'The UK Government Needs To Create A New Car Company After Brexit'

I鈥檓 glad it exists, because it creates so many jobs and consumer products which, in turn, offer freedom of movement to people across the world. But even I concede that when looking at the numbers, global car manufacturing is a bonkers business. This industry is colossal, superbly organised, highly efficient and deeply impressive. But there鈥檚 also an unfathomably illogical side to the car-building game. For example, I know of one large, wealthy, rough-around-the-edges industrialised country (China) that, with apparent ease, produced almost 24 million cars last year. Yet not far from China, another large, wealthy, 鈥榤ore sophisticated鈥?industrialised country (Australia) didn鈥檛 build a single car over the same period. From China鈥檚 point of view, this insane disparity is just fine. But what the hell do Aussie business leaders, workers and politicians think they鈥檙e playing at as they transform themselves from a nation churning out 300,000 vehicles a year in 2008 to a non-producer today?

If places such as Bangladesh (24,000 cars annually), Egypt (19,500), Iran (851,000) and Pakistan (230,000) can master the art of car building, so too can Australia. Former Soviet States including Belarus (10,941) Kazakhstan (30,016), Ukraine (5,660) and Uzbekistan (220,667) are also having a go at producing cars, with most enjoying huge percentage increases year on year (from a low base, admittedly). Good on 鈥檈m, I say. Assuming Brexit eventually happens, the UK Government should then be more free, open and able to subsidise and create high-quality jobs at an all-new, long-overdue, homegrown, Brit-owned-and-run motor manufacturing concern. British Motor Vehicles (BMV) PLC is what we should call the maker of mid-to-premium-class petrol, electric and petrol-electric cars, and other modes of personal transport. BMV鈥檚 badge should be red, white and blue, and its HQ probably on the conveniently located site at Swindon from which struggling Honda is about to retreat. Who cares if Munich complains that BMV sounds suspiciously like BMW? It鈥檚 all part of the car-building game in a fast-changing world, and an even faster-changing Britain.

Speaking of Q2, once launched, it will not have a direct competitor in the country, however, it will attract buyers who will consider buying a Mercedes GLA, BMW X1 or Volvo V40. Although there is no official word about the prices, we expect the prices to be within the range of 28 to 32 rupees per lakh (former fair). It is not clear what kind of Q2 will come to India, or European Q2 or Chinese Q2L with a long wheelbase. The launch list is a strong trend for consumers as buyers show increased preference for more powerful vehicles that provide more power and safety on the road, let alone enhanced ground clearance for better maneuvering on steep terrain. The launch of the Tailing the Kicks will be the Harrier, an off-road off-road vehicle from Tata Motors that could cost more than Rs 12 lakh. Audi Q2 and Q8 in India With a 2 liter diesel engine (which also meets the compass pocket), Harrier has been developed on the Land Rover platform which also supports the Discovery Sport model of the British brand. Harrier will compete with Compass and Mahindra XUV5OO and Tata hopes to achieve the same success with Nexon. Tata is also expected to take the lead in smaller SUVs, at a low price of Rs 10 per kilo, during the year. On the luxury front, BMW will launch all weapons. The German leader X4 (expected price around Rs 60 lakh) and X7 (above Rs 95 lakh) will be introduced for the first time and will also feature the new generation version of the X5 (Rs 70 lakh). The Audi Rival will offer a powerful Q8 engine (more than 1 rk crore), which will be a step forward of the Q7 muscle.

We have lamented the passing of the venerable Ford E-Series鈥攙ehicle that鈥檚 ingrained in the fabric of automotive America, and that was offered with a 6.8-liter V-10 to the very end. The ultra-efficient Transit, nothing more than a soulless breadbox. The Transit, in fact, has a rich history of a full half century, and we have assembled some of the more notable pictures from its long production run. They include some ridiculously cool one-offs. Its name, actually, is derived from the German-market Taunus Transit van, and was a last-minute change. Originally, it was supposed to be called V-series. The first Transit, a rear-wheel-drive van, was launched in 1965, with a basic design that carried on for more than twenty years. The box shape was fitted with a different nose for the diesel engine and high-performance V-6 engines. In 1978, Ford gave the van a massive facelift, with a far more contemporary look.

Another facelift came in 1984. Engine size grew up to 4.1 liters in Australia, a high-performance market until recently. The first complete redesign came in 1986, and it saw the Transit adopt a more aero style. A fitting companion to forward-looking passenger cars like the Ford Sierra and Scorpio, it remained on a rear-wheel-drive platform. Fourteen years later, for 2000, the Transit was redesigned yet again鈥攁nd for the first time, the rear-wheel-drive model was complemented with a front-wheel-drive derivative. Space-efficient and highly modern, it remained remarkably successful. The 2006 facelift awkwardly mirrored the Volkswagen Crafter van, a derivative of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Our favorite Transit of this era is the rear-wheel drive version with the 200-hp 3.2-iter Duratorq diesel鈥攁 capable drifter, as it turns out. Check out the gallery - and you鈥檒l understand why Europeans are as fond of their Transits as Americans are of the E-Series. From now on, a joint heritage will be forged. The 鈥減ig snout鈥?diesel model breaking an endurance record at the Monza racetrack in Italy.