So there I was, browsing through the June, Cycle World magazine and I come across this rather interesting ad for Vespa scooters. Now, that's a scooter accessory a lot of us would order if we had the chance so I check out the Vespa website for the USA and she's nowhere to be found. Guess it's not in our catalog, so I wandered over to the Italian website and the first thing you … [Read more...]
China’s design process
As I mentioned here and here , the Chinese have an odd way of designing products, it kinda seems like they take photos and tracing paper and call it design. The photo here shows the Chevy Daewoo Matiz and the Chinese Chery QQ soon to be sold in the US by Malcolm Bricklin. GM is ready to sue but this constant legal nonsense is going to get old. They'll keep doing it and just … [Read more...]
China and motorcycles
Recent moves by Harley Davidson, Aprilia and Ducati to make and sell motorcycles in China are interesting. I've been reading the book "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century" by Tom Friedman and in it, he is interviewing a Chinese official who says: Chinese people first were the employees and working for the big foreign manufacturers, and after … [Read more...]
Sunday sales and declining business
When I noted a short while ago that auto dealers were fighting to keep the law that forbids Sunday sales in Michigan and then also Colorado, it was interesting that about the same time we get all of the reports of GM losing loads of money and other companies, too. I guess some dealers didn't get that memo, the one that said if car companies didn't sell more cars a lot of people … [Read more...]
Ducati setting up in China
This just in, Ducati will be exporting motorcycles, parts and accessories to China, setting up two retail stores and conducting riding schools. They have partnered with Three on the Bund. The Kneeslider: Ducati Motorcycles for sale … [Read more...]
Chinese Rolls Royce?
Think I'm kidding? Check this out. And I bet it costs a lot less. Suppose they start building Harley knock offs. Also, read this. I'm old enough to remember when the Honda 600 came over to the U.S. There were a lot of jokes about it, too small, low power, lousy quality, etc. A few years later, the jokes stopped. Honda makes a great car and motorcycle and we're better … [Read more...]