That said id rather throw money at this then the bloody Olympics!!
That said id rather throw money at this then the bloody Olympics!!
NDT said:
mr_tony said:
BEauty is in the eye of the beholder - and I happen to like it a lot
Spent time on their stand at goodwood, and I've been on the list for one ever since first announced. Not given a deposit or anything yet as no news on the hybrid as yet.
I think you'll find theres a lot going on behind the scenes there, so to scoff is a little harsh.
Having said that although the attention to detail is great and I love the bespoke engineering, the show car at goodwood looked good, but there were a few rough bits that needed tidying up.
I just fancy a hybrid with a V10 that I can drive in london with no CC, it'll carry 4 people and be find to drive. On top of that it's homegrown engineering talent from the UK doing this so it's a positive thing for UK plc too. I guess I just like British cars
Spent time on their stand at goodwood, and I've been on the list for one ever since first announced. Not given a deposit or anything yet as no news on the hybrid as yet.
I think you'll find theres a lot going on behind the scenes there, so to scoff is a little harsh.
Having said that although the attention to detail is great and I love the bespoke engineering, the show car at goodwood looked good, but there were a few rough bits that needed tidying up.
I just fancy a hybrid with a V10 that I can drive in london with no CC, it'll carry 4 people and be find to drive. On top of that it's homegrown engineering talent from the UK doing this so it's a positive thing for UK plc too. I guess I just like British cars
if you can afford a 75k car then surely the CC is a complete irrelevance?
Good point. The hybrid is supposedly going to be considerably less than the 75k flagship supercharged Syracuse. If it's a choice between this and an M3 / 540 at similar money I'd take the more interesting option ..
XitUp said:
Alex said:
I do not see the point of hybrid engines. As Gordon Murray says in this month's Evo, hybrid engines only make sense in stop-start traffic, and you would get better emission reductions by shaving a few 100kg from the weight.
Pointless.
Pointless.
Yeah. Cos People hardly ever drive in stop-start traffic???
How do you lose these few 100kgs without bumping up cost or doing without luxury items that people want by the way?
Like I say, how is this a hybrid with meat on the bone when a 320d has more power?
The standard Type D weighs in at 750kgs, and the Hybrid is 100kg more. It’s already light, and they've put hybrid technology in as an addition. The fact that a 320d has more power is irrelevant- it weighs 1440kg, almost twice as much. This is why it also doesn't need loads of torque to still be useable.
A video of it being unveiled to the press in Wales the other day: http://www.ukcarnews.com/motoring.php?show=111
The ugly little thing is starting to grow on me. Atleast you'd never pull up to another one at the lights.
The ugly little thing is starting to grow on me. Atleast you'd never pull up to another one at the lights.
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