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BYD F3DM

_{2009 BYD F3DM – Click above for high-res image gallery}

Are Chinese cars nothing more than cheap copies of other automaker’s products in other parts of the world? That’s a question that’s been asked rather widely for the last several years as the numbers of large Chinese automakers has risen dramatically, and even more so as they have shown their wares at major auto shows outside their home country.

There is certainly no doubt that many, if not most, cars rolling out of factories in China bear a striking exterior resemblance to popular models from Japan, Europe and the United States. But do those exterior facsimiles go more than skin deep, and if so, does it matter? What about the actual guts of the vehicles – are Chinese automakers creating their own important new technologies, especially in the burgeoning eco-friendly segment?

These are the questions bandied about in a special report from Reuters, targeted specifically in the direction of BYD, the Chinese automaker that has been buoyed by major investments and backed by Warren Buffett. The big draw for Buffett and his money was BYD’s proprietary battery technology, which it uses on its own branded electric cars, some of which are supposedly coming to America.

Reuters, though, citing documents it received by a third party from WikiLeaks, charges that BYD’s battery tech may not be all its cracked up to be, and that sales of its EVs are painfully slow. Further, officials such as Guanzhou Consul-General Brian Goldbeck reportedly said two years ago that BYD’s vehicles may pass China’s lax copyright laws, but aren’t likely to in other countries.

Just as damningly, unnamed consultants claim BYD’s vehicles are very unlikely to pass U.S. safety standards, saying of one of BYD’s models, “If you shut the doors too hard, they fall off.” Removable doors… not good. Some automakers polled by Reuters claim that BYD requests just enough parts from reputable suppliers to reverse engineer the designs and then assemble them itself using inferior materials.

What all of this means for BYD and for Warren Buffett’s billion-dollar investment into the company remains to be seen, but it can hardly bode well for the brand’s chances in such competitive markets as the United States.

Gallery: 2009 BYD F3DM plug-in hybrid

[Source: Reuters]

WikiLeaks reveals disturbing business practices of Buffett’s BYD originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peak oil, according to Wikipedia, is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. Opinions vary on when the world will actually reach a peak oil scenario, but a new report detailed by Julian Assange’s infamous Wikileaks website indicates the United States believes it’s staring us right in the face – as early as 2012.

Maybe that’s what the Mayan calendar is on about?

It may not exactly be the end of the world as we know it, but if the report is accurate, it could mean death to a number of popular vehicular segments; namely the gas-guzzling sport utility vehicle, heavy-duty pickup truck and possible even the mainstream performance car. Electric and hybrid Mustang and Camaro models might not look so bad in the very near future, eh?

This revalatory report centers around a meeting between Sadad al-Husseini, a geologist and former head of exploration at Aramco (the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia), and U.S. officials. Husseini, an expert on the subject, suggested that Saudi Arabia doesn’t have as much oil left as the country wants us to believe and that it is unlikely to continue producing its current rate of 12.5 million barrels per day.

None of this is to say that the world has run out of oil – far from it, in fact – but it does mean that Saudi Arabia, the largest country in the Middle East and the country that’s thought by experts to hold about one-fifth of the world’s proven total petroleum reserves, won’t be able to provide enough oil to keep the world operating as it does today.

If nothing else, this report gives us reason to believe that oil prices won’t stay nearly as low as they currently are, and that large-scale price increases could happen sooner rather than later. Thanks for the tip, Glenton!

[Source: Yahoo News | Image: Marwan Naamani/AFP/Getty]

Wikileaks: U.S. believes Saudi Arabia is running out of oil originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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