The cars and bikes thread!

[tribe125]

Being owned by a private Indian company and a “private” Chinese company are two different things in my book.

It’s all the same to me. The cars are designed and built in Britain/Sweden, they feel British/Swedish - and they might not exist in their preserved form without foreign capital.

I’ve got used to foreign ownership as a fact of life. If China has spare capital, they’re bound to be major investors, just as oil-rich Arabian states have been major investors. I may have doubts about some countries - but then they’ve often had reason to have doubts about mine in the past.

There’s also a lot of cooperation between Geely (owners of Volvo) and Mercedes. Geely are the largest single shareholder in Mercedes. It’s the way things are.

[litlmn]

My wife's current Infiniti QX30 AWD shares the engine (in this case a 2.0liter turbo) and drive train from the Mercedes including the DCT. It fairly decent. As far as the safety stuff my Honda Ridgeline truck has all that and about a dozen other safety features. Seems this has become quite standard in the more common brands and the luxury segment has not caught up.

It was noted in the BMW X3 review that BMW charges a subscription fee for Apple Car Play. I'm not certain what they are thinking?

Don't bring the Ridgeline up I4 in Orlando. All of the lane changes due to construction make the lane departure warning to haywire. My wife constantly has to shut it off in her Accord.

[mlcor]

But being owned is surely different than manufacturing as usual? The cars are still manufactured in their respective countries? I'm asking. I don't know.

I'm curious because one of my loves (Lotus) is currently owned by the same company that owns Volvo. But I believe they are still made in England by English hands.

And they just announced an electric hyper car (yawn).

Lotus hasn’t been controlled by a UK company for at least a decade. Prior to Geeley, they were owned by Proton for a number of years, which is a Malaysian company.


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[tribe125]

I think I’d take Geely over Proton. I associate Proton with previous generation Mitsubishis not made so well.

Protons may have been the cheapest cars available in the UK in the 1980s. It never looked quite right when they later acquired ‘tuned by Lotus’ badges.

[happyscrappyheropup]

Tires finally arrived, the rears were on backorder. I guess the wait was worth it, the date codes show they're fresh off the line.

[Samanator]

Don't bring the Ridgeline up I4 in Orlando. All of the lane changes due to construction make the lane departure warning to haywire. My wife constantly has to shut it off in her Accord.

I had no issues back in January going from 434entrance down to the I-drive exit of I-4. It only comes into play if your crossing the lines.

[Samanator]

I promise you, I don’t have a logical explanation for it. It’s a feel thing. Volvo feels like a Chinese car company now. I can’t possibly explain it with facts or anything that would make sense. Volvo is still made in Sweden and designed in Sweden, but something about Chinese ownership makes me feel icky the way other outside ownership doesn’t.

Audi is so diluted for a price point the cars are purposely watered down so they do not step on Porsche/Bently/Lamborgini's toes. Audi was the innovator, but since Porsche joined the company they have become mostly irrelevant. If they were a watch they would be Logines in the Swatch group. Great history, but forced to be a step below Omega. There is so much sharing up and down the lines that it starts to get confusing to tell which car your in. I understand the new Cayenne is now mostly a Q7 Audi with Porsche tuning. I really think this will bite them like it has bitten most of the remaining American car companies. I even see Audi/VW bits inside some Lamborghinis.

I see the same thing at FCA. Get in a Town and Country minivan and then get in a Masserati (in a US car) and to the right of the steering wheel they are nearly the same down the center stack with the infotainment and HVAC systems and controls. OK, once the engine starts that all goes away since the Masserati borrows an engine from it's Italian cousin Ferrari (Which it's other Italian cousin Alpha also borrows this engine). I do like the new Alpha sedans and sports cars, but I've purposely avoided the Alpha store given the nightmare reliability I've heard reported for fear I'd be lored in by the drive and looks. Shame the better quality thing has not trickled down from Ferrari.

[Samanator]

Tires finally arrived, the rears were on backorder. I guess the wait was worth it, the date codes show they're fresh off the line.

Are these like the tires on the Corvette. You need to order them 8 months before you need them?

[happyscrappyheropup]

I usually don't have any issues with my older 03 Corvette, but it's mini-tubbed and runs 275/345 front/rear. Are there long waits for the C7 stock sizes?

The wait for my station wagon was unusual but thankfully not too long. I'll admit I only checked one source, so it may have just been Tire Rack with no stock in my factory sizes.

-- Wayne

[Strela167]

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