If you have to ask, you can't afford one of those.
Lunchtime read this week.
And it's about the Chinese EV and auto industry and how it is sending it
into a tailspin according to Reuters.
There's quite a lot of reading in this.
It is really quite and very interesting about how KPIs were kind of set by the
government, which was about like a minimal number of vehicles that were needed
to be made for the factories to get the funding and all these kinds of things.
Even when there wasn't necessarily demand, these factories are just
churning out vehicles, vehicles, vehicles.
And then what the heck to do with them once they're built.
And it's very interesting.
I recommend taking the time to read it.
It is one of our longer lunchtime reads that we've had for a while.
Yeah, we've talked at length over the last probably three, four years
of the Chinese car industry.
And we have tried to point out where others who have maybe more prominent
voices than ours have got things very wrong, have not understood situations
because they do not understand China, its history, the political makeup, etc.
I don't think anyone understands China, its history, its political makeup,
in all fairness.
Some of us get a better understanding than others though.
And I would suggest that you and I are in the car commenting world are higher
up that list than maybe others.
So this is why we're recommending this article is because this will be a good
reminder for those who are long time listeners, but anyone coming on board
more recently or has forgotten what we've said.
This is a great understanding of where the Chinese EV car industry came from,
how it came about, and the inherent problems with it.
However, that will give an indication of how much, say, the European car
industry is now under pressure because of decisions in China and in Europe.
Oh, the extra challenge for the European industry is, of course, China is doing
what the US and Europe did over 80 years and it's doing it in 18 years.
Yeah, because it's going through the same cycles.
No, well, so yes and yes and no, but they've got the added bonus of they've
got paid to learn these lessons thanks to the West going over there.
This is the thing that we that we both you and I get very right that most
other people don't recognize or don't understand is that the West rushed out
to China to exploit cheap labor in the late 90s, early 2000s, and they have
paid to teach China what is expected in terms of quality and quality control
and in terms of iteration and in terms of development, which they have then taken
and they are very good at iteration and developing something even further.
And they have done so and it's now coming back to bite the West.
I used to see that when I was a product designer, deal with loads and loads of
Chinese suppliers and some of them are fantastic.
The quality that we were getting was better than anything you should get in
Europe, the turnaround times even before teams meetings or any of these things
or easy access to rapid prototyping for small companies, all these kind of
things, which you just they just shot ahead and they were a delight to
work with, but some of the smartest people I've ever worked with.
Yeah.
And they think long term.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Really interesting article from Reuters there.
Bit heavier than normal, but we feel it's and longer.
We feel it's really worth you reading to get a grasp because you're going to
hear a lot of people talking about or you do hear a lot of people talking
about China, but like we say, not sure most of them actually truly understand
the situation.
Anyway, moving on to list of the week.
And this time, we're going to use a list from a classic in sports cars that
talks about a Italian designer called Mitchell Lottie, who I didn't really
know about.
I have to be brutally honest.
Really?
I suppose not.
But when I go through the list and I see the designs he has worked on, and it
has penned, I go, ah, I do know your work, sir.
I have to work with it.
Somehow I've done this 650 times with this guy.
And he never heard of Mitchell Lottie.
I just, dear me, you're massive, massive chunks of your education missing.
Mr.
Cloakes.
I know.
Come on.
You've got 25 slides to pick from.
I think 24 are different ones.
What is the slide that stands out the most to you?
I just have real trouble with this one because there's so many cute, cute and
cool cars.
I'm going to choose the DAF 44.
Hang on, what slide numbers that please?
That's a slide 12 in your, in your handout.
12.
Thank you.
Hang on.
Let me just get to that.
It is the first big DAF.
So of course the Dutch, the small Dutch car with its very aromatic transmission
powered literally by rubber bands.
My mom had a 66, you see, which was like two generations on from this 1970s one.
But yes, it's very, very cool.
So this was from 1966.
Just kind of, I still think it's got great proportions.
I mean, the wheels are tiny and everything, but it's, it's, it's a lovely, cute little car.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Just enough.
I don't know, just enough to stop it.
It's cute, but not too cutesy.
Right.
Well, I'm, I'm going to swing us wildly different from that only because I've
got such memories of this.
I'm going to take us to slide 17 and the Leyland National Bus.
Oh, gee, I thought you might choose that.
And because I'm a person of a certain age, I do recognize particularly the one
that they have got there shown, I do recognize this bus completely.
It just, it was the staple of British roads for when it came to single-decker buses.
And I had no idea he was involved in the design of that.
And just aided lots and lots of Leyland Leyland and BL stuff, as you can see throughout it.
Neither of us have chosen to triumph, probably intentionally.
Triumph, to me, is what he's most associated with.
If I may pick one more, and there's plenty of Italian cars in here too.
But for me, the other one that I was wavering between choosing was the Triumph
2000 and 2500 saloon car.
That was fantastic, sort of, I don't know.
I've never quite had no idea how to describe that shape in Triumph Stag.
The same designer had the same kind of grill and tail as well.
But very cool.
What I would say, and I'm not going to do more than name the number of number 23,
I could quite easily see that as a BMW.
Absolutely, yes.
Particularly of the time.
So there is a very eclectic mix in the type of designs that he was involved in
and the type of vehicles.
And I just, I love coming across and expanding my education as Alan has
lamented on my poor education.
But this is expanded, and this is great to see something like this.
Oh wow, I had no idea.
Ah, but I do know, I do know, I just didn't know precisely.
It's always nice to connect dots.
Yes, Andrew.
Anyway, take us to the end, finally, we're nearly done, everyone.
And finally this week, Mazda has painted a new type of engine.
It has painted a six stroke petrol engine that separates hydrogen from carbon.
You put a regular unleaded fuel into the car.
It then does stuff with it involving catalysts and pressure and heat and
things to extract carbon one way and hydrogen the other way and then combusts
the hydrogen, meaning that all that comes out the tailpipe notionally is water.
And somehow it collects the carbon.
I don't know what happens if you just, it's like the opposite of an ashtray.
He's like taking out, oh look, I can, oh look, I'll use that in the
barbecue at the weekend.
And you sort of, I don't know, I have no idea what you do with it.
We are not engineers, we are not able to fully understand the diagrams that are
in this article that are linked to the submission.
Well, I think it's very difficult to do it without a guide and that's pretty
standard for patent diagrams.
But there is a lot of description about what goes on.
Do follow the link to the article on Carbuzz and make your head hurt.
But by doing that, I mean, of course, this is the company that came up with a
turbocharged triple rotary engine, everyone.
I look forward to them bringing out to market now and being one of the first
to buy it and being financially ruined.
The last, um,
No, be under warranty, you'll be fine.
Oddly engine, the Mazda I had, despite still being under warranty, almost
financially ruined me.
So I'm not that keen to repeat the experience.
Understandable.
Anyway, that brings us kicking and screaming to the end of this week.
Don't forget that between now and next week, you can give us any feedback and
show your thoughts for the show at MotoringPodcast.com on Blue Sky.
At Motoring Podcast on Instagram and Facebook, or the contact page of
MotoringPodcast.com, the hub of all our activities.
Remember, you're supposed to find out if you buy a Patreon and please leave a
review and rating on Apple Podcast YouTube or every podcast app that you do
such a thing.
Andrew, in the meantime, what's the best way to get in touch with you?
Best way to get in touch with me is if you search for crack windscreen on Blue Sky
or failing that, if you prefer LinkedIn, I am there under my full name.
And Alan, if people would like to get in touch with you and curse you for being
the person who introduced a couple of articles which meant the drinking game
had to come back, what's the best way for them to get in touch with you personally?
Best way to get in touch with me personally is to use Blue Sky where I
am at ajpbradley.com.
Social.
That will be back as we said very soon, but until then, I'm
Alan Bradley, I've been Andrew Clues at Safe Motoring.
About this episode
A deep dive into the latest automotive news reveals ongoing challenges for JLR following a cyber attack that has halted production, costing them millions daily. The episode also discusses Citroen's recall of several models due to brake issues, Nissan's downsizing of its design studio, and Ford's job cuts in Germany amid weak EV demand. Notably, the episode pays tribute to Tsutomu Tom Mutano, the designer behind the iconic Mazda MX-5, and highlights Toyota's reintroduction of classic engine components. The hosts emphasize the complexities of the automotive industry and the impact of current events on manufacturers and suppliers.
JLR have put back their proposed production restart from 24 September to 1 October as they continue to try and deal with the hack on their systems where the effects became apparent on 1 September. What has only started to be appreciated is the knock-on effect the closures have had on suppliers to the company. Staff have been told to apply for Universal Credit, due to stopped wages, and many are calling on a furlough scheme to be instigated by the Government.
Citroën UK has issued a new no-drive warning, covering the C3, ë-C3, C3 Aircross and ë-C3Aircross, due to potential brake failure. This no-drive notice is on top of the other two the company is already dealing with. Click this Autocar article link here to read more.
PORSCHE DELAY EV MOVE GIVING VW GROUP $6BN PROFIT HIT
Porsche has announced that they are delaying their move to EVs as had been expected. The Panamera and Cayenne will have ICE and hybrid options into 2030, rather than going all electric. Likewise the new 718 models. The projected hit to Volkswagen Group profits is a smidgen under $6 billion, following this move. You can read more by clicking this Yahoo! Finance article link here.
NISSAN SHRINKS LONDON DESIGN STUDIO AND CLOSES OTHERS
Nissan cost cutting efforts have been turned to the design studios across the globe. Those in California and Brazil will be shut, with the Paddington studio expected to lose some staff numbers too. Click this Autocar article link here.
FORD CUTS JOBS IN GERMANY
Due to much weaker than expected sales of the Explorer and Capri, Ford has announced that it is cutting up to 1,000 jobs at their Cologne factory. This is on top of the previous 2,900 jobs that went at the end of 2024.If you wish to read more, click this Autocar article link here.
TOM MATANO HAS PASSED AWAY
Tom Matano was the designer of the first two generations of the Mazda MX-5 and has sadly passed away on 20 September 2025, aged 76. He had a long career where he worked for GM, BMW and then onto Mazda. To learn more about him and his career, click this Classic & Sports Car article link here.
BUFFETT SELLS ENTIRE BYD STAKE
Warren Buffett, the renowned investor, has sold his entire stake in the Chinese EV maker BYD. This is the first time since 2008 that Berkshire Hathaway did not hold any stock in the company. Click this article link from Fortune for more information.