## Post Whoring - Part 3 ##

[Kavvz]

100% made in Sri Lanka cars by next year: Dilantha Malagamuwa : "I do not want to sell my car models in the world market, but to sell in the local market in an affordable price which can be accepted by the middle-class people in the country,” he said.

“The estimated selling price of the car would be between Rs.1 million and Rs.1.2 million and those cars would be manufactured in manual, auto and fully electric transmission models,” he said.

“The designing part of the four-seaters 1, 000 cc petrol and electric cars had been completed. The location of building the manufacturing plant is also defined.”

-First I'm hearing about this...does anyone have any inside info on this? 

[Quiet]

  On 5/10/2020 at 10:01 PM, Kavvz said:

100% made in Sri Lanka cars by next year: Dilantha Malagamuwa : "I do not want to sell my car models in the world market, but to sell in the local market in an affordable price which can be accepted by the middle-class people in the country,” he said.

“The estimated selling price of the car would be between Rs.1 million and Rs.1.2 million and those cars would be manufactured in manual, auto and fully electric transmission models,” he said.

“The designing part of the four-seaters 1, 000 cc petrol and electric cars had been completed. The location of building the manufacturing plant is also defined.”

-First I'm hearing about this...does anyone have any inside info on this? 

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I don't think the guy has real credibility.

[Kavvz]

  On 5/11/2020 at 6:59 AM, Quiet said:

I don't think the guy has real credibility.

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He's quite a well known figuare in SL automotive circles though isn't he? The part about 100% made in SL isn't entirely accurate as the engines and powertrains are imported (a good thing!); but still, it would be pretty cool if it pans out...Question is: Will it?

(Also is the Vega a reality? I was looking forward to following its debut at the Geneva auto show, so as to see if the performance figuares and the build quality would get verified by outside sources; but sadly ole man Covid19 killed that 3rd-party verification process. So I'm still not sure what to make of the Vega...)

Edited May 11, 2020 by Kavvz

[Devinda_Z]

  On 5/10/2020 at 10:01 PM, Kavvz said:

100% made in Sri Lanka cars by next year: Dilantha Malagamuwa : "I do not want to sell my car models in the world market, but to sell in the local market in an affordable price which can be accepted by the middle-class people in the country,” he said.

“The estimated selling price of the car would be between Rs.1 million and Rs.1.2 million and those cars would be manufactured in manual, auto and fully electric transmission models,” he said.

“The designing part of the four-seaters 1, 000 cc petrol and electric cars had been completed. The location of building the manufacturing plant is also defined.”

-First I'm hearing about this...does anyone have any inside info on this? 

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There was some rumour floating on some local Facebook page but it sounds very wishy washy  

[Magnum]

[Crosswind]

  On 5/10/2020 at 10:01 PM, Kavvz said:

100% made in Sri Lanka cars by next year: Dilantha Malagamuwa : "I do not want to sell my car models in the world market, but to sell in the local market in an affordable price which can be accepted by the middle-class people in the country,” he said.

“The estimated selling price of the car would be between Rs.1 million and Rs.1.2 million and those cars would be manufactured in manual, auto and fully electric transmission models,” he said.

“The designing part of the four-seaters 1, 000 cc petrol and electric cars had been completed. The location of building the manufacturing plant is also defined.”

-First I'm hearing about this...does anyone have any inside info on this? 

Expand  

Yes the brand name is called "Chanda"

and the first model to be launched is called "gundu"

And the factory will be built slightly past Kuliyapitiya this time.

On a serious note, there's no business case for this country to create an automotive industry. Our domestic market is too small. Our labour is expensive and lazy. Electricity is prohibitively pricey, There's nothing we can source locally for making cars. Everything needs to be imported. And penetrating the international market is impossible without a multi-billion dollar marketing budget, which no one can afford. There was no business case during Upali Wijewardene's time and there's no business case now. We can blame politicians and people, but the real reason for the automotive industry not taking off, is the lack of business justification.

We need to specialize in a few industries that we are good at. For a small country like Sri Lanka, that's more than enough. We are not India or China. Only Premadasa understood that and built a garment manufacturing specialism in this country. Sri Lankan clothing industry professionals are highly sought after, all over the world, even today. We can certainly build components to vehicles like what Rohan Pallewatta is doing. But that's it.

End of rant!

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Crosswind
Rant

[matroska]

  On 5/11/2020 at 2:29 PM, Crosswind said:

Yes the brand name is called "Chanda"

and the first model to be launched is called "gundu"

And the factory will be built slightly past Kuliyapitiya this time.

On a serious note, there's no business case for this country to create an automotive industry. Our domestic market is too small. Our labour is expensive and lazy. Electricity is prohibitively pricey, There's nothing we can source locally for making cars. Everything needs to be imported. And penetrating the international market is impossible without a multi-billion dollar marketing budget, which no one can afford. There was no business case during Upali Wijewardene's time and there's no business case now. We can blame politicians and people, but the real reason for the automotive industry not taking off, is the lack of business justification.

We need to specialize in a few industries that we are good at. For a small country like Sri Lanka, that's more than enough. We are not India or China. Only Premadasa understood that and built a garment manufacturing specialism in this country. Sri Lankan clothing industry professionals are highly sought after, all over the world, even today. We can certainly build components to vehicles like what Rohan Pallewatta is doing. But that's it.

End of rant!

 

 

 

 

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Well said - someone added me to the numerous Groups on Facebook where they promote local goods and I tried to explain to them that not everything the neighbor does is feasible but this is too much for their thick skulls to process. In the end I just accepted that we live among a herd of cattle and moved on.

P.S : There really should be an IQ test before people are given internet access IMHO....

[Kavvz]

  On 5/11/2020 at 2:29 PM, Crosswind said:

Yes the brand name is called "Chanda"

and the first model to be launched is called "gundu"

And the factory will be built slightly past Kuliyapitiya this time.

On a serious note, there's no business case for this country to create an automotive industry. Our domestic market is too small. Our labour is expensive and lazy. Electricity is prohibitively pricey, There's nothing we can source locally for making cars. Everything needs to be imported. And penetrating the international market is impossible without a multi-billion dollar marketing budget, which no one can afford. There was no business case during Upali Wijewardene's time and there's no business case now. We can blame politicians and people, but the real reason for the automotive industry not taking off, is the lack of business justification.

We need to specialize in a few industries that we are good at. For a small country like Sri Lanka, that's more than enough. We are not India or China. Only Premadasa understood that and built a garment manufacturing specialism in this country. Sri Lankan clothing industry professionals are highly sought after, all over the world, even today. We can certainly build components to vehicles like what Rohan Pallewatta is doing. But that's it.

End of rant!

 

 

 

 

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Lol !! Am glad I posted in the 'post whoring' section then! :D 

[Quiet]

  On 5/11/2020 at 7:34 AM, Kavvz said:

He's quite a well known figuare in SL automotive circles though isn't he? The part about 100% made in SL isn't entirely accurate as the engines and powertrains are imported (a good thing!); but still, it would be pretty cool if it pans out...Question is: Will it?

(Also is the Vega a reality? I was looking forward to following its debut at the Geneva auto show, so as to see if the performance figuares and the build quality would get verified by outside sources; but sadly ole man Covid19 killed that 3rd-party verification process. So I'm still not sure what to make of the Vega...)

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Well I know for a fact that he is not financially sound and hard to think he would be able to raise capital to support the project. I remember he launched a taxi app and do not know if that operate now.

[Devinda_Z]

 

  On 5/11/2020 at 3:08 PM, matroska said:

P.S : There really should be an IQ test before people are given internet access IMHO....

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....or the right to procreate ?

[Crosswind]

  On 5/11/2020 at 7:34 AM, Kavvz said:

(Also is the Vega a reality? I was looking forward to following its debut at the Geneva auto show, so as to see if the performance figuares and the build quality would get verified by outside sources; but sadly ole man Covid19 killed that 3rd-party verification process. So I'm still not sure what to make of the Vega...)

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The Vega's story is very simple. That car is a prototype. That's it. Whether it's a fully functional prototype or not... I've no idea. I've completely ignored its marketing material but has anyone seen it reaching its supposedly top speed of 240km/h? I've seen one blurry video taken in the night, with no lighting at all, from one camera with the claim that the car reached 100km/h in 3 seconds or something and another video of a guy taking a joyride around tripoli yard.

Niche car manufacturers usually present their prototypes in motor shows around the world with the hope of getting some orders or to test the market. Whether its Koenigsegg or Lotus, they bank a lot on their reputation. Put yourself on a buyer's shoes. Would you pay a deposit on a $250,000 car made in Tanzania, of which only one has been built and has never been crash tested, from a company that has never built cars previously, and from a country that has never manufactured a motorbike, let alone a car. Now replace 'Tanzania' with "Sri Lanka" and you understand the problem. Of course people in the motor show will go "wow", "nice", "I didn't know Sri Lanka could do this" and so on. Some guy may do a test drive and says its spectacular. But will anyone pull out their wallets?

Again, this comes to the question of business case. The time and cost expended to build that reputation is simply prohibitive. And just one prototype is not very helpful for it either. Again, if these guys have developed a new way of creating a component, equipment or software, that's what they can sell. And if you read Rohan Pallewatta's story about his first seat belt sensor. You would know how difficult it is to convince a buyer to buy even a small component.

[Kavvz]

  On 5/12/2020 at 1:00 PM, Crosswind said:

The Vega's story is very simple. That car is a prototype. That's it. Whether it's a fully functional prototype or not... I've no idea. I've completely ignored its marketing material but has anyone seen it reaching its supposedly top speed of 240km/h? I've seen one blurry video taken in the night, with no lighting at all, from one camera with the claim that the car reached 100km/h in 3 seconds or something and another video of a guy taking a joyride around tripoli yard.

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The car they shipped to the Geneva motorshow didn't have the capacity to do 0-100 in 3 sec nor did it have the claimed range. It was as you mention: Not production ready. Appaprently the production version will (they are still sorting out the battery apparently).

While I hope its all true, I can't help but wonder if it isn't all smoke and mirrors...I mean the performance claims the Vega makes put it in contention with the Tesla Roadster. (I believe the claimed range and claimed sub 3secs to 0-100kmph makes it just as fast but with more range than the Tesla Roadster?) 

Granted Tesla Roadsters are a bit controversial as well, but its the only bench mark I can think of, and I'm suprised the Vega claims to be just as good. (I think the Tesla Roadster is a bit iffy, as I still don't understand how the Roadster handles all the heat from multiple sub 3sec 0-100 pulls or how its able to maintain range and dependability even after multiple back-to-back runs when both the Model 3 and Model S can barely pull off two back-to-back 0-100kmph pulls without going into limp mode. But that's just me, and it could be just an issue of simply being thickheaded )

Plus, if Vega have the know-how to pull off such Tesla Roadster style feats, why don't they start with a range of more practical vehicles as proof of concept, as well as test mules to refine things further? For example some long-range electric Tuks or game-park type vehicles for the tourism industry? Even if electric buses, delivery vehicles and stuff, are a bit of a stretch due to cost effectiveness; electric sightseeing Tuk-Tuks for Colombo and some zero-pollution, low-noise vehicles for Yala, Pinnawala and our other wildlife sanctuaries would make a lot of sense wouldn't it? 

[Dee Jay]

  On 5/12/2020 at 3:09 PM, Kavvz said:

Granted Tesla Roadsters are a bit controversial as well, but its the only bench mark I can think of, and I'm suprised the Vega claims to be just as good. (I think the Tesla Roadster is a bit iffy, as I still don't understand how the Roadster handles all the heat from multiple sub 3sec 0-100 pulls or how its able to maintain range and dependability even after multiple back-to-back runs when both the Model 3 and Model S can barely pull off two back-to-back 0-100kmph pulls without going into limp mode. But that's just me, and it could be just an issue of simply being thickheaded )

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@Kavvz I don't know much about the Tesla Roadster's or the Vega's credibility but those issues you highlighted regarding the heat management and the ability to do high acceleration runs back to back seems to have been solved with the advancements in technology.

The already launched Porsche Taycan Turbo S seems to have those worries ironed out.. Don't know the reliability aspect of those advancements and how long those batteries and components will hold up but things seem to be getting interesting in the EV field with the Germans also joining into the party  

 

[Kavvz]

  On 5/12/2020 at 4:19 PM, Dee Jay said:

@Kavvz I don't know much about the Tesla Roadster's or the Vega's credibility but those issues you highlighted regarding the heat management and the ability to do high acceleration runs back to back seems to have been solved with the advancements in technology.

The already launched Porsche Taycan Turbo S seems to have those worries ironed out.. Don't know the reliability aspect of those advancements and how long those batteries and components will hold up but things seem to be getting interesting in the EV field with the Germans also joining into the party  

 

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The Porsche Taycan is absolutely legit (its performance has been verfied by multiple automotive journalists): I love it! (My only gripe is that they didn't carry over the clamshell doors from the concept car onto the production version)

 There's no doubt that electric car technology has advanced considerably, and that some car companies (like Porsche) are making high performing electric cars. Porsche took great pains to specifically engineer the Taycan to be a performance electric car that can withstand multiple acceleration requests over and over. (Unlike the Model 3 and Model S performance versions, which really can't even be compared to it)

And they (Porsche) hasn't made any wild claims they haven't verified like the Tesla Roadster does. It's the crazy claims that Tesla is making for their Roadster (and to some extent the Model 3 's Performance versions) that I'm questioning...As for Vega, well I don't want to be negative about it, but the proof's in the pudding! And at this time: The jury is still out on whether they even have the batter made yet!  

Edited May 12, 2020 by Kavvz

[Davy]

Can think of a few members who will flip seeing this .

[K.o.N.o.S]

  On 5/13/2020 at 12:52 AM, Davy said:

Can think of a few members who will flip seeing this

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Waking up to see this. Now I am soo depressed.?

[iRage]

  On 5/12/2020 at 1:00 PM, Crosswind said:

The Vega's story is very simple. That car is a prototype. That's it. Whether it's a fully functional prototype or not... I've no idea. I've completely ignored its marketing material but has anyone seen it reaching its supposedly top speed of 240km/h? I've seen one blurry video taken in the night, with no lighting at all, from one camera with the claim that the car reached 100km/h in 3 seconds or something and another video of a guy taking a joyride around tripoli yard.

Niche car manufacturers usually present their prototypes in motor shows around the world with the hope of getting some orders or to test the market. Whether its Koenigsegg or Lotus, they bank a lot on their reputation. Put yourself on a buyer's shoes. Would you pay a deposit on a $250,000 car made in Tanzania, of which only one has been built and has never been crash tested, from a company that has never built cars previously, and from a country that has never manufactured a motorbike, let alone a car. Now replace 'Tanzania' with "Sri Lanka" and you understand the problem. Of course people in the motor show will go "wow", "nice", "I didn't know Sri Lanka could do this" and so on. Some guy may do a test drive and says its spectacular. But will anyone pull out their wallets?

Again, this comes to the question of business case. The time and cost expended to build that reputation is simply prohibitive. And just one prototype is not very helpful for it either. Again, if these guys have developed a new way of creating a component, equipment or software, that's what they can sell. And if you read Rohan Pallewatta's story about his first seat belt sensor. You would know how difficult it is to convince a buyer to buy even a small component.

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Well...I do not think anyone who is a realist, including Vega themselves, expect to sell any actual road cars (of the VEGA). Yes...Vega did claim all those things to create Hype but that mostly seems to be that..creating Hype. Based on what H himself had said in the past, the idea is to research and build support technologies. Support technologies being rapid charging stations, batteries, cooling systems, software, etc...I believe the most realistic actual car aspirations seem to levitate around retro-electrification of old cars.  

Edited May 13, 2020 by iRage

[matroska]

  On 5/13/2020 at 12:52 AM, Davy said:

Can think of a few members who will flip seeing this .

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[Magnum]

  On 5/13/2020 at 12:52 AM, Davy said:

Can think of a few members who will flip seeing this .

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Thats a terrible Bosozoku job

[Hyaenidae]

  On 5/13/2020 at 12:52 AM, Davy said:

Can think of a few members who will flip seeing this .

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[Kavvz]

  On 5/13/2020 at 12:52 AM, Davy said:

Can think of a few members who will flip seeing this .

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In Texas of all places???

Also: Who else noticed that badass Holden V8 / Pontiac G8 lurking in the background   

[Devinda_Z]

  On 5/13/2020 at 5:16 AM, iRage said:

I believe the most realistic actual car aspirations seem to levitate around retro-electrification of old cars.  

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They did a Mini right?

https://www.facebook.com/VegaInnovations/posts/1140085089496085

[Devinda_Z]

They did a Mini

 

[Kavvz]

  On 5/14/2020 at 3:27 PM, Devinda_Z said:

They did a Mini

 

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Oh Wow! I'm impressed!

I take some of the negatisim back...Wish they actually set up a commercial service offering EV conversions like in India. It'll be awesome, AND good for the evironment. Much better than shelling out a ridiculous sum of money on a new car...

[iRage]

  On 5/15/2020 at 2:08 AM, Kavvz said:

Oh Wow! I'm impressed!

I take some of the negatisim back...Wish they actually set up a commercial service offering EV conversions like in India. It'll be awesome, AND good for the evironment. Much better than shelling out a ridiculous sum of money on a new car...

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Like I sad before...that is the intent...to offer retro conversions. The VEGA super car was for R&D, investor attraction and market hype.