There is something very wrong if the biggest manufacturers in the world are not planning on having Small ICE cars available to replace the Up!MiiCitigo.

Cars smaller than a Polo, Ibiza, Fabia, A1 type size.

Can they not produce them and stil make money selling them. 

  Surely by now they know how to do light cars with low emissions that stand up to the WLTP / RDE scrutiny.

On 29/04/2019 at 08:39, Skoffski said:

There is something very wrong if the biggest manufacturers in the world are not planning on having Small ICE cars available to replace the Up!MiiCitigo.

Cars smaller than a Polo, Ibiza, Fabia, A1 type size.

Can they not produce them and stil make money selling them. 

  Surely by now they know how to do light cars with low emissions that stand up to the WLTP / RDE scrutiny.

It's a thought segment there. You'll spend the same capex in tooling to make some very very low margin products.  

 

That said, the Japanese have been ok with making kei cars for ages. However Japanese regs does help sales of them. 

VW Group have made small margins for decades with VW, SEAT, Skoda and even Audi that does a bit better.

 

Too much choice of trims / specs and actual materials / weight.   Then they cheated to get emissions, and the WLTP caught them out, and now the next WLTP / RDE tests.

 

Suzuki are not selling / first registering as many New Jimny as they could sell in the EU / UK because of the crazy high C02 g/km figures.

That would put the companies average emissions up.

They could punt out the kei version (narrower / small engines) as city cars in Europe probably, build them in Hungary beside other Suzuki's.

even have then as RWD or FWD only and still people would buy them.

 

It will be down to EU / European Governments to encourage smaller / lighter cars not just less polluting and the German Government are the dog that the tail wags, 

ie VW, BMW, Daimler-Mercedes.

 

Edited 1 May, 20197 yr by Skoffski

On 25/01/2017 at 12:12, ColinD said:

Imagine if you just wrote your car off, or your lease is coming to an end. You've been a happy; or not, Skoda owner for months or years, maybe even a decade or more.

 

Which marque/model brochure are you reaching for? 

 

I'm interested to see what peoples instinct is or what they see as a option to SKODA. 

 

So what do you see as the biggest threat, or the most likely to get you behind the wheel of a different marque?

Probably all electric vehicles and hybrids. They're getting better and better, especially Hyundai. All the variations of Ioniq are good and their new Kona electric has a massive range and is in red hot demand. It would be interesting to see Skoda develop an equivalent to the e-golf or e-tron Audi.

Just now, cmalc said:

Probably all electric vehicles and hybrids. They're getting better and better, especially Hyundai. All the variations of Ioniq are good and their new Kona electric has a massive range and is in red hot demand. It would be interesting to see Skoda develop an equivalent to the e-golf or e-tron Audi.

Ahhh... should have read to the end of this thread.  I see this is already under discussion. 🤐

The driving enthusiasts might sneer at the prospect of BEVs supplanting the ICE but the vast majority care more about colour, appearance and ease of use without even understanding the potential for clean cheap motoring over the life of the vehicle.

In Australia, PSA sales are so sad I can’t see them surviving out here unless they establish themselves as EV front runners and thus get significant free publicity.

VAG won’t even have to try in comparison.

Oddly, or not, I see the rapid progress in cordless tool technology as a clear harbinger for the future of electric cars.

IF the charging infrastructure can be sorted, which is no small task.

Edited 19 July, 20196 yr by marcusthehat

Just now, marcusthehat said:

Oddly, or not, I see the rapid progress in cordless tool technology as a clear harbinger for the future of electric cars.

IF the charging infrastructure can be sorted, which is no small task.

Look at it a different way.

If we had been using electricity for transport for decades and someone came up with the concept of drilling at sea to a depth of hundreds of metres and extracted a filthy black gooey substance which would be piped a hundred kilometres to a facility the size of a city block in order to make it able to be burned in a massively complex piece of machinery linked to a transmission system with all the attendant pollution controlled by ever more complex treatment equipment.........how would that go over?.

Most of Australia's population is around the coastal areas and traversing the vast areas in between in an EV is not really practical. It has been suggested that Hydrogen Fuel cells may be a better option for them.

20 minutes ago, Odin1123 said:

Most of Australia's population is around the coastal areas and traversing the vast areas in between in an EV is not really practical. It has been suggested that Hydrogen Fuel cells may be a better option for them.

If there’s demand someone will take the opportunity, and I imagine a solar and wind power bank will appear as one solution for popular outback routes.

One particular threat to the ICE is the declining trend in fuel sales because of the same trend in the vehicles that consume it.

Shareholders will want to go with the trend whatever it is.

Word of mouth will be influential either way.

1 hour ago, Ryeman said:

Look at it a different way.

If we had been using electricity for transport for decades and someone came up with the concept of drilling at sea to a depth of hundreds of metres and extracted a filthy black gooey substance which would be piped a hundred kilometres to a facility the size of a city block in order to make it able to be burned in a massively complex piece of machinery linked to a transmission system with all the attendant pollution controlled by ever more complex treatment equipment.........how would that go over?.

Unfortunately the charging solution is a very very real hurdle, especially if/as the numbers of electric cars significently increase, never mind "fuelling" commercial vehicles.

The Volt Amps required are simply staggering, and until battery technology allows for the on-site storage of these Volt Amps (i.e. like Petroleum products can be stored in tanks) else mega thick, expensive and disruptive eyesore cables will be needed everywhere and even then with the significent commensurate transmission losses.

And the electricty generation will most likely requiring fossil fuel or nuclear backup. 

I quite like the idea of small sealed modular nuclear power plants being developed for the local generation of the electricty required.

N.B.

Regardless of the battery technology developed, it will still require massive mining operations, perhaps or most likely in otherwise virgin areas, for the exotic materials need to construct these batteries, and at what Environmental costs i.e. compared to oil exploration and extraction.

Cheers

Marcus

Edited 19 July, 20196 yr by marcusthehat

^^^^^ interesting issues you mention.

I was just imagining ships with their own nuclear power systems but nuclear isn’t affordable for other than defence (offence?) forces it seems. Just imagine the cost of fueling a ship with oil for it’s working life!

I don’t see why we can’t prioritise a fundamental overhaul of the grid we have .........I’d be telling a son/daughter to think of being an electrical technician for the new world that we be forced into if we don’t act positively.

Parliament should have 50% women and 50% science graduates rather than the blowhard lawyers who infest the House.

 

Australia has all of the basics for battery supply but never gets mentioned.

Edited 19 July, 20196 yr by Ryeman

Marcus - I’ve been wondering why the natural enemies of BEVs such as the denizens of CNBC and the Trump administration’s EPA and Energy Secretary haven’t labeled the whole idea as a threat to the grid.

The anti brigade seem obsessed with everything but the grid or material supply.  Even Murdoch media don’t seem to see the opportunity........but then they aren’t qualified in anything much beyond opinions.

4 hours ago, Ryeman said:

^^^^^ interesting issues you mention.

I was just imagining ships with their own nuclear power systems but nuclear isn’t affordable for other than defence (offence?) forces it seems. Just imagine the cost of fueling a ship with oil for it’s working life!

I don’t see why we can’t prioritise a fundamental overhaul of the grid we have .........I’d be telling a son/daughter to think of being an electrical technician for the new world that we be forced into if we don’t act positively.

Parliament should have 50% women and 50% science graduates rather than the blowhard lawyers who infest the House.

 

Australia has all of the basics for battery supply but never gets mentioned.

I suppose that would ensure a 50/50 gender split right enough.

A saviour ?

 

https://electrek.co/2019/09/02/vw-seat-cupra-meb-electric-suv-battery/

For me right now, hence the car I am driving, SEAT is doing a better job than Skoda, well certainly in the type of car I was after

 

even the seat Ibiza is a much nicer looking car than the skoda fabia

again the Leon is a nicer looking car than the Scala / Octavia

 

To be honest I don't think Skoda has made a nice looking car since the fabia / Octavia mk1

the Octavia mk2 and mk3 were not a bad looking car either, but since the new split headlight facelift and these huge clamshell grills they are putting on everything 🤢 

Edited 3 September, 20196 yr by BigJase88

11 hours ago, Ryeman said:

A saviour ?

 

https://electrek.co/2019/09/02/vw-seat-cupra-meb-electric-suv-battery/

Tesla rip off right there 🤣

I waited a hour today at the dealership... after twenty minutes, I’ll get someone to have a word with you...after forty minutes, ‘have you not been seen yet... ‘ ....after an hour, time to go....

 

.... nice coffee, nice to chat to other punters, sit in vehicles etc.....but after three,  a caffeine infused fog got the better of me, so bid my farewells...

 

....all I wanted was a trade in settlement price on one of their used cars....

 

.... if you want to make an appointment for during the week... ( sorry but am working...) ... thought it was at my convenience, not theirs....

 

Great to have popular cars but as they ain’t that far pricewise offa the likes of BMW, Mercedes, JLR let alone VW.....etc, yer really need to up the game... but it’s always the way when you are actually looking to buy....

 

.... biggest threat is acting like all the other big boys, with Skoda you used to get personal service, now it just seems to be a ring of auto bots reporting to a finance bod, whilst other auto bots sit chatting to each other trying their best to ignore you as they ain’t sales peeps but does the customer know that...?

 

(Very few posts in the dealership section these days... just could be me and everyone else is happy... are new entries added by the forum admin... ?....if so could they please add the latest Marshall’s acquisitions...)

 

Nurse.... the frogs pills....!!

 

 

 

 

There are at least Safety Critical Recalls happening, maybe now sooner than in the past, 

 if they can just sort out Quality Control in the factory so that less fault components are getting out of the factory and onto the roads that will be simply clever.

 

If Service Campaign Recall Actions can be less of a Skoda Secret Service sort of thing when trying to get information on them like owners of 1.5 TSI EVO engine cars 

are experiencing currently that would be a good idea. Drivers are responsible for a cars safety, and Dealership Staff should not think that keeping information from them is the thing they have the right to do.

http://uk.car-recalls.eu/makes/SKODA

 

http://skoda-auto.com/services/recall-actions

 

Edited 19 September, 20196 yr by Roottootemoot

Why do I get the impression that calling them ‘service campaigns’  is a way of avoiding lists of ‘recalls’.

VAG vehicles never need to be recalled.........right.

Edited 19 September, 20196 yr by Ryeman

There are 58 RECALLS there. That should be Skoda getting registered keepers contact details from the Authorities in which ever country and a vehicle RECALLED.

Including ones at Dealerships. In Trade etc. 

These are for as long as the vehicle is on the road.

 

Service Campaigns are Recall Actions now, that is another thing and no idea how many Recall Actions might be on Skoda's.

Or might never get done if the car is never into the Main Dealership network, or even in the main dealership network, 

even sitting right now on a forecourt waiting to be sold to a new owner.

As a companion, my old Yeti 140ps diesel (I might be getting approximately $1400 back as compo) averaged 47 mpg 1.4 turbo’s average of 57 mpg on our cheapest petrol.

Engineered lightness pays off.

 

Not adapting quickly enough -

 

Daimler Group.

Not developing fossil fuel engines, but not stopping selling ones they have now though,  & going to be flog hybrids that can go 43.5 miles on pure electric.

 

 

Hybrids bring servicing revenue.

Toyota would prefer you choose a hybrid.

Toyota are making their hybrid IP free to anyone who wants it.

Tesla are doing the same with their current battery pack technology.

Using someone’s hand-me-downs is a good way to go broke.

If you want to survive now, you need to be brilliant, quick to market and not relax.

 

The past already -