Now badge engineering

[Nagaman]

BYD mechanicals with Toyota badged bodies coming soon.
Could Toyota hydrogen power BYDs in a semi-merger of giants?

[T1 Terry]

There is a huge shack down about to occur in the Chinese EV manufacturing sector, or so say the people that write articles for a living. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/24/busi ... nvironment.

The article is a bit dated, but watching the increasing lists of complaints about poor ECU management programs and updates being rushed out that cause more problems than they fix, shows the $$ are cut so close to line, there just aren't the IT specialists available or they can't afford to hire them for fixing the problems in the earlier models, only to get the next model out there ......

T1 Terry

[Rusdy]

...

The article is a bit dated, but watching the increasing lists of complaints about poor ECU management programs and updates being rushed out that cause more problems than they fix, shows the $$ are cut so close to line, there just aren't the IT specialists available or they can't afford to hire them for fixing the problems in the earlier models, only to get the next model out there ......

T1 Terry

I've been waiting for the market to go full circle again, where people are wanting the 'basic' car again. The like of some people like 'dumb' phones.

Gosh, looks like I'm the dumb one by simply wanting a 'dumb' car.

Sigh ... The curse of planned obsolescence

[T1 Terry]

This is where the re engineered classic comes in. Not every vehicle built was a winner, some were just hated for some reason or another. If, like the Datsun Bluebird or early Mazda, because by the time it had travelled 100,000 kms, you added more oil than petrol ..... or the P76, that was just an awkward looking beast with an engine they had an external oil cooler, the oil was cold by the time it dripped on the ground or the first model of a new run Fords, more issues than class, but mostly engine or transmission related, the crappy suspension was easy to fix, the rest, too expensive to sort.

Sadly, most of these went to the crusher, but there are some still out there that could be saved, a Morris Marina with the performance of a 350 Chev was a very popular item, it would be as an electric car as well, a sleeper we called them back in the day .... but a Celica converted to electric, a modern version of building the old 18R engine using the imported 18RG parts, so the engine number didn't change, yet the performance was outstanding and remained completely legal ....

Not badge engineering as such, more the less frills model that was once loved and now available in a new performance package that can be refuelled from home ... recycling with the added low cost fuel advantage and a "green theme"

T1 Terry