samedi 30 novembre 2013
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A Limiting Factor For British Car Exports To Canada - Parts Availability
If we are going to trace the history of Austin mini we will find out that it dated back from the year 1959 and then onwards in a new reincarnation for the year and new millennium of 2000. This vehicle was originally a construct of British Motor Corporation later the brand being acquired by the German auto manufacturer Bavarian Motors Works known to most simply "BMW." To many it was the final World War 2 post war British insults as the Austin Mini and its sports car version - the Mini Cooper - indeed became symbols of the success of the British auto industry itself worldwide to the greatest satisfaction of the British people. It was the stiff upper lip et all in the greatest of ironies. Yet it can be said , again with the greatest of irony yet again - that is these islanders who taught the Japanese their basic knowledge as well as the benefits of front wheel drive / transverse engine layout in small , fuel efficient economy cars. Hello Toyota and Honda Civic .
Yet innovations and the products that come out of automobile company crisis's are entirely unpredictable to the greatest degree. President Obama's henchman David Axelrod is credited with saying "Never let a good crisis go to waste". In the case of Ford - first it was the economy car the Ford Falcon which led to the huge volume and profitable Mustang product line. In our era it was trucks and high end , even more profitable products such as the Ford Raptor F-150 based rolling stock that did this trick. Yet with the then revolutionary front wheel drive , sideways mounted engine the interior compartment has no large middle "hump" in the floor to take passenger and cargo space away. On top of that the Austin Mini and its Morris Minor re-badged product offered an innovation which was not introduced into American cars until Ford , on its deathbed introduced women into its "focus groups". The Taurus which saved Ford at the time from extinction had side pockets in the door for storage. Believe it or not many drivers and passengers of original Minis used those side pockets in the doors for carting home groceries and the like from the supermarket and shopping. Interestingly even when GM attempted to copy the success of the Ford Taurus and its Mercury Sable product they - with a limited mindset - missed the boat with this simple feature which auto buyers and owners clamored for a lot more than styling and more chrome. The Lumina was essentially a lackluster me2 copycat product with side pockets in the doors wide and big enough only for a few folded maps. Only a Noel Vandal character , say , might purchase such a lackluster , copycat lowest of quality products off a used car dealers' lot or showroom.
Did the Mini have problems and drawbacks? Were there mistakes or shortcomings in its design that Mini owners of time overlooked, put up with or hoped that the factories and designers back in the UK would fix? Yes. However you must remember that this car was both innovative , versatile and filled a market niche yet basically untapped by the other auto makers except for say Volkswagen with its rear wheel drive , aluminum air cooled engine product - the Beetle. The biggest markets for Minis were the export market - the North America, perhaps Europe and far distant Australia. Yet the car was produced initially and essentially for the domestic UK market with British right hand drive. To make for easy right hand drive factory installation or later upgrades the dash was very simple with a large speedometer placed in the middle and two symmetrical fairly plain off-sides. "Idiot lights" were also placed center and there was room for larger more accurate and informative oil and temperature gauges to be placed in the middle areas as well.
In addition the initial minis seem to have built for Britain only with its temperate climate. Passengers froze with inadequate heat and defrost in the winter, and were on the hot side in an American summer. Yet it might be said that luxury high end Jaguars were no better in this regard. Yet to an owner or driver in Northern Alberta or British Columbia these problems endemic to British export vehicles were of little avail. Secondly the British seemed to have missed the boat on dealer support especially easy and rapid parts access. Volkswagen seemed to have done much better in this regard, helped on with great standardization across the various model years and parts of VW Beetles.
In the end if there is one footnote to early, pre-BMW Minis it was that people loved them. They honked at each other as they drove by. Mini clubs were formed worldwide. On top of that a sleeper racing version was built out of this tiny economy 4 cylinder car that would zoom ahead seemingly out of nowhere. This was the veritable Mini Cooper version of this automotive line.
Yet innovations and the products that come out of automobile company crisis's are entirely unpredictable to the greatest degree. President Obama's henchman David Axelrod is credited with saying "Never let a good crisis go to waste". In the case of Ford - first it was the economy car the Ford Falcon which led to the huge volume and profitable Mustang product line. In our era it was trucks and high end , even more profitable products such as the Ford Raptor F-150 based rolling stock that did this trick. Yet with the then revolutionary front wheel drive , sideways mounted engine the interior compartment has no large middle "hump" in the floor to take passenger and cargo space away. On top of that the Austin Mini and its Morris Minor re-badged product offered an innovation which was not introduced into American cars until Ford , on its deathbed introduced women into its "focus groups". The Taurus which saved Ford at the time from extinction had side pockets in the door for storage. Believe it or not many drivers and passengers of original Minis used those side pockets in the doors for carting home groceries and the like from the supermarket and shopping. Interestingly even when GM attempted to copy the success of the Ford Taurus and its Mercury Sable product they - with a limited mindset - missed the boat with this simple feature which auto buyers and owners clamored for a lot more than styling and more chrome. The Lumina was essentially a lackluster me2 copycat product with side pockets in the doors wide and big enough only for a few folded maps. Only a Noel Vandal character , say , might purchase such a lackluster , copycat lowest of quality products off a used car dealers' lot or showroom.
Did the Mini have problems and drawbacks? Were there mistakes or shortcomings in its design that Mini owners of time overlooked, put up with or hoped that the factories and designers back in the UK would fix? Yes. However you must remember that this car was both innovative , versatile and filled a market niche yet basically untapped by the other auto makers except for say Volkswagen with its rear wheel drive , aluminum air cooled engine product - the Beetle. The biggest markets for Minis were the export market - the North America, perhaps Europe and far distant Australia. Yet the car was produced initially and essentially for the domestic UK market with British right hand drive. To make for easy right hand drive factory installation or later upgrades the dash was very simple with a large speedometer placed in the middle and two symmetrical fairly plain off-sides. "Idiot lights" were also placed center and there was room for larger more accurate and informative oil and temperature gauges to be placed in the middle areas as well.
In addition the initial minis seem to have built for Britain only with its temperate climate. Passengers froze with inadequate heat and defrost in the winter, and were on the hot side in an American summer. Yet it might be said that luxury high end Jaguars were no better in this regard. Yet to an owner or driver in Northern Alberta or British Columbia these problems endemic to British export vehicles were of little avail. Secondly the British seemed to have missed the boat on dealer support especially easy and rapid parts access. Volkswagen seemed to have done much better in this regard, helped on with great standardization across the various model years and parts of VW Beetles.
In the end if there is one footnote to early, pre-BMW Minis it was that people loved them. They honked at each other as they drove by. Mini clubs were formed worldwide. On top of that a sleeper racing version was built out of this tiny economy 4 cylinder car that would zoom ahead seemingly out of nowhere. This was the veritable Mini Cooper version of this automotive line.
About the Author:
The English factories continued their output ofe the classic 1959 "round-front" design, alongside the newer Clubman, while production of the original "round-front" Mini design continued for another 20 years.) Foreign currency rates were always a concern in Canadian export markets .
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