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2007-01-23 Science & Technology

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Posted by BigEd 2007-01-23 16:33|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Please move to group 3. Thanks. I though I had selected it.

Posted by BigEd 2007-01-23 16:40|| 2007-01-23 16:40|| Front Page Top

#2 Plastics.

Posted by Mr. McGuire 2007-01-23 17:13|| 2007-01-23 17:13|| Front Page Top

#3 India's Tata group is working on a $2000 car.
McKinsey - Interview with Ratan N. Tata

How do you make such an undertaking profitable?

Today we're producing a $7,000 car, the Indica. Here we're talking about a $2,200 car, which will be smaller and will be produced in larger volumes, with all the high-volume parts manufactured in one plant. We're also looking at more use of plastics on the body and at a very low-cost assembly operation, with some use of modern-day adhesives instead of welding. But the car is in every way a car, with an engine, a suspension, and a steering system designed for its size. We will meet all the emissions requirements. We now have some issues concerning safety, mainly because of the car's modest size, but we will resolve them before the car reaches the market, in about three years' time.

In addition--and this again touches on the social dimension--we're looking at small satellite units, with very low breakeven points, where some of the cars could be assembled, sold and serviced. We would encourage local entrepreneurs to invest in these units, and we would train these entrepreneurs to assemble the fully knocked-down or semi-knocked-down components that we would send to them, and they would also sell the assembled vehicles and arrange for their servicing. This approach would replace the dealer, and therefore the dealer's margin, with an assembly-cum-retail operation that would be combined with very low-cost service facilities.

Posted by john 2007-01-23 17:13|| 2007-01-23 17:13|| Front Page Top

#4 So Renault makes a low cost car it named after the worst airport in the world?
No thanks...seeing "Renault" was enough.

Posted by tu3031 2007-01-23 17:16|| 2007-01-23 17:16|| Front Page Top

#5 Plastic cars, stuck together with glue.

Didn't Ford develop a plastic engine a few years ago? They could probably sell a license to both Toyota and Tata

Posted by john 2007-01-23 17:22|| 2007-01-23 17:22|| Front Page Top

#6 Didn't somebody try this back in the 1980's?

I think it was called the Yugo.

(Except for the station wagon, which was called the Wego.)

*ducks and runs for cover* ;-p

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2007-01-23 17:37|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html] 2007-01-23 17:37|| Front Page Top

#7 Hell, sounds like every Soviet/Eastern Bloc "people's car" ever made. What will kill these concepts is a little thing called the used car market. Japan is already dumping its used cars on Russia (Japanese laws make it more expensive to fix a 10 year car than the car is worth); the US tends to dump its used cars down the line into Mexico and Central America; and a huge number of West European used cars are heading East to Russia and South to North Africa. Hell, Iraq has become the used car dumping grounds for the wealthier ME countries.
These are cars with predominately metal components and bodies, which can be worked on/repaired/rigged by very low-tech locals. The plastic car sounds like the VW Bug replacement for Europe and Southeast Asia.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2007-01-23 18:03|| 2007-01-23 18:03|| Front Page Top

Posted by DMFD 2007-01-23 19:58|| 2007-01-23 19:58|| Front Page Top

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