NEWS: Local car firms urged to revive Tamaraw, Fiera [MERGED]

[uls]

There was something like the phaseout of the two stroke engined motorcycles.

yes but not the phaseout of tricycles in general

so it's quite bearable for those making their living using tricycles

BTW, the govt can't even keep pedicabs off the road

and now there are those motorized pedicabs running around

[niky]

I think Ford didn't get what the government wants. They want to develop a NEW Fiera, Tamaraw etc., or basically re-engineer the concept of the AUV.

New Fiera?

As in super-cheap, carries passengers side-facing, and is economical to run?

As in:

?

Thought they were selling this already?

It's hard to convince other automakers to produce an ultra-cheap car that they have no market for. In other words... nobody but a few thousand people in the Philippines will buy it... and no one else outside.

Isuzu and Mitsubishi are exceptions... because they still have the tooling to build the L300, Adventure and Crosswind. Isuzu also sells the Crosswind in India.

Ford no longer has the tooling for the Fiera... and I'm betting Toyota has chopped up the Tamaraw tooling for scrap (unlike Mitsubishi, Nissan or Mazda, Toyota doesn't like selling old stuff outside). To ask for a new Fiera or Tamaraw is asking them to make a new, multi-million peso investment in tooling and production capacity to satisfy a tiny market.

Miniscule market, actually. Because they have to compete with the IPV, L300FB, Hyundai Porter, Kia KC2700... wait-a-minute...

I thought we had no modern Tamaraws to buy?

[GTi]

If the government couldn't keep these pedicabs off the road, they could have at least enforced some sort of quality control over these vehicles. The motorized pedicabs are so noisy, even more so than the motorcycle-driven pedicabs. And since these pedicabs can attain almost the same speed as the tricycles, they should have the same safety features like brakes on both front and rear wheels, and the installation of another safety feature that should be strictly enforced even among pedal-driven pedicabs and bicycles: head and taillights and taillights that incorporate brake lights in motorized pedicabs. So that I won't be off topic, I say that the government can get those PUJs off the road. They just have to start it slow and do it in a nice way that PUJ drivers can accept. They can, perhaps first show them the good points of buying the new vehicle and that it includes more earnings, cleaner air and that it is more comfortable for both the driver and the passengers. After that, they can start by giving big tax exemptions for the parts of the vehicle, certain discounts and attractive financing deals to those who would want to change to the new type of vehicle, and I'm sure there ARE this group of people. Slowly, there would be more drivers that would take the bait until the number of PUJs reach zero. And there you are! No more PUJs!

[cocoy]

jeepneys will live on unless they start selling brand new IPV, L300FB, Hyundai Porter, Kia KC2700 for less than P500,000....

[ghosthunter]

jeepneys will live on unless they start selling brand new IPV, L300FB, Hyundai Porter, Kia KC2700 for less than P500,000....

Well, you can buy a L300 cab/chassis for just P533K.

[anonemus]

jeepneys will live on unless they start selling brand new IPV, L300FB, Hyundai Porter, Kia KC2700 for less than P500,000....

There is a vacuum in the market for good AUV. That vacuum exists between the Muticab (100,000+) and the the ones you mentioned above.

[niky]

They can, perhaps first show them the good points of buying the new vehicle and that it includes more earnings, cleaner air and that it is more comfortable for both the driver and the passengers.

An L300 bought at 533k pesos will need to burn through about 100,000 kilometers worth of diesel to achieve ROI versus a Jeepney bought at 150-300k pesos. Might take just three years given the kind of duty cycles they see.

Not that long... BUT: the operator already has a Jeepney. He doesn't have an L300. Unless stricter emissions requirements are implemented, there's absolutely no reason for the operator to switch up except to lose three or four year's (depending on the trade-in / junk value of the jeep) worth of profits.

Not going to make business sense unless they can charge more fare for the service. This is what hire vans and FX-Taxis do, actually. And that's a thriving business.

Thus... the idea for a modern Jeepney replacement has already been thought of... by the free market. And it was killing off Jeepneys, too, until the government stepped in to regulate it to protect the Jeepney industry and all those votes (party poopers).

jeepneys will live on unless they start selling brand new IPV, L300FB, Hyundai Porter, Kia KC2700 for less than P500,000....

Actually, I remember romski and the MVPMAP boys identifying the threshold price as around 350k pesos. Good luck getting anything without a Chinese or Indian engine for that much. And as discussed in previous threads... many operators won't take a Chinese engine, even if it's free.

It's a grand idea. But the reality is: for the price range of a Jeepney, you get... a Jeepney. And as long as the government allows them to stay road-legal, they'll stay. All it takes is political will. The government banned "rolling coffin" taxis before. Taxi operators bitched and moaned about it, but eventually, those were gone and brand new taxis took their place. Now there are more taxis than ever. Ban the ancient jeepney or at least regulate them out of existence and operators and drivers will bitch and moan, but eventually they'll be replaced by a fleet of L300 FBs from new operators who aren't afraid to invest a little more to make a living.

[GTi]

Yes indeed. One remembers the Isuzu Gemini taxis of old... Jeepneys are considered a symbol of the Philippines and so it is perhaps more difficult to eradicate. But for the government to effectively eradicate jeepneys, they must first make something that will take its place as the most used mode of transport. And that particular something must be as affordable as a jeepney, has similar passenger capacity and all other qualities that would make it appeal to the jeepney drivers so that they will get these instead of the jeepneys. So now you see our problem.

[anonemus]

...When asked if TMP plans to resurrect the Tamaraw, the precursor of Asian utility vehicles, Ty said "that’s for discussions because we already have the Innova. "The Innova is the new Tamaraw, it is more modern and has more features."

http://www.malaya.com.ph/08262010/busi4.html

But will Toyota come up with a 300K Innova?

[midasproject]

http://www.malaya.com.ph/08262010/busi4.html

But will Toyota come up with a 300K Innova?

Haha. Wishful thinking. :D I doubt highly doubt that.