Costing cutting measures have compromised the pleasure and feel of good driving. I don't know about the current generation of car drivers, but in my generation and the above, all would have felt a jolt from the blue on what I am going to reveal - commencing from the luxury cars to other manufacturers, they have modified the concept of a spare wheel. Either it is a doughnut tire, which is only 50% width of other four tires, and or it has a ordinary non-alloy rim. Of course, as far as the BMW's RFT come only with four tires - an innovation that reinforces their dicky [pun intended] for maximum impact resistance in case of a cursh..I mean crash. RFT means RunFlat Tires, can do more than 150 miles even after a severe cut or damage, which is next to impossible for the tubeless tires of the other manufactures. The bottom line with exception to the Beamers, what are the other German, Korean or Japanese car manufacturers on to?
After more than two decades of teaching, consulting in management and information technology and having a blemish less driving license in India for more than 25 years, not to mention my New York state driving license which is being mentioned to express the fact of my versatility in both hand drives and patience on the Indian roads and passion for the American highways;-) I found the explanations on spare wheel ridiculously scheming.
Surprisingly, this compromise is only on the entry level segments with the German luxury cars, and it beats my logic why the Korean or Japanese high end cars had to follow this "de-innovation". The high end vehicles of the Merc or Audi, commencing with the price range above 60L INR have five wheels intact. Tire rotation, wheel balancing et al is left to the discretion of the owner. Again no compromise with doughnut tires slowly down the vehicle to 70kms per hour during a possible long drive.
Questions - Are customers ready to buy any logic any stuff? have they become so lazy or ignorant of not knowing or wanting to be able to change tires? or probable they do not mind display of alloy and non alloy tires on one side? looks or performance does not matter any more as much as the ego matters?
Web cast or cost of web ? ideas of inconvenience and costing more at that. Are people listening? forget it ..are car manufacturers listening?
After more than two decades of teaching, consulting in management and information technology and having a blemish less driving license in India for more than 25 years, not to mention my New York state driving license which is being mentioned to express the fact of my versatility in both hand drives and patience on the Indian roads and passion for the American highways;-) I found the explanations on spare wheel ridiculously scheming.
Surprisingly, this compromise is only on the entry level segments with the German luxury cars, and it beats my logic why the Korean or Japanese high end cars had to follow this "de-innovation". The high end vehicles of the Merc or Audi, commencing with the price range above 60L INR have five wheels intact. Tire rotation, wheel balancing et al is left to the discretion of the owner. Again no compromise with doughnut tires slowly down the vehicle to 70kms per hour during a possible long drive.
Questions - Are customers ready to buy any logic any stuff? have they become so lazy or ignorant of not knowing or wanting to be able to change tires? or probable they do not mind display of alloy and non alloy tires on one side? looks or performance does not matter any more as much as the ego matters?
Web cast or cost of web ? ideas of inconvenience and costing more at that. Are people listening? forget it ..are car manufacturers listening?
No comments:
Post a Comment