Volvo no longer makes diesel engines...

[Bagheera]

Originally Posted by Sotosound

Why do I think that this is all going to end very badly?

The 2020s might well go down in history as the decade of virtue signalling, and also the decade when that virtue signalling led to the downfall of The West. It feels as though the only time that people look up from their phones and tablets is to virtue signal. Not a good way to deal with the world around them.

(And why won't my iPad let me position my cursor where I want it to be?)

(And why do I feel so negative about things?)

Well said.

[don kalmar union]

Little thought is given to Volvo Cars being one hundred percent owned by the Chinese and will only... ever... ever make decisions in the interests of chinese investors and with the approval of the chinese communist party. Give it a thought before you buy one of their cars..... wherever they infer that it may be built, assembled... whatever.

It will not end well for those who buy a new Volvo.... maybe you will get away with it on a relatively short finance/PCP or whatever.... but.... but in the longer term beware.

[baggy798]

Doesn't every car manufacturer make decisions in the interests of it's investors? Are the CCP pushing for electrification? Either way, diesel's days are numbered for passenger cars in the west.

[Whippy]

It might be worth throwing into the mix that China's economy is teetering on the edge at the moment. With the bankruptcy of not only Evergrand but also most of the property finance what will be the effect on Chinese auto makers?

[GMcL]

The Chinese government is throwing billions at EV and the supply chain. Volvo can be bullish about the shift to EV as they are relatively well protected by their owners, Geely and Li Shufu.

Edit: That VEA four cylinder won't be missed, not a patch on the Penta motor.

[Lost Medic]

Originally Posted by Kev0607

Shell are supposedly closing petrol stations too. It seems like there's a shift to electric with no proper infrastructure plan.

I've definitely come across more EV's on the road. Its actually surprising how many there are around here.

I live in the Czech Republic and EV's are few and far between due to the extreme cold and lack of charging stations.

A few weeks ago it was -17 when I left for work and the neighbour has a Tesla S. No charge and unable to unlock it. Would not charge up at all and only showed errors. He had to call recovery.

It has now been returned under Czech consumer law.

[Fika]

Originally Posted by GrahamBrown1

...The nordics really have taken electric on...I just can’t see electric taking hold here mainstream, forget the infrastructure argument, it’s our routines we don’t like to change...

I spent some time in a "Nordic region" and found they have cheaper electricity and source most of their electricity from things like hydroelectric/renewables which makes it economically and environmentally feasible for them. But they also walk and cycle alot, even in subzero temps, seen a few people pootling along @ -35degC...

In the UK we demonise cyclists, walking is for peasants, and any attempt to encourage us to use cheaper and healthier modes of transportation is a "woke liberal agenda" as opposed to a "patriotic" (we need to be fighting fit, right?) and fiscally responsible one.

[DaveNP]

I can't be the only one here old enough to remember when diesel engines were viewed as only fit for trucks, taxis and tractors, then along came a government/green movement pushing diesel as the saviour of transport and now no one wants to get rid of it.

[The Thong]

Originally Posted by DaveNP

I can't be the only one here old enough to remember when diesel engines were viewed as only fit for trucks, taxis and tractors, then along came a government/green movement pushing diesel as the saviour of transport and now no one wants to get rid of it.

The early diesels that were fitted in Ford cars were awful. Sods to start on cold mornings, Smokey and were susceptible to cracking their heads. I had a Transit with a York in it. It was a reliable old chunk but it was a pain when cold starting, noisy and not particularly economical. Once the likes of VW and PSA got their teeth into making diesels better they became viable.
Once they started fitting EGR, DPF, Adblue etc etc for me the problems began. I had a Peugeot 206 car van. It had an old skool mechanical injection pump, none turbo diesel engine. It was very economical and reliable. It went survive to service without any issue only requiring the usual consumables. After that I had a Berlingo Hdi and it was a disaster. It lived in the dealership, it wasn’t a patch on my 206.
We had an issue with one of our 2021 Transit Connects. Adblue sensor went on it. Near two grand to supply and code it. The van kept throwing up warning lights and then one day the engine blew up. The report come back that something (haven’t got the details) and it caused the engine to burn one of the pistons and then….. Boom!! It strikes me that modern diesels have become so over complicated that even dealers struggle with em. Back to petrol for me in that case

TT

[Sotosound]

Originally Posted by Fika

I spent some time in a "Nordic region" and found they have cheaper electricity and source most of their electricity from things like hydroelectric/renewables which makes it economically and environmentally feasible for them. But they also walk and cycle alot, even in subzero temps, seen a few people pootling along @ -35degC...

In the UK we demonise cyclists, walking is for peasants, and any attempt to encourage us to use cheaper and healthier modes of transportation is a "woke liberal agenda" as opposed to a "patriotic" (we need to be fighting fit, right?) and fiscally responsible one.

As a former cyclist myself, I don't regard the use of them as "woke", and I'm not sure who does. They're cheap to run and keep their owners fitter.

The problem in 2024 is that many, many cyclists use the pavements, which they shouldn't do, rather than roads, although this is probably in part because of the state of the roads.

Some cyclists also disregard safety such as observing traffic lights or walking their bikes across pedestrian crossings.

Five years ago, I therefore accidentally hit a cyclist, who was riding across a pedestrian crossing after the lights had gone against him. He got a bruise on his shin and my V70's front got badly misshapen as it absorbed the impact of him landing on it. It took many months, but he eventually paid up through his mum's household insurance.

So, in my view, "woke liberal agenda" aren't relevant and nor are bikes per se. It's more about riders who should know better but who might actually have been raised to care less.