We are wondering why it is that car manufacturers are tripping over each other inventing boring and redundant “super modern” and “high design” cars, when the end result is a sea of lookalikes. One can no longer recognize a “premium” make from a lower-end car, certainly not by distinctive and recognizable design features.They are unimaginative, uninspiring and suffer from a serious case of follow-itis. As opposed to being leaders and, in particular, design leaders. We see design tweaks and add-on features advertised as if they were a revolution when in fact, there’s nothing really significantly new or exciting. No wonder so many are giving up cars altogether. Why spend all that money to get what?Our hopes are up a bit with a sighting of the carbon fiber-bodied “Bella Figura” Bugnotti. It is Delahaye USA’s tribute to Ettore Bugatti’s son, Jean, and it was inspired by the 1937 classic Type 57S. This retro beauty will debut at the Retro Auto at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Aug. 13-15 in Monterey, CA.We are all for going back to the basics, to looking at the best and most beautiful models of the past and resurrecting them. For example, there is nothing to add to the iconic design of a classic Saab. It was designed for minimal drag and that was partly the reason why the Saab was such a hot ticket as a rally car in the 1960s. And they had 3-cylinder engines, too.Imagine if we could again drive cars this cool? Of course, they’d have the relevant and useful modern technology and electric power as well. Why is that not possible? - Bill Tikos
Dari semua produk line up PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM), Kijang, Avanza, Rush, dan Fortuner yang diproduksi di Indonesia. Bahkan Kijang dikenal sebagai mobil kebanggan keluarga Indonesia, ketika pertama kali di release pada 1977 masih berupa pikap dan kini menjadi multi purpose vehicle (MPV) berkelas, konon tidak lagi diproduksi di dalam negeri. Malah akan diimpor dari luar. Hal itu mungkin saja, mengingat adanya perjanjian perdagangan bebas (free trade area/FTA) antara negara di kawasan Asean dengan India yang telah ditandatangani 13 Agustus 2009 lalu. Isinya, di antaranya adanya penurunan tarif impor produk (impor duty) untuk beberapa produk hingga nol persen berlaku antara 2013 hingga 2016. Salah satunya, otomotif. Imbasnya, mulai tumbuh wacana kemungkinan Kijang Innova akan dipasok dari India untuk pasar Indonesia. Hal ini diutarakan Wakil Presiden Direktur TAM Shinji Fujii saat bincang-bincangnya bersama KOMPAS.com, akhir pekan lalu. "Ini baru kemungkinan. Tapi kami akan ber...
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