Lotus' Motorsport Services Lotus Races in Europe Lotus Engineering
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The official industry newsletter of Lotus Engineering Issue 11 November/December 2005 Lotus’ motorsport services Lotus races in Europe Lotus Engineering Change the Rules Welcome 22 Now on our 11th issue, proActive continues in its endeavours to bring you the most interesting news and articles from the world of automotive engineering. In this issue we look at Lotus Engineering’s work within the motorsport sector, reviewing the heritage and pedigree of a company which when coupled with the latest industry technology can only mean winning solutions on the circuit. Famed for the extensive achievements in powertrain and ride and handling, Lotus Engineering are best placed to take on a wide variety of projects for motorsport teams not just in the UK but across the globe. We also take a look at the latest technological advancements within the field of touring cars and GT racing. Advanced powertrain concepts such as Lotus’ Active Valve Train (AVT) system, which you can find out Ingemar Johansson more about in the feature. We hope you enjoy this edition of proActive and we wish 5 you a prosperous New Year. Ingemar Johansson, Executive Engineer for Motorsport Services 6 Contents November/December 2005 news features INDIA: Indian and Thai auto companies’ quality focus could surpass Japan 3 Improving the breed with race engineering 6 USA: Chrysler to build Dodge Nitro at Jeep plant 3 Lotus races in Europe 8 GOLDING’ S TAKE: Citroen and Peugeot: once more into the luxury end 4 Lotus’ motorsport services 9 USA: Battle looms as some states sign up to stricter emissions laws 5 The onward march of diesel 10 Lotus Engineering Change the rules 2 News INDIA: Indian and Thai auto USA: Chrysler to build companies’ quality focus Dodge Nitro at could surpass Japan Jeep plant In comments some industry observers may find incredible, Chrysler Group has announced that the 2007 Dodge Nitro will be Toyota Motor chairman Okuda Hiroshi on Monday said that car built at the Toledo North Assembly Plant (TNAP) alongside the companies in India and Thailand may soon overtake those in Jeep Liberty/Cherokee. This will be the first non-Jeep product to be built at the Toledo complex, long the home of the Wrangler, in Japan because of their increasing focus on quality. over 10 years. “Thai and Indian companies are fast catching up. My fear is that The Nitro is scheduled to come to Europe as part of the new Japan will soon be overcome by Thai and Indian companies,” Dodge line destined for launch from mid-2006. Hiroshi, who also chairs Japan’s corporate lobby, Nippon “The employees and management of the Toledo North Assembly Keidanren, was quoted as saying by The Associated Press (AP). Plant have made it one of the most progressive manufacturing He reportedly said Japanese companies are not focusing on facilities in our system,” said Chrysler truck and activity vehicle assembly chief Byron Green. “By implementing a process quality even as the Indian firms are improving their quality whereby employees work together in small teams and take more standards. control over their daily work, this team has positioned itself to become the home of Chrysler Group’s newest model.” “I am aware of the excellent quality levels of Indian IT (information technology) and manufacturing companies but, in the field of The Toledo Complex is made up of the Toledo North Assembly quality, Japan is standing still,” Hiroshi reportedly told a gathering and Toledo South Assembly, which has been building Jeep brand of business leaders in New Delhi. vehicles since the 1940s. Part of the total Nitro programme investment of US$600m is According to The Associated Press, he said no Japanese firm has being allocated directly to the plant for many upgrades that will won the Deming prize in recent years as they are not showing make it ready to manage the complexity of building two different interest in winning this coveted prize, whereas Indian companies models on one production line. The plant is getting several such as motorcycle and scooter maker, TVS Motor and Rane expansions totalling over 160,000 square feet. Other changes in TRW Steering Systems have won the award given by the Deming the plant include new equipment such as over 150 new robots, Committee of Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers. new conveyors, and important new processes that will contribute to the plant’s productivity and quality. Hiroshi said Toyota was able to become the most-profitable car The improvements at the plant help give it the capability to build company in the world due to its ability to make cars at low costs, pilot vehicles on the assembly line, which reduces waste and the report added. speeds time of development. Further improvements will also be made to body, trim and paint operations. Process improvements The Associated Press noted that India has lately emerged as a such as new material handling operations and increased use hub for low-cost manufacturing of cars and their components. of pre-assembled components will also contribute to improved productivity. The country is already an ‘export hub’ for Hyundai Motor and Suzuki small cars. The 2.10 million square foot Toledo North Assembly Plant occupies 200 acres and has more than 2,500 employees. Ground AP added that Toyota has a manufacturing facility in India near breaking of the new plant was in autumn 1997. Production of the the southern city of Bangalore where it produces the Corolla, Liberty/Cherokee launched in April 2001. Camry and the multi-purpose-vehicle Innova. An all-new South plant, which will begin building the replacement Toyota also sources manual transmissions from Toyota Kirloskar for the current Wrangler in the summer of 2006, replaces the current assembly site and will be operated by the Chrysler Group Auto Parts, a joint venture with India’s Kirloskar group, that has a and three supplier/partners who will manage unprecedented manufacturing unit near Bangalore with capacity of 160,000 units levels of the manufacturing operation. This “supplier park” frees a year, The Associated Press said. capital to be invested in new product development. Source: just-auto.com editorial team Source: just-auto.com editorial team Lotus Engineering Change the rules 3 News GOLDINGS TAKE: Citroen and Peugeot: once more into the luxury end Over in the wide open spaces of agricultural Brittany, PSA Peugeot Citroen has just embarked on its latest attempt to be taken seriously as the maker of luxury cars. On the 24th November automotive journalists were let into the 40-year-old Citroen factory for the first time. They were able to Luxury for PSA Peugeot Citroen see the first cars coming off the line and to inspect the massive Citroen is not fazed by the loss of the market for families overhaul of facilities which will allow the French company to claim of five, and claims to not even had to think about it very hard. quality standards the equal of countries more routinely associated They believe that too few cars offer armchair comfort for four with quality car production. passengers. The C6’s front drive layout with unusually large The plant at Rennes was first built in the sixties to provide some overall width and length plus the electric sliding rear seats give industrial employment alongside the rural economy. At first it unrivalled leg and elbow room for the money (around £30,000). was a Citroen plant but now PSA Peugeot Citroen has made a There is no doubt that the chauffeur-driven French bureaucrats conscious decision to make this unlikely location the headquarters are going to like this one. of its upmarket challenge. State-of-the-art technology will play a role in the C6’s appeal, with It is to be THE production centre for the group’s Platform 3 which features such as active suspension with variable damping, a lane departure warning system, laminated glass in all the windows, is to say that it will be responsible for the Peugeot 407 and the directional xenon headlamps, front and rear parking sensors. Citroen C6 families. Also there is the older Citroen C5. The only vehicle missing is the Peugeot 607 but this is expected to be Citroen also claims to be the first manufacturer to offer a ‘head-up’ moved in to Rennes when it is ready for its model update. display, projecting information onto the windscreen, as standard. The car will feature Citroen’s first electronic parking brake, and Citroen has been missing from the ranks of luxury cars since the company says it has also worked hard on driver comfort: the fine run of DS, CX and SM came to an end, and its re-entry a new front/back and left/right ‘soft diffusion’ air conditioning into the market will be a challenge for the marketing people. system. That challenge will be most fierce in the UK where Citroen has positioned itself as a value brand over the last six years. However, That diesel engine option is already used in the Jaguar S-type. the UK marketing gurus have set realistic sales targets of well under 1,000 in the first year and believe that there is sufficient PSA’s ability to fund the full range of quality cars for both brands interest and goodwill for the brands to secure sales – particularly will derive partly from the shared platform which can be stretched from the UK’s user-chooser market. over three different lengths and set at three different ride heights with minimal alteration. It means that all models have common On show also was the Peugeot 407 coupe, much admired for its components worth just over 50% of the cost of the car which is a styling by the motoring Press and even described by Autocar as far cry from the 15% achieved on the so-called common platform reminiscent of Ferrari from some angles.