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If I were an auto manufacturer, my New Year's resolution would be... - READ ONLY

42 messages,  Last post on Jan 10, 2012 at 6:52 AM

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#1 of 42 If I were an auto manufacturer, my New Year's resolution would be... by KarenS HOST

Dec 28, 2011 (2:42 pm)

...?
 
Can't think of anything on my own, so looking forward to your thoughts on this.

#2 of 42 If I were Audi... by hpmctorque

Dec 28, 2011 (3:31 pm)

...my resolution would be improve reliability, improve reliability more, then equal and even surpass Lexus and Acura on reliability, while retaining current attributes.
 
My wife's A4 has 57,000 miles. It's been okay since the warranty expired earlier this year, but I'm apprehensive.

#3 of 42 If I were Lincoln... by lemko

Dec 28, 2011 (3:46 pm)

...I would bring out a full-size RWD/AWD luxury car in the vein of the classic 1961-65 Continental!

#4 of 42 If I were Hyundai... by lemko

Dec 28, 2011 (3:51 pm)

...I'd bring back the cute girl from "Pomplamoose" for the holiday commercials!
 
Hyundai Holidays

#5 of 42 If I were ANY auto manufacturer by qbrozen

Dec 29, 2011 (3:13 pm)

I'd produce an affordable compact RWD sedan/coupe combo with a turbo 4-cyl. Think E46 3-series with newer engine technology, starting at $22k. RWD Jetta anyone? RX8 without a rotary? Compact Genesis? All seems pretty easy to me.

#6 of 42 Re: If I were ANY auto manufacturer [qbrozen] by hpmctorque

Dec 29, 2011 (9:52 pm)

Replying to: qbrozen (Dec 29, 2011 3:13 pm)
Great idea. Maybe the '13 Cadillac ATS will be that car.

#7 of 42 Re: If I were ANY auto manufacturer [hpmctorque] by qbrozen

Dec 30, 2011 (5:23 am)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Dec 29, 2011 9:52 pm)
No way Caddy is going to start a car at $22k, though.

#8 of 42 Re: If I were ANY auto manufacturer [qbrozen] by hpmctorque

Dec 30, 2011 (1:18 pm)

Replying to: qbrozen (Dec 30, 2011 5:23 am)
It'll start just under or over 30K (probably over), but the next Camaro reportedly will share the same platform.

#9 of 42 Re: If I were Lincoln... [lemko] by ehaase

Dec 30, 2011 (5:04 pm)

Replying to: lemko (Dec 28, 2011 3:46 pm)
A poster on another board said that Ford has cancelled plans for a FWD replacement for the MKS. There is hope for a RWD Lincoln sedan in the last half of this decade.

#10 of 42 Bring Smokey Yunick's Valev-less Engine Back by drvette

Dec 31, 2011 (6:22 am)

Some 25+ years back, Smokey Yunick, Engine Designer and Diesel mechanic designed and perfected a radical new engine.
 
A IC engine with NO Valves.
He used an Pontiac Iron-Duke 151 cu/in 4-cyl with one piston removed, now a 3-cyl.
 
From a solid block of aluminum, he installed two solid bars, about 2.5" dia or so.
In those bars he cut large slots, the bars rotated within the top of the cylinder.
 
One bar delivered intake/fuel mix the other exhausted the spent mix.
 
Big Deal you say ?
Yup, the limiting factor on combustion temperatures right now is red-hot glowing valves, causing detonation and or pre-ignition.
 
The engine had a belt driven supercharger to get it running, then switched over to a turbocharger for mixture feed.
 
All this eliminates the drag of valve guides, rocker arms, lifter drag, and the biggie, valve spring resistance.
 
There's more, and the most important part.
 
He used "air heater baskets" like a power plant uses to recover heat from the exhaust.
This he fed back into the intake at a whopping 375F !
 
So now we have a roughly 113 cu/in engine.
On the dyno it produced over 300 hp at the flywheel
The EPA emissions were on the floor, tiny even by today's standards
The fuel consumption was minimal, almost all the heat was recirculated into the motor, he stated the engine could be run in most climates with NO Radiator.
Production Costs were low.
Lifetime was long and trouble free
He had nearly a million miles on the engine with the Dyno time and ON Road time combined.
 
About "78~
GM then Ford and then Chrysler all marveled at this little engine that could.
Giddy with excitement, they blew the parking lot. Later, No Calls, No Letters, nothing.
 
15+ or so years go by, again the same Big-3 sent Mechanical Engrs and Electrical Engrs
to review his data, drive the car, insert emission test gear into the pipe, observe Dyno runs, inspect 100k mi+ power-plants disassembled and gain perspective on the little engine.
 
The wear was minimal, his data was conclusive, the production costs were profitable, The EPA would be pleased, the owners and manufacturers happy. .
With thoughts of personal greatness in mind, they each went back to corporate headquarters.
 
Never to be heard from again..
 
Today, the magazine article cannot be found in any reference material anywhere on the web, nor the engine. The patent office shows NO records of it ever having existed, I suppose this changes hands when the patent is sold..
 
During his like Smokey never sold that engine, you can find minimal info on his "hot-air" engine which came prior to the valve-less design..
 
Oh, well, I just guess that the Big-3 decided a long life engine that got INCREDIBLE Gas Mileage wasn't worth the effort..
 
Or,, was it Big-Oil that bought the patent rights after Smokey died ?
 
Much like 84 year old Stan Ovshinsky, who designed the Nicl
 
Ovshinsky entrusted GM that his NiMH Vehicle Battery system would be manufactured and used in electric vehicles such as the successor to the EV-1
 
Ovshinsky sold Ovonics Battery company and the patent rights to GM who formed "GM Ovonics"
Gm then sold "GM Ovonics" to Texaco Oil
Texaco was bought by Chevron. Chevron / owner of "Ovonics" then filed a patent infringement suit against Toyota's battery supplier, Panasonic, that ultimately succeeded in restricting the use of its large format NiMH batteries.
 
There's more to the story, here's the bottom Line.
 
If it burns too little Crude Oil, it WILL be bought for ANY PRICE,, any price, money or ....
 
in the cse of the EV-1 and future electric ccars
A- the Lead acid battery was too heavy and weak
B- the LiOn battery is much too expensive and prone to fire
C- The NiMH battery is inexpensive, not very heavy, not prone to fire and POWERFUL
 
The GM EV-1
Problem; Lead-Acid Battery
Solution; NiMh Large Format Battery, now owned by;
1st Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems
Next, Cobasys, a 50/50 joint venture between Chevron/Texaco and Ovonics
 
The patent infringments go on and on.
 
Stan Ovshinsky interview with The Economist
Quote
"I think we at ECD made a mistake of having a joint venture with an oil company, frankly speaking. And I think it's not a good idea to go into business with somebody whose strategies would put you out of business, rather than building the business"
 
GM promised that any EV-1 vehicles returned to General Motors would be completely recycled or donated to Universities for study.
Instead, they CRUSHED every one except for 2 or 3 which had the AC inverters removed and now sit in a museum.
 
GM EV-1
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_encumbrance_of_large_automotive_NiMH_batteri- es
 
Rusty Wrench
aka DrVette

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