RobiNZ's Vox Blog

Rinaldo Rinolfi's comment on the car company that US taxpayers are pumping billlions of dollars into:

"We were really held up during the years with GM, which were about anything but innovation"

From Fiat retrofits Chrysler engine, shelves ‘dinosaurs’ to save gas - www.pittsburghlive.com

 (from TypePad)

Does Fiat have a Crash Test Panda? I wonder why they used a 500 and not a Panda?

Via Cream_Tweets from TypePad

What do you tend to worry about in the middle of the night?

What the next QotD will be and how will I answer it!

What's the biggest obstacle you've had to overcome within the last 24 hours?
Submitted by ILoveYouMr.Dragon.

 

I think I figured out how to present a complex concept without complexity. I haven't created it yet but know what I'm going to do which means the hard part is done.

 

Whatever they call it, it's happening! 

Fiat/Chrysler allowed to merge

Deal puts Fiat in Chrysler driver’s seat
In creating the world’s sixth-largest carmaker, Marchionne is betting he can pull Chrysler out of a sales nose dive on the force of the small, fuel-efficient vehicles Fiat has excelled at building. At the same time, he’s hoping to expand Fiat’s reach, bringing brands such as Alfa Romeo back to a market it abandoned years ago, and in doing so make the brand a global power

Fiat announces Chrysler's new management lineup

New Chrysler Group takes first steps

I'm heading to Wellington sometime in July for this, most likely the opening weekend as the McLaren Trust will be there with some special New Zealand McLaren exhibits in addition to the touring  exhibit:

Te Papa - Formula One ™ – The Great Design Race

Thrilling, seductive, and addictive, Formula One is among the world’s most popular sports. This exhibition traces the development of the Formula One racing car from the 1950s to the 2000s – one of the great design stories of our time. Follow the incredible technology, see iconic cars, and discover New Zealand’s Formula One heroes.

15 July 2009–1 November 2009
Visa Platinum Gallery, Level 4
Admission charges apply.

About the exhibit:

F1: The Great Design Race - a set on Flickr

F1: The great design race | Walking Leaf
At the Design Museum in London, a fascinating exhibit is on display showcasing the innovation in design and the advancements in technology over the past 50 years.
To see the racing cars up close is a wonderful experience. You can’t believe how much the sporting regulation and the use of materials have defined the look of these extreme machines.

 (from TypePad)

This AP article has a really good summary of Sergio Marchionne's rise to the top and how he turned around Fiat Auto. Recommended reading, I didn't realise he pushed the new Bravo, especially for Chrysler management...

Fiat CEO willing to take the wheel at Chrysler

While Marchionne inherited the Grande Punto and Panda — both small, hot-selling cars — he pushed for the redesign of the iconic 500 and the reintroduction of the Fiat Bravo, a car that proved Fiat could build a midsize sedan people would buy. In an example of flat management at work, Fiat came out with both cars in just 18 months.

They lost my support today,

Stupid Auckland Harbour Bridge protest goes ahead - RobiNZ Personal Blog

The baby Alfa Romeo MiTo is heading to New Zealand in, Mini fighting, high power Turbo form. It will be interesting to see how those lines, sometimes rather strange in photos, look in the metal.

MiTo - It's Mighty Near!

Alfa Romeo has confirmed that its all-new MiTo model will arrive in New Zealand in July providing the car market with a unique compact performance car that sets new standards for style, performance and technology...

From TypePad

Today is Limerick Day. Share a limerick please!

I heard this one from Splike Milligan, but I'm not sure of it's origin;

There was a young man from Darjeeling,

Who got on a bus bound for Ealing;

It said at the door:

`Don't spit on the floor.'

 So he carefully spat on the ceiling.