Today I was in Ben Sayer, PR Manager of ProDrive. If you are a bit interested on world rally championship, I am sure you know ProDrive. They worked with Porsche, Subaru, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Mini. Their job is to develop cars for racing, especially for word rally championship.
For me it was a great experience to visit ProDrive and see their heritage cars. Since I was a kid, I always heard ProDrive on TV but did not have opportunity to visit their head office. Thanks to Ben, I have been to head office of the legendary ProDrive.
In interview; Ben and I talked about future world rally championship (RedBull will in WRC), how live coverage of French WRC stage will be, history of ProDrive and their engagement with manufacturers, of course social media.
It was great to hear that ProDrive appreciates the works of bloggers and doing their best for us to create our content.
It was a great interview and great experience to be in ProDrive. I am sure you will like the interview and have an opportunity to see how the head office ProDrive looks like :)
Aston Martin Virage became a history this week. It will be remembered as the Aston Martin’s shortest lived model, just for 18 months. Personally, I am not surprised with the decision to stop producing Virage. Since the Virage was revealed, it was a huge question mark.
First of all, Aston Martin Virage never had a clear definition and image. Virage was between DB9 and DBS, but what Virage offers less than a DBS or more than a DB9. No one ever had chance to answer this question. So, the customers did not have a clear image for buying a Virage over a DB9.
Moreover, Virage was looking exactly the same as DB9 and DBS. One of the most crucial reasons to buy Virage was vanquished due its similar design. Interior was the same case, Virage did not offer anything different. Engine was the same only with more horsepower (490 PS) and the rest of the features were not different than other Aston Martin cars.
Aston Martin assumed that, there was a market and a gap for Virage. However, there was not enough gaps between DB9 and DBS to fit a new car. Briefly; Aston Martin Virage offered the same engine with more horse power, looked exactly the same as other models, interior was not something special, features were the same. Only horsepower and minor design details were diversifying Virage from DB9 and DBS. Therefore, it was not adequate for customers to buy one and there was nothing really special with Virage.
As a result of these adverse situations, Aston Martin stopped producing Virage. May be they never produced it in the beginning.
Today I did my first twitter interview with PR manager of Toyota GB, Scott Brownlee. I was a bit excited as it was my first live twitter interview, my previous interview always recorded and uploaded to YouTube later. However, this time what I wrote was going to be seen my hundreds of people.
During the interview with Scott Brownlee; we talked about Toyota Prius Hybrid, indestructible SUV Land Cruiser, new sports car GT86 and future of social media. Also, he reminded the rally version of Toyota Prius from year 2002.
I totally forgot, Scott mentioned why Toyota Land Cruiser is one of the best SUVs on market.
You can read the rest of the interview here or check it from twitter by #toyotainterview hashtag.
My first twitter interview is with a #mipaa member #toyotapr, you can follow the conversation with #toyotainterview hashtag
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
Today I am with Scott Brownlee @toyotapr for my first twitter interview #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
Thank you very much @toyotapr for the interview #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr Good afternoon. Happy to be involved. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR This is my first twitter interview and I hope it will go well #toyotainterview :))
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR Before we start, could you tell us about your background? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr I studied mechanical engineering at Strathclyde University. I wanted to be a race car designer. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr After graduation I applied to just one car company and was lucky enough to get the job. It was Austin Rover in 1984 #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR It seems like you are very close to your dream. Did you ever have chance to race? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr There is joined a mysterious department called PR. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR For how long do you work for #toyota ? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr Only in karts. I did get the drive the 6R4 Group B rally car. It was also driven by Senna #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR Sounds amazing! I think that’s a great chance to race with Senna’s car #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr I joined Toyota GB 16 years ago this month. I came from Cosworth, BMW before that. #toyota #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr “My” car. ;-) #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr I didn’t compete in it, just drove it at a test track. No pictures, sadly. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR You had opportunity to work in different car companies. Sad to here that no photos :( #toyotainterview Now a bit #ft86
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR It seems like #Toyota is going to back rear-wheel drive segment with #ft86. Last rear-wheel drive one was Supra #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR sorry it is #gt86 #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr Yes, although don’t forget the MR2. It was fun. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr The benefit of rear wheel drive is the fun you can have with the balance of the car in corners. #gt86 #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR You are definitely right #mr2 is also rear-wheel drive #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr The GT86 gets back to the basics of a good sports car. #gt86 #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr We are all excited to have a sports car again and it seems a hit with media and owners too #gt86 #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR Does it mean #toyota will reveal more sports car in future ? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr I can’t talk about specific future plans, but Akio Toyoda has already said there will be more. #toyota #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR that sounds great!! #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR And my next topic is #hybrid. If there is a conversation about #Toyota, we cannot skip the hybrid #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR Correct me if I am wrong, #Toyota is the first company introduced the mass-production #hybrid cars with #Prius #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr To be fair, Honda were slight ahead with the original Insight, but Prius was a much bigger seller. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr I remember the meeting where an engineer described this new technology to us. Amazing to think millions now sold #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR Millions of #toyota #hybrid are driven. That’s a very big number and great achievement #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR especially in terms of #toyota reliability #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr We have a couple of original Prius here, one standard and one a rally car. Very proud of that project. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR I know about the #prius #hybrid #rally car. Many people may not know it. Could you tell about it a bit? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr Sure. We were approached by a journalist, Nik Berg, with the idea which we thought was a good one…. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr The rally was 5000 miles from Sweden Jordan. It became the world’s first hybrid to finish an FIA sanctioned event. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR 5000 miles is a real a long journey even for a non-hybrid car! Well done to #toyota #prius #hybrid #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR Lastly and my favourite, #Toyota #LandCruiser. For me, it is the best of the best four-wheel drive #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr Here’s a link to the press release isued at the time. http://bit.ly/IGarzF #prius #hybrid #rally #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR Nothing in the world runs like #Toyota #LandCruiser and they never broke down #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR Can you tell about a bit about #Toyota #LandCruiser? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr Thank you. They are renowned for their go anywhere ability. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr Almost everywhere in the world apart from the UK Land Cruiser is the 4×4 of choice. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr There is an apocryphal story about a road in Australian outback which has a sign reading… #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr …”Land Cruisers Only Beyond This Point” because you breakdown out there you risk death. #Toyota #LandCruiser #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr There is funny TV commercial on a similar theme http://youtu.be/isC32ev4Lw4 #Toyota #LandCruiser #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR I guess this road sign explain everything about #toyota #landcruiser #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR And why we don’t see many #toyota #landcruiser in UK? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr In the UK we are in Land Rover’s home market so we understand it is different. #toyota #landcruiser #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr I like to think UK Land Cruiser customers buy for a purpose, not posing ;-) #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR That’s why I love #toyota #landcruiser #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR And I have noticed something with #Toyota #LandCruiser. It is the most common security vehicles for politicians #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR We always see Toyota Land Cruiser in the convoys regardless of country. Why #LandCruiser? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr I think it is a sixty plus year reputation for reliability in many countries, especially Middle East and Africa #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr Combined with Hilux, our other indestructible 4×4, the Land Cruiser is very common when the going is tough #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR that explains everything about #toyota #landcruiser and #hilux #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR And #socialmedia. What do you think about the future of #socialmedia in #automotive industry? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr Big! #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr The great thing about social media is interacting directly with owners and fans. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR a note, I met with you from twitter before #mipaa event #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR I totally agree with you. And this makes #socialmedia dynamic and creates its own path for #marketing and #pr #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr We have a social team here at @ToyotaGB. Our greatest advocates are our owners and potential owners… #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr ….like to “speak” to them so social is the perfect way to do it. It will only get bigger and more influential #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR that’s a great explanation of #socialmedia, bigger and bigger #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR And how @ToyotaGB perceive the bloggers? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr I have to say those that I’ve met, and we try to meet up as much as possible, are great enthusiast for cars. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR That sounds great for us, #bloggers #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@ToyotaPR and lastly, what car do you drive? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr I see people willing to put in time and effort to publish. As such I see a close similarity to traditional media #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR that’s exactly what we are doing #bloggers, and great to hear from a such big company #toyota #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr I am very lucky. Not only do I get to drive all the Toyota and Lexus range, we borrow competitors cars too. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr This week we have something of both at once – an Aston Martin Cygnet. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@uygarr But my usual car is a Prius. I also had the tartan iQ for a while, but it has been sold now (sadly) #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR Did you like the Aston Martin Cygnet? #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr I haven’t driven it yet, but I am sure I will. I imagine buying an old (i.e. afordable) Cygnet for when I retire. #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR And that’s the end of the #toyotainterview. Thank you very much for joining and apologise for any typo :)
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
@uygarr Thank you!. It was fun (for us anyway). #toyotainterview
Scott Brownlee @ToyotaPR
@ToyotaPR The interview will be available tonight http://www.CarAndLife.net and greetings to everyone in @ToyotaGB #toyotainterview
Uygar Kilic @uygarr
Aston Martin Vanquish is back again and replaced the DBS. You didn’t read wrong or there is not typo. Aston Martin brought back the brand again, and did not use the DBS brand for the new car. As we all expected, new Vanquish looks quite similar to rest of the Aston Martin range.
New Vanquish is made from aluminium and carbon fibre composite materials. Now you have chance to choose between 2 + 0 or 2 + 2 seating options. Gearbox is still six-speed Touchtronic 2 automatic gearbox, Aston Martin did not revealed a new transmission for the Vanquish. There is also a limited differential lock to improve handling in the corners. Engine is unfortunately the same, 6-lt V12 with 573 PS of power and 620 Nm of torque. New Vanquish accelerates to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4,1 seconds and achieves 293 kph (183 mph). Acceleration of Vanquish is improved by the DBS but the top speed is lower than the DBS (305 kph – 190 mph). The interior looks quite similar to One-77, if you missed the One-77 here is your chance to experience it! The seats do not offer ventilation and the steering wheel has to be adjusted manually. I was expecting these improvements in the New Vanquish.
New Aston Martin Vanquish really improved the interior design and production quality, however Vanquish does offer the same engine, transmission and similar option list. I do hope that, at least the option list will be improved in future. Will I buy one? It is really a tough question, even though I am not fan of an Aston Martin but I cannot ignore it as well. Quite hard decision :)
New Aston Martin Vanquish is spied in Padua, Italy. Aston Martin DBS reached its end of product lifecycle and it has to be replaced soon. And Aston Martin decided to use the Vanquish brand again. And here it is! Thanks to Autoblog.it they manage to take a video of the new Aston Martin Vanquish.
I have one word for the new car, too traditional. I was expecting something different, sorry! A new design language is compulsory for Aston Martin.
Aston Martin DBS and V12 Vantage are the products of the most iconic British brands in the world. When you visit London, you would be probably end up in Aston Martin dealer. Aston Martin has a different type of attraction, which does not exist in most of the other car brands. Many people love Aston Martin, they have an emotional bond with the brand. However, everything is not emotions!
Aston Martin DBS and Aston Martin V12 Vantage have some interesting points. Firstly, Aston Martin DBS is the third top model just below the über expensive Aston Martin One-77 and Aston Martin V12 Zagato. Also, Aston Martin DBS was the James Bond’s car in last Bond Movie. So, it is one of the coolest cars!
On the other hand, Aston Martin V12 Vantage is based on the entry model Vantage (I ignore the Cynget, because that’s a fashion accessory.) with V12 engine under the bonnet! This makes the Aston Martin V12 Vantage very fast. Actually, V12 Vantage is so fast and destroy the rules of marketing.
For example, in Porsche; any of Cayman or Boxster never accelerate faster than a Porsche 911. This is against rules of the marketing. A cheaper product cannot be better than a more expensive one.
Unfortunately, this basic rule is a bit misinterpreted by Aston Martin. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage turns out to accelerate faster than Aston Martin DBS. Aston Martin V12 Vantage accelerates from zero to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.2 seconds and Aston Martin DBS accelerates from zero to 100 kph (62 mph) in 4.3 seconds. I know this is only 0.1-second gap but still faster.
Moreover, the engine in Aston Martin V12 Vantage is the same one with the Aston Martin DBS. And Aston Martin DBS and V12 Vantage share the design concept, from a distance they both look the same. I know Aston Martin will reject this, but you have to get close to understand the difference between these cars. For many people, they look very similar or the same. Everyone is not like car bloggers or journalists.
And the worst part is the price tag. Aston Martin V12 Vantage costs around £135,000 ($213,000) and Aston Martin DBS costs around £185,000 ($192,000). So you do the decision!
For me, I would definitely go for a Masearti GranTurismo :) But in terms of Aston Martin, go for the V12 Vantage. I am sure, you will have more fun with this car than the big DBS!
Aston Martin Cygnet is one of the biggest question marks in automotive industry. It is popped up version of Toyota iQ! The engine is same, transmission is same, suspension is same; actually except exterior and interior, the rest of the car is same. Toyota delivers the iQ to Aston Martin semi-naked and, Aston Martin dresses up with lots of leather. However, you still have the same Toyota key! Therefore, I consider Cygnet as a fashion accessory. If I consider it as a luxury ultra mini car, I have to criticise the unchanged parts from Toyota and their restless harmony with the Aston Martin badge.
Recently, I found out that Aston Martin managed to sell only 89 Cygnets last year in UK. Just 89! From an optimistic perspective, Mercedes sold only 5 Maybachs in 2011! I guess 89 can be considered as a moderate success!
This two-digit number, 89, proofs that even people who will not bothered to spend £31.000 on a small car did not like the idea of Aston Martin’s Toyota iQ interpretation. If a car company plans to introduce a luxury model, they have to revise the engine software, exhaust design, suspension settings and offer the same key with the rest of the fleet! Honestly, I really like how Cygnet looks like but I would never pay that money!
In terms of fashion, this is like; Louis Vuitton buys unprinted t-shirts from H&M and sends to LV. Then LV, attaches some leather and replace the brand sticker inside and sell it under LV brand.
I realised that I was complaining about Audi for a quite long time. My main complaint with the Audi is the design. Probably many people will not agree with me and surely will say, what is wrong the Audi’s design; they all look amazing. I am not saying the opposite, they really look amazing in addition to they look the same! This problem is not emerged by Audi; Mercedes and BMW had it as well. These two brands used to have look-a-like models, which seem to be produced by a photocopy machine. Eventually, Mercedes and BMW got rid of this virus and succeed to create a unique brand identity and unique product identities.
I think this is the place, where the problem starts. A car needs to express two main things through design; brand identify and product identity. When people see the car, they need to realise and remember the brand and at the same time, they need to distinguish the model. For instance, each Mercedes model has a similar front grill but never the same; BMW has the same kidney front grill for each model but it never leads to confuse the models. However, Audi has the same very big front grill for the each model with a very similar front look, and that’s the problem.
When same front grill is commonly used by each model, it helps people to identify the brand easy but at the same time, it reveals the problem of looking the same from the front. So, this leads to strength the brand identify, when you look at the range of Audi, you see the brand identify is very clearly; but product identify a bit blur. However, the exposure of brand identify is risky. When you add too much, it overlaps the product identify and when you add too less, you have totally different products with nothing in common (Previous generation of Kia models are good example for this). And I do know that, it is really hard to adjust this. It may seem easy to judge but a very challenge task to achieve.
Let’s go back to brand and product identify overlap. In order to avoid this, Mercedes and BMW generated different type of front looks, so people can understand the difference even from a distance. That’s the key point, if a car can be recognised from a 200-meter distance by its brand, you have the brand identify. And at the same time if the product can be identified, you achieved perfect combination. Unfortunately, it is really hard to identify the Audi models from distance, sometimes you need to check the back of the car to understand which model it is.
So where is the problem? The problem is, if the cars look the same, where is point of buying the more expensive one? Many customers are not crazy for super cleaver technology, they are excited by the brand and if they could access the brand in a cheaper way, they would definitely good for that! For that reason, you may see many people are saying Audi A4 is a great car and may hesitate to buy A6! Because, they look the same like. Like Aston Martin models!
I do know that Audi realised this problem, and is going to create a new design concept for future models. My suggestion is to make Audi logo bigger and remove that the same looking grills from the design range. Each model should have the Audi DNA in the grill but not the same grill!
Here comes another sexy Fiat 500C! This model is based on the Abarth version and designed for Maserati. Abarth 695 Tributo Maserati, don’t ask me why it is called 695. I really don’t know.
This version is only limited to 499 units and powered by a 1,4-lt turbo petrol engine (180PS) with automated manual gearbox. Actually, design features are more distinctive than the technical features, you may see this through the precise accuracy of the stitches on the seats. Eventually, the quality of the production is really high inside the car; the instrument panel is made by British brand Jaeger LeCoultre, the leather is sand beige Poltrona Frau, exterior is three stage clear coat Pontevecchio Bordeux and looks exquisite. And also a very nice diffuser at the rear end!
This car is a competitor for Mini Inspired by Goodwood and Aston Martin Cygnet. Actually, it is much better than the Cygnet, I am sorry but this is the truth. Why? Because, this 500C has a specially designed exhaust to give the impression of Maserati style excitement in a small car.
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