Back in May, we read several reports that the Hyundai/Kia group had signed a €80M partnership with Rimac, the developer of prototype electric sports cars. It wasn’t just a partnership agreement that was signed. What they did sign was an investment agreement, a stake in the company that goes far further than simply signing a partnership agreement to develop a new car. Even … [Read more...]
Samsung SSC-1
Having spent a fair amount of time in South Korea, I have been very interested in their automotive industry. For decades, Korean cars had a terrible reputation for reliability in international markets that was ultimately solved in two steps: the first was to improve the overall quality and the second was to offer a very long warranty. Today, some of the nicer designs now come … [Read more...]
The “New” KORUS Agreement
Several years ago the US and South Korea signed a Free Trade Agreement that provided a framework for better trade between the partners. During the 2016 US Election campaign, Donald Trump declared it a “horrible deal” and swore to rewrite it if he got the Presidency. As we all know, he did get the top job and he set about rattling everyones cages - including ripping up the … [Read more...]
The De Macross Epique GT1
Motoring Weekly recently published an article about the MCV CH4, a Canadian supercar that sadly never made to full production. I’ve found another car that has been described variously as the first or only Canadian supercar: the de Macross GT1. This car was developed in the late 2000s - not a great time to be launching a bespoke, limited run supercar considering that the world … [Read more...]
Pininfarina Owned by India But Focusing on China
Back at the end of 2015, Pininfarina announced that it was being bought by the Mahindra Group, an India based conglomerate. Mahindra was founded in 1945 to trade in steel and other related products. They first entered the automobile industry three years later by licencing the local manufacture of Willys Jeeps on the sub-continent. Over the last few decades they have grown … [Read more...]
