Alpine A110 to be axed?

[Kolbenkopp]

DoubleD said:

Marketing have also been heavily involved in the things that you like and want.

Think the main "problem" is that after a hundred years of refining, cars have reached a state where you can't really cash in on technical innovation or better objective product quality. Or at least doing so is more expensive / risky than to follow or create trends.

Which is a bit unfortunate if one thinks of the possibilities. Ideally I'd like a high quality small car, engineered by people with an 80es MB mindset, styled by Giugiaro, weight, control and handling targets set by Gordon Murray --- and while we are at it built by Toyota.

Of course this sounds bonkers, but it's not rocket science. Something similar could easily be done -- and it gets easier every year with advancements in engineering, production tech, material science and computing. Might even sell well with good marketing. But why bother, buying public is much easier tempted by things that are easy to see or understand.

[bcr5784]

Kolbenkopp said:

Suzuki Swift Sport. Good call IMO. Range goes from cheap low power basic car to fully equipped warm hatch. Drives great, looks good, very light, affordable.

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Unfortunately the latest iteration is no longer affordable. Sad - my OH had the previous version - a terrific little car. Current turbo version doesn't seem so well liked by the press eithe, but not driven one personally.

[DonkeyApple]

There was a blue one driving around the Cotswolds yesterday. It’s wuite an interesting place for cars as some seem to visually fit into the landscape while others seem a bit awkward. Where the Alpine scores is that it follows its own design path so it is clear what it is and the Gallic styling fits really well into the landscape of old houses, fields and smaller than average roads.