Sometimes I really question how car companies are still producing the same old stuff year on year. Especially Honda in the UK The Jazz is a good car, but almost all of it's rivals have the option of a turbo 3 cylinder. Honda why haven't you added the 1.0 in the Jazz yet!! The infotainment is appaling, the 2018 has the same system as the 2015 which is slow to respond and reviewers always moan about it. Car journalists complain about a lack of low down torque etc as they wan't a turbo 3cyl, then Honda releases a 1.5 Naturally Aspirated, it is still moaned about in the press. Don't car companies listen to the press? Car journalists say that the Jazz could do with an extra gear for the motorway, Honda release a 6-Speed manual but the gear ratio is the same . Also Honda hasn't got anything to compete with the VW Up/Skoda Citygo/Seat Mii. The Jazz is between the Polo and Golf. Why don't they release something like a Honda Pop, something for the young market, I actually don't see how Honda is succeeding in the UK. It's simply not competing with the other manafacturers.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...ion=at_cars&postcode=sn48ff&model=LOGO&page=1 They've made a car in it's class before. There's also the new-ish Honda CRZ. Don't see a problem with Honda, also, there's no point in Honda competing in the small car market anyways, they've got that market surrounded by the sales of the Civic.
Looks like Tesla may have more widespread problems with their autopilot system then... (skip to 20 seconds in) In the above video the car seems as if it's following the wrong white line due to the correct line being faded. Which seems like a rather dangerous, simple and naive implementation of self driving tech. and also another Tesla: There are a lot of situations where the autopilot system can and does prevent crashes even before humans know that one is going to happen. But this seems like one of those "this shouldn't be happening" type things. I am sure there is a lot more to their systems than "follow the white line", but clearly they need to make some improvements to that. Hopefully this sort of stuff should serve as a reminder to people that driver assistive systems are not full autonomous systems. But when something sounds like a full auto system, works like a full auto system 95% of the time, and has been hyped like a full auto system, it's no wonder some people are treating it like one.
I do think the hype around the system is a big part of the problem too, you don't really see these videos pop up about other similar tech in other cars because they aren't sold as "self driving" but rather lane assist etc. It makes for a pretty great accident prevention system, but as for actually driving the car totally unassisted its easy a decade away from being safe and even further away from being out in the wild, imo. Any fully auto system would have to be very idiot proof.
To know that, you'd need to know the typical Japanese car buyer, like my dad, my uncles, my friends' parents and one of my neighbours. These people do not care about initial quality, as the journos do. They want to buy a car that will work for years on end, not just something to lease and return, like my uncle's '04 Civic, my dad's '07 Corolla, my friend's dad's '10 Accord, my neighbour's I-don't-know-how-old-but-it-was-there-already-in-2011 Accord, my other uncle's '06 Accord (owned since 2013), or my mom's friend's '97 Civic (owned since 2005). On the other end of the scale you've got my greatuncle, who's had a new car every 5 seconds since the mid-70s. He prefers French, mostly Citroens, and had Eastern Bloc cars before. Ditto for his wife and children. --- Post updated --- Tesla's problem is that they're doing too much too soon - selling a self-driving system that doesn't work right, having impossible production targetsl,making high-performance cars without the required cooling, etc. --- Post updated --- Just for perspective, I decided to give a rundown of what my family and family friends have had since my dad's 2007 Corolla purchase: Japanese car side: - Dad - Corolla, - Uncle - Civic, - Other uncle - Almera, Accord, - Mother's friend - Civic. French car side: - Greatuncle - Jumpy, 407, C5, C5, C5, Passat, RAV4, C5, C4, C4 Picasso. - Greataunt - Megane, C5, Altea XL, Ibiza, - Their son - 307, Focus C-Max, X-Type, C4 Picasso, Mazda6, CX-7. - Their daughter - 206, C3, 207, 3008, Megane (currently a single mom, so can't afford another car).
I don't think it's a decade out. Mainly because Waymo (Google) seems to have a system that they are confident in to the point of sending out cars with no driver or passengers. As such they will likely have an actual taxi service running within a few years. As for when you can hail a driverless cab in the centre of the lake district, yeah, probably a way out until then. Renault seems to be doing fairly well in their self driving tech. But they have been much more reserved about it in general, and have only done it in super expensive one off cars. But it was pretty cool that they had journalists driving down a motorway wearing a VR headset or fully reclined. Obviously though, they didn't show it working outside of that stretch of road. All that states is that your great uncle, great aunt and their kids like to change cars more often. Go to France and you will see an endless amount of old Peugeot's, Renault's and Citroen's. Even in the UK you can barely move without seeing an old Citroen Xara Picasso, Renault Clio or Peugeot 206. Those cars are getting on for 15-20 years old now.
Yeah I mean a decade out more in terms of being a thing that will be running in all locations and is practical enough to be a taxi for example. Current locations for self driving cars are a bit limited to decent (but not perfect) city roads and highways. Looking back to the first one I saw (about 2006) they have came a really long way but I would say that the last 30% will be really difficult to master. All that is assuming that it all goes smoothly in terms of tech, cost, legislation etc, which its had some trouble with lately so I would say nearly 20 years from now before its an everyday thing that is affordable and idiot proof isnt too far fetched.
In the UK this is the sort of unmarked police cars that we have. They are usually big German sedan and estate cars, but not always. The police source their vehicles from a number of manufacturers for all types of vehicle that they use. The blue lights in the below pictures are police lights. So not normally visible. I think the Skoda and BMW are the prettiest of the two above vehicles.
I quite like the Jags. You could say that you have had a ride in a Jaguar when really it was a cop car
Tom Tjaarda for Carrozzeria Ghia. The Deauville is not even their best design... What Ford did with the Ghia name is borderline criminal...
Just FYI, Ford used the Ghia badge with full blessing of the company - the first car with that trim level was the Ford Mustang II, introduced just 2 years after the Deauville hit the market.
Also the Mustang II isn't that ugly, (In my opinion.) it's just slow, like the Civic during the same time.
"Full blessing" = De Tomaso sold Ghia and Vignale to Ford in 1973. It's not like they had much of a choice. And still, even if that was the case, reducing Ghia (and now, Vignale too) to a mere trim level is beyond sad, but it's not like Ford ever knew how to manage the premium brands in their portfolio, if Jaguar and Volvo are anything to go by...
