This week's snippets of automotive news includes Toyota's advances in fuel cell tech, Nissan's plans for its hot division and why Skoda is facing a "nice" problem.
Toyota fuel cell advances
Toyota officials have revealed that they’re already working on their third-generation fuel cell, ready for production in around 2025, even though the second-gen development is not expected to go on sale until 2020. The third-gen unit is being co-developed with BMW, suggesting the German car maker will launch its first hydrogen production car around 2025. Toyota has said it expects the tech to cost the same as the equivalent hybrid car from that date.
Nissan Nismo growth
Nissan’s hot Nismo sub-brand will get bigger, reckons Nissan design boss Alfonso Albaisa. He said: “We’re trying to get Nismo in the market as much as possible. This is something people want to do to their cars, and we want to represent edginess.” He called the Nismo team the company’s “mad scientists”.
Skoda demand challenges
What’s the worst nice problem for a car maker? Being able to sell more cars than you can build, an issue affecting Skoda. “A nice problem is still a problem,” said CEO Bernhard Maier. “We can use the time to build residuals, focus on reliability and enhance profitability but, while they are great to have, they just lead to more demand.”
No BMW M diesel
BMW is still committed to making high-performance diesel cars, but it is almost certain there will never be a full-blooded M-badged diesel. Dirk Hacker, vice president of BMW M, said: “M cars must have competition pedigree, and there’s no real outlet for diesel racing now. Today, there is not even one discussion about a potential diesel M car.”
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suggesting?
"The third-gen unit is being co-developed with BMW, suggesting the German car maker will launch its first hydrogen production car around 2025" BMW must be leading Toyota up the garden path.
Toyota gave BMW their battery tech in exchange for Diesel knowledge just as the Diesel myth exploded. Now Toyota think BMW have plans to help them out and go down the Hydrogen route.
Perhaps Toyota should read the BMW press release today, 12 pure electric cars by 2025 and NO mention of Hydrogen.
Still thanks for the Battery and Hybrid tech boys.
Jeep UK Sales
" ...clarity over Brexit, citing it as the reason why the firm’s UK sales were “not what we had hoped for” last year." -- NO sales were poor because the cars were very poor!
I think's it's a combination of unattractive product and over priced product. The only effect of Brexit as far as I can see is that as the Renegade is produced in Italy (alongside the 500X) it may face import duties as the rest of the product line is built in the United States or Mexico.
To me in the current market place with fake SUV's being churned out by all the major producers it's incredible that Jeep cannot sell their products in the UK despite the company's peerless 4x4 heritage.
If Fiat/Chrysler are serious about selling the Jeep range in the UK they should review both it's marketing & pricing of it's cars
Jeep sales Rise
According to 4x4i. com: JEEP RISE CONTINUES WITH 2016 BEST YEAR EVER IN THE UK
- Facts talk louder than your silly bias - rest of UK obviously disagree with you ...
The whole range anxiety thing
The whole range anxiety thing is pschological, sometimes people are idiots - I ve had some very long conversations with people who cannot move past this mental hurdle even though they rarely drive more than 100 miles a day.