dutchie01

Wow, that's what I call a trailer!

Thought it would be an idea to share movies. As we seem to be in an advanced age it could be interesting. Old stuff new stuff are we also sharing filmographies interests? i will kick off with a movie that i keep watching called LUCY.

Poetically worded Malc and it reminds me of a movie i saw loong ago la grande bouffe. Couple of successfully rich friends lock themselves up in a villa in order to eat and drink them to death. Its an italian classic and as expected gets a bit out of control. Its from 1973 as well. I feel very old now ..

And the parking garages on the brink of collapse seems like a nonsense story to me. I am not a builder but the security in construction is large. If someone can come up with an example i will believe it but not now

Shower in icecold rainwater thats what i say! And water the vegetables in my garden with it that i eat raw. on a serious note we in the west have become ysed to a comfortable lifestyle that simply cannot be compared to 50 years ago. My parents did not have to choose what to eat it was what could be bought with the money available. So potatoes with lettuce it was fir days and forget about meat. Now we can have strawberries every day of the year. We are on a Lexus forum not exactly a Lada is it..Also the green thing is quite bizarre if you dive into it. Cutting complete forests chipping up the trees ship them to the other side of the world and throw them in an incinerator to create energy is listed as green energy. i just try to behave in a decent manner not buy too much and live my life the best i can. Oh forgot, shipping millions of tons of old plastic to third world countries to dispose of is also listed as good for the environment. Guess what they do with it? Time for a brandy i think!

So, back to the car industry then and the East Wind is coming. When Tesla started in Europe some 10 years ago they immediately succeeded in getting lots of sales. All company cars with help of massive taxbreaks. I can remember thinking hey that would have been a BMW or Merc but it now is a Tesla. Same i predict with the Chinese brands coming in rapidly. Biggest battle will be in the medium segment, the Peugeots, Citroens, Volkswagens etc. What is their future? How will the market be in 5 years time? And what about Lexus?

Oooof, let me recap for a moment. We started with a Car manufacturer called Dongfeng went from Winny the Pooh to Benny Hill, Had dinner in a Chinese restaurant with King Plawns, visited China then discussed Nazism and went into the history of communism. Not a bad for a thread is it? To be fair i think the entire population is suffering from short term memory loss. What happened 50 yrs ago is already forgotten and history does not seem to be very popular in education and in general society. For me it is absolutely shocking and infuriating if i see people taking smiling selfies in Auschwitz, but hey who am i. Maybe the younger generation puts it all in a different perspective. Regarding communism i fully and totally agree. I have been visiting Russia frequently in the past and always found it depressing. The dark history, the total uncertainty of everything, the lawlessness and egoism stemming from that. The State as untouchable entity that can and will decide about your life. History always seems to repeat itself.

James, in another thread Rabbers is complaining about cats on his bonnet. Maybe an idea to contact him could be the solution?

https://www.auto-data.net/en/bmw-700-ls-luxus-0.7-30hp-42570 Its here Malc! has been here for years!

Why would you take a big loss of 8000 US for a rattle in a brand new car?? I find this strange. You say your dealer could not resolve the rattle? Again strange. I have been looking for noises in various cars once an audi mechanic spent 2 hrs driving my car with me next to it and several ideas and an inspection on the lift gave the answer. Who was the dealer?

Lexus in The Netherlands is having a difficult time. Last year only 413 cars sold compare this with the 3911 sold in 2012. It has been shrinking ever since. The current range is just too limited and the cars offered are not what the market is asking. Current company car market in Holland is almost 100% electric. Lexus has nothing so they cannot even be an alternative. Big sellers in the past were the CT and IS now both gone without replacement. Must be hard to be a Lexus dealer. Also the future looks bleak. Polestar and Tesla have made their mark and the Chinese BEV invasion is rolling in. I think Lexus will stay as long as Toyota decides to continue. Thats a big ban in Paris. No diesels at all. What about Taxis, deliveryvans, policecars, buses?

Please do not underestimate what is happening in China. This year for the first time on the autoshow the European brands do not draw a big crowd, or a crowd at all. It seems the Chinese brands now offer what people want and that can be seen in the salesfigures. Europe is shrinking and China BEV exploding. Only time when thesame pattern will be visible overhere.

Now thats an interesting one, BMW 8 series. did not think of that. Btw the 6 series seems pretty cheap but then again you have to sell it after some years.

Great spec Nicolas, in my idea the best color and trim. Nice wheels too! How is Lexus in France? do you have to explain what it is? What is the image?

I sometimes drive in Sweden from Stockholm to Gothenburg or Malmo and when i am bored driving through endless forests i always play thesame game. Count the Volvo. It is simply incredible sometimes it seems 70% of cars in Sweden are Volvos! BTW Rabbers, you have a very beautiful and individual RC. Would the new Polestar 4 be interesting for you?

Well, not always. My wife had a BMW 118 petrol and without dipstick. I found the enginesound rough, more metallish after a year and asked the dealer to check up on oil. Light was not on and all systems OK according to the electronics. Needed a top up of 1.5 litre... I am one of the nerdy types checking oil, tyre pressure, remove leafs from under the hood, clean the engine bay check up on cables and so on. Nonsense as todays cars dont need that but its still in my system from old times. I want a dipstick

Chinese GEELY is the mothercompany of Volvo amongst others and basically acts as a bank and engineering powerhouse. The individual brands all have their own organisation, management and sites. Volvos are designed in Sweden and California, produced in Belgium, Sweden USA and some EV models in China. Volvo is swedish and owned by a Chinese automotive conglomerate.

I have noticed that over the years various members of the LOC have sold their Lexus and went to other makes. I am one of them and am now driving a Volvo XC60- T6 Recharge plug in. For me the reason was simply a lack of choice. The new NX was not available yet and the range is just not big enough. Volvo was the only brand i feel connected to outside Lexus, especially after driving Saabs for many years. However i hope one day i can return to the brand. How did this go for you, where did you go to and why?

There is a French saying freely translated as 'you have a bicycle in your head '. Get professional help toffee.

You sound perfectly coherent and reasonable toffee, how was breakfast?

Its all about money. Shipping is an international pokergame where everybody cheats and morale is non existent. Duting covid steelprices exploded. Cruise shipowners had 5 year old cruiseships dismantled as that was the solution on the balance sheet as those ships had nothing to do were heavily loss making. We look at these activities with western eyes and see pollution slave labour. Overthere it could be the only way to feed a family. Im afraid we cannot solve all problems in the world..

Better ask the nations that pollute the most like all of asia india. They simply throw all away no probs i think it is a splendid initiative to clean up better than stay angry and do nothing