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]v2.0: All I Want For Christmas ...[

... is about nine hours of sleep. But that's someone else's 'blog.
So I'm just back from London, where I did virtually nothing related to cars ... in short, I was having what some refer to as a "life." However, as the streets of London are filled with all manner of transportation, all of it whizzing along on the opposite sides of the road from the US perspective, I had plenty of time to check out different varieties of cars and trucks ... many of which are not sold in this country. In some cases, that's because their engines haven't been emissions-rated; in others, crash-test concerns are keeping them out; and in still others, a hangover from poor public image (step forward, Renault and Fiat) is stopping carmakers from reaching our shores.
Now, the USA is the world's biggest car market, so you'd THINK that anyone building cars would do anything to get their products in front of a few hundred million pairs of eyeballs in this country. But some apparently feel that the opportunity-cost is higher than the real benefits would be. (The preceding sentence is all I retained from Economics in college, by the way)
It is, however, my feeling that differences in design to suit different countries can be designed in at the outset of a vehicle program, at very little additional cost, and with the potential for increasing revenue and profits. Not taking those design considerations into account at the earliest possible opportunity is deliberately denying a corporation millions (billions?) of dollars in additional profit.
OK, enough theory. How about the cars? Which ones deserve a home on American roads? Which ones would I love to see under the Christmas tree in my garage?
You'll see a familiar name or two here ... but most may be new, unless you regularly read magazines like England's Car or France's l'Automobile. You also won't see "supercars," because those are by and large already sold here in ever-increasing numbers. No, these cars tend to be smaller (as Euro cars are), and more inventive. Or they're just fun. In any case, they're not here and they should be.
SMART. Soon to be a full line of cars ranging from the original upright supercompact to a small SUV, the Smarts are a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler and the people who brought you the Swatch watch. They're very small ... small enough to fit crossways into a standard parallel parking spot ... but plenty of fun, thanks to their energetic three-cylinder engines, developed by Mercedes-Benz. They're also plenty safe, with elements of their safety cages artfully included in the designs. The new Roadster, just out, is one of the ballsiest things on the road, and apparently the basis for the Dodge Slingshot concept car we'll see on the auto show circuit in '04. If people like it, maybe a Smart-ish car will come here after all.
RENAULT SCENIC. Europe is crawling with these new "mini-MPVs," sort of tall compact wagons which can seat 5 in comfort, or 7 if needed. I'm picking the Scenic because it was the first, and remains one of the most popular, even though everyone pretty much sells one. I'm sure some young families who need carrying space or cargo flexibility, but can't imagine trying to park a Freestar, would love to log some miles in a Scenic. Just more proof that the Mitsubishi Colt Vista was ahead of its time ... though not as much ahead as perhaps the ...
FIAT MULTIPLA. OK, this one's on here just because it looks so NOT like everything else on the road. It also seats 6 people in a pretty small footprint. They don't sell that well, and I can't imagine being the person who has to draw the replacement ... but come on. It's cool.
PEUGEOT 206CC. We've talked about this one on here before: Golf-sized cabrio, with fully-retractable steel roof like the Mercedes SLK and SL. Could easy replace the Beetle or the Miata as the Kappa Delta staff car.
VOLKSWAGEN BORA V5. This is basically the home-market Jetta ... but it's on here for the engine: a split-the-difference V5 that earns high marks all over the EC for smoothness and power. Rumor has it the V5 may come in the next generation Jetta: that would be good news indeed. Bora, by the way, is not just an old Maserati name: it's a wind current, just like Golf, Passat and Scirocco. (Remember those?)
ALFA ROMEO 147 AND 156. These are two of the best-looking cars I've ever seen. Fiat has done as good a job reviving Alfa as it has running its own mark into the ground. The 147 is a slick Golf-sized hatch; the 156 is pitched at the 3-series BMWs, and scores points for its sensual looks and great Alfa engines. I keep hearing that a deal to have Alfas sold by GM is on-again, off-again. Chrysler was the last to bring in Alfa (remember the 164?) ... let's hope someone can work a deal.
BMW 330d. It's the 3-series with a torquey turbodiesel. Reviewers across Europe have praised the smoothness and power of the diesel lump, which are roughly equal to the gas-powered one, yet with better fuel economy. Somewriters have even suggested that ... shock! ... it might be the best 3-series yet. I'm going to go into more detail tomorrow on diesels and why I think they're a good idea ... with the invaluable perspective of the blog's Detroit correspondent ... but there's no reason this great engine can't be installed in something here ... maybe the X5?
RENAULT AVANTIME. From Renault, the company that pioneered the minivan in Europe just as it was trashing its reputation here with the Alliance ... a two-door, minivan-size vehicle which seats four. Yes, it's absurd. Yes, it's bizarre. But it's incredibly creative and thoughtful. The most interesting of a sweeping line of new products at Renault, which has brought French flair into the 21st Century.

'Cos I'm the Taxman ... Back in February, London Mayor Ken Livingstone infuriated commuters driving through the square mile that is the London central business district by charging a "congestion tax," which assesses drivers for piloting their private cars into the area. The goal, obviously, was to reduce London's legendary traffic gridlock ... as well as enhance revenues, I imagine. Last reports suggest that it's actually working ... and that members of Parliament are considering taking it nationwide. Look, I love cars as much as anyone ... but honestly, in a city such as London, which is home to a world-class mass transit system, do THAT many people really need them?

On Noozdawg's Noozstand. Picked up a magazine at Harrods that I've never seen before. It's called Intersection, and it promises photos and features about the "intersection" between car culture, style and design. Features included a study of details from cars at the Tokyo show (taillights, door handles, etc), an interview with a rapping cabdriver, and a look at the car collection of the late King Hussein of Jordan. It doesn't even have a US price on the cover... but it's fascinating. Wish I'd thought of it.

Before I go ... the most jarring sight on the streets of London was a big, black Ford Crown Victoria ... idling in front of the Imperial Palace Hotel. Didn't seem to have government markings on it ... but with all the other cars on the road so sensibly sized, seeing this boat was very odd.

Next time: Diesel clatter.

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Renee ... you are amazing!  Your Convergence notes are a terrif[

Renee ... you are amazing!  Your Convergence notes are a terrific reminder of all the great stuff that went on there.

A friend sent me the following article which should be interesting to this group.  The central role of IT as one of the most powerful gatekeepers of innovation should not be underestimated.

"Innovation Interruptus"
Computerworld (09/29/03) Vol. 31, No. 45, P. 41; Hoffman, Thomas

Industry observers report that IT budget cuts extending over the past few years have dampened innovation, but this has allowed other types of innovation to come to the fore, according to experts such as Computerworld columnist Paul A. Strassmann.  Some companies continue to boost their annual IT investments to maintain their competitiveness, though such increases are considerably more frugal than in previous years.  Wal-Mart declared several months ago that its 100 leading suppliers have an early 2005 deadline to start tracking their shipping pallets with radio frequency identification tags, while car manufacturer DaimlerChrysler announced in November 2002 that it had begun to invest in Digital Factory, an ambitious project to automate the design of its assembly plants.  Meanwhile, UPS has invested approximately $1 billion over the past six years to develop "smart labels" that will help customers more easily locate their packages, and has mapped out a five-year, $127 million investment to distribute the DIAD IV handheld terminal to tens of thousands of drivers.  The DIAD IV will save drivers the hassle of manually entering a customer's address and related data and scanning package bar codes in order to get routing instructions.  Many companies see the budget crunch as an opportunity to move away from investing in new technologies and concentrate on optimizing existing technologies.  RadioShack recently completed the installation of a supply chain management system, while senior VP Mike Kowal says the company has hired a consultant to help shepherd further operational efficiencies through organizational and behavioral changes.   Still, 70 percent of 106 IT professionals polled in an August Computerworld survey reported that their IT departments postponed or killed "especially innovative projects" in the past two years, primarily because of budget cuts.

  "Unleashing UWB"
  Electronic Business (09/03) Vol. 29, No. 12, P. 62; Arensman, Russ

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 01:52:08 CDT:

]Tiistai, 16. syyskuuta 2003 klo 9:52[

Tia on jo pitkään haaveillut Smart-autosta. Tänään alkavilla Pariisin Apple Expo -messuilla Smartin valmistaja DaimlerChrysler aikoo esitellä i-moven, joka on Smart, jossa on iPod integroituna. Panoramas.dk:lla on QTVR uudesta autosta.