Did Volkswagen just throw down the gauntlet and challenge Tesla? Automologist MAC reports about the latest showdown in the electric car arena.
Despite the emissions scandal that has surrounded Volkswagen in Europe and North America, the German automaker has been just about in the top spot of the world’s automakers for a couple of years now.
When the great Japanese car invasion started back in the late 1960’s, they concentrated on the bargain and compact end of the market, where cost of purchase was the key motivator. This was also the model that many Chinese manufacturers followed in the mid-2000’s when they attempted to emulate their close neighbour in the European market.
The push to be ever greener and have more of the vehicle biodegradable has had an unforeseen and very unwanted side-effect. Rodents are happily chowing down on the wiring looms of some newer cars, rendering them inoperable at best and sometimes dangerous at worst. There have been reports surfacing for about a year now of car owners having to fork out for expensive car repair bills due to rodent damage in the engine. It would seem that the new biodegradable wires are made from something that rats in particular love to eat, and that something is soy.
Late last year, I took the decision to replace two of my trusty rides that had been with me for almost the entirety of a decade each. The two cars in question were the delectable Porsche 911 C4S and my BMW M Sport (E60).
Perodua wrapped up 2016 with the largest market share of 35.7%* in its history, a pleasant surprise even to the best-selling automaker in Malaysia. Despite challenging economic conditions and a contracted market last year, Perodua registered sales of over 200,000 vehicles, thanks in no small part to the Bezza sedan, which sold over 36,000 units even though it was launched only in July.
Once again the news of a city banning cars in an effort to reduce lung-clogging pollution is making the headlines. And for a change, the news is not coming out of China or India, but from the city of lovers, Paris, the capital of France.