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$4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

thedrive.com

111–120 of 264 posts

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#111
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One of the reasons why the Renault Kwid is $4000 is because, well, it uses cheap materials, and with that comes a very bad safety rating. Still, better safety rating than a scooter, and that's the most important part (next to way better emission control, as scooters generally use nasty 2-stroke engines).

Can you name a 2-stroke model scooter being sold new in India? Everything I can find currently being sold is 4-stroke. In fact AFAICT 2-strokes are illegal to sell new in India. (Personally I'd rather ride a scooter than drive a tiny car in a dense urban area, because my awareness is much higher on a scooter, and also I've ridden scooters around London for a decade.)

TIL. My level of knowledge apparently is at 2014 (e.g. http://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/twostroke-vehicles-are-th...).

The problem is, even if no new ones are sold, there will be a mass of old 2-stroke scooters being used/sold until they break...

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#112
post #4

They mention using a single Indian supplier and designing for that supplier as an advantage. Where I work we wouldn't be allowed to do that - always want at least two different suppliers so we don't put ourselves at risk. Hope it works out for them - seems like a fun little car.

Where I work we have the same policy. However, with that come its own problems. For one, you introduce more variance and complexity this way.

There's actually a lot to be said for having only one supplier. It's not for nothing that Deming advocated for this. See e.g. http://michelbaudin.com/2012/09/17/demings-point-4-of-14-end... supplier

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#113
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ahhh safety, driving, and the developing world. Ugh. I haven't tested the hypothesis but I think the switch from mopeds to cars has resulted in a huge number of traffic fatalities. This was super evident in Thailand as it's quite clear that non tuk-tuk/rickshaw or motorcycle transport is a very new thing. There's an obliviousness to the fact that they're driving thousands of pounds of steel and nobody else on the roa…

You may find this interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-r... Sorting by the second column gives a good picture about which country has more dangerous drivers. And Thailand is #2... so your claim tracks well against this reality.

I wouldn't put much into that data - a number of accidents go unreported by involved parties or not published by govt. for various reasons.

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#114

So painful to read this article. How did it get on the front page? Is it that it's funny how confidently the author has no idea what "disrupt" means? Summary: new car introduced at same price as current leading car in category, but with a bit more room and slightly nicer, and they give you cake when you pick it up. Literally, that's the whole article.

Funny how it starts off making fun of clickbait mills name-dropping Tesla, and then proceeds to do the exact same thing.

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#115
I confessed I skimmed most of the article, but am I fair if I say that it makes the point that electrification is just a nice-to-have feature for rich western hipsters? And nowhere does it raise the issue of the global environmental issues if millions and millions of additional combustion engines? At least there's cake...

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#116
post #50
post #16

One of the reasons why the Renault Kwid is $4000 is because, well, it uses cheap materials, and with that comes a very bad safety rating. This is enabled by India's nearly non-existent car safety regulations. Everything has a "price".

Ahhh safety, driving, and the developing world. Ugh. I haven't tested the hypothesis but I think the switch from mopeds to cars has resulted in a huge number of traffic fatalities. This was super evident in Thailand as it's quite clear that non tuk-tuk/rickshaw or motorcycle transport is a very new thing. There's an obliviousness to the fact that they're driving thousands of pounds of steel and nobody else on the roa…

Not sure what you mean about Thailand and cars. Cars have been popular in popular areas like Bangkok and Udon Thani for well over a decade and it definitely isn't some new thing.

In 2015 they had the largest car industry in SE Asia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry_in_Thailan...

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#117
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ahhh safety, driving, and the developing world. Ugh. I haven't tested the hypothesis but I think the switch from mopeds to cars has resulted in a huge number of traffic fatalities. This was super evident in Thailand as it's quite clear that non tuk-tuk/rickshaw or motorcycle transport is a very new thing. There's an obliviousness to the fact that they're driving thousands of pounds of steel and nobody else on the roa…

You may find this interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-r... Sorting by the second column gives a good picture about which country has more dangerous drivers. And Thailand is #2... so your claim tracks well against this reality.

Those statistics aren't a reflection of who has the better drivers.

If you looked at the page, the road fatalities per 100,000 motor vehicles ranks Thailand somewhere in the middle out of all countries.

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#118
post #16

One of the reasons why the Renault Kwid is $4000 is because, well, it uses cheap materials, and with that comes a very bad safety rating. This is enabled by India's nearly non-existent car safety regulations. Everything has a "price".

Almost every month, I think about William Gibson's talk of cardboard car bodies in The Peripheral, and wait to see it eventuate.

If the cars drive themselves and we are then less rushed as we can entertain/work during a drive, will lower speeds be accepted? And if they're safer as a result of the self-driving and lower speed, could a cheaper shell work? And even more so if price is a primary consideration and you don't own the car?

In Australia, a scrape on your car feels like the beginning of the end. In Europe, where people cram into tiny parks out of necessity, bumps and scrapes seem more like a fact of life.

Re: $4k Renault compared to Tesla Model 3

#120
I think this article would be substantially improved by removal of references to Tesla or "disruption".

The stuff about the Renault is interesting, but all the "what these unthinking Musk fanboys don't realize..." is obnoxious and doesn't add anything to the article.

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