More old-auto assets being recycled: Alfa 166 platform sold to China

[HoosierRon]

In the centre of the Ruhr Valley the famous “heartbeat of steel” has gone silent. Almost imperceptibly, nature is reclaiming the once-busy factory halls and industrial sites. The conveyor belts have come to a standstill, the cooling towers are empty – after only eight years in operation, the ultramodern coke plant at Kaiserstuhl, built at a cost of 1.3 billion DM, was shut down in December 2000.

Spring 2003: A Chinese worker dressed in the traditional blue labourer's overall surveys the vast factory grounds, making marks on steel beams and walls. A new microcosm has sprung up in northern Dortmund, a small Chinese outpost – dynamic and efficient. A village of housing containers has been set up for some 400 Chinese – with community rooms, an industrial-size kitchen with giant woks, and satellite dishes so they can watch TV shows from home.

Hungry for wealth and the status symbols of western industrial culture, scores of Breakdown workers have joined the Chinese project manager Mo Lishi in Germany, along with a young Interpreter and a few Cooks, in order to bring back to their homeland yet another “steel souvenir”. Highly motivated citizens of a low–wage country come face-to-face with financially better-off workers in an industrialized nation who are now suddenly bereft of future prospects – since the former are about to transfer the latter’s erstwhile source of power and prosperity to their own homeland.

The dismantling of Kaiserstuhl proceeds at breakneck speed, driven forward by constant pressure from corporate management and the promise of a few perks: Every four weeks the Chinese select the seven hardest workers amongst their ranks as “Workers of the Month”. Their reward consists of a photo decorated with a sash of red paper flowers, hung on a canteen wall together with a few flowery, but in any case politically correct, words of praise.

Meanwhile, the German “shutdown managers” stand by and watch helplessly as their workplace is broken down into moveable sections. At Kaiserstuhl, where up to 800 people used to work, the last 30 employees are now supervising the so-called Shutdown Department – including electricians Rainer Kruska (53) and Werner Vogt (52). Among the Germans, who are supposed to provide logistical support for the dismantling process, a mood of scepticism and a distanced stance prevail with regard to Chinese colleagues and what they view as their careless methods.

Communication between the two groups is difficult, misunderstandings a daily event. By 10 o’clock in the morning, half of the shift is already over for the German workforce. During their breakfast break, they talk over coffee and rolls about the financial losses they will suffer due to their enforced early retirement, and they speculate about the Chinese workers’ attitude toward life, their working techniques and their cooking. The dismantling forges ahead, unstoppable, daily parading before their eyes the loss of Germany’s, and indeed Europe’s, industrial work base. For the Ruhr Valley workers, this is a stab in the heart, for they have worked all their lives in the coke industry.

The workday for the Chinese is considerably longer: they toil sixty hours a week, live in common quarters and save every penny for home. Some want their children to enjoy a better education.

Much more here.

[Bravada]

This was originally a "Rover V8" engine, famous for powering largest Rover saloons, also appearing in many other British cars, including MG, Triumph, TVR and Morgan.

As concerns the Alfa 166 platform, the same platform was employed by the Lancia Kappa, which ceased production in 2001. The cars had different suspensions, though. Lancia has also sold the recently discontinued Lancia Lybra compact sedan and wagon and the original Fiat Multipla in a similar fashion to the much smaller Zotye, previously a manufacturer of Daihatsu knockoffs (actual knockoffs, there is a legitimate licensed Daihatsu builder in China).

[t-rex]

The plot thickens...

Warren Buffet's MidAmerican Energy Holdings just purchased a 10% stake in Chinese automaker BYD, producer of cellphone batteries and soon, hybrid-electric cars.

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by Bravada

As concerns the Alfa 166 platform, the same platform was employed by the Lancia Kappa, which ceased production in 2001. The cars had different suspensions, though. Lancia has also sold the recently discontinued Lancia Lybra compact sedan and wagon and the original Fiat Multipla in a similar fashion to the much smaller Zotye, previously a manufacturer of Daihatsu knockoffs (actual knockoffs, there is a legitimate licensed Daihatsu builder in China).

You are right, I completely forgot about the Lybra and the Multipla. Good catch.

[Chaz_23]

Cool. If and when GM decides to do away with the W platform, the 3800, and 4-speed "hydramatics" sometime in 2020- they'll live on in China for another century.

[KingElvis]

Question:

Is a 2004 Stratus really that much worse than a 2008 Chrysler intermediate? Hey, even if the design is old, it's a new vehicle with fresh piston rings and everything.

Maybe the Russians will buy Viper too, then Dodge Trucks, then all the individual Dodge car names and tooling - then Chrysler can re-assemble itself in Russia.

Talk about 'vintage' - we'll be buying retro/retro Challengers from Vlad Putin in five years.

[nadepalma]

Originally Posted by Chaz_23

Cool. If and when GM decides to do away with the W platform, the 3800, and 4-speed "hydramatics" sometime in 2020- they'll live on in China for another century.

Who knows if this will happen --- but it's possible.

However, with China catching up more and more to the rest of the West, I could almost image the W platform going to some obscure Russian outfit or perhaps even to an Indian firm. Its possible.

Originally Posted by KingElvis

Question:

Is a 2004 Stratus really that much worse than a 2008 Chrysler intermediate? Hey, even if the design is old, it's a new vehicle with fresh piston rings and everything.

Maybe the Russians will buy Viper too, then Dodge Trucks, then all the individual Dodge car names and tooling - then Chrysler can re-assemble itself in Russia.

Talk about 'vintage' - we'll be buying retro/retro Challengers from Vlad Putin in five years.

The new Sebring and Avenger aren't the very best products -- but to me, they are light years better than the older "cloud cars" circa 2004.

If we do buy vintage cars from Putin in a few years, perhaps Togliatti will become the "Detroit" of Eurasia?

[jry]

Originally Posted by Member17739

Never mind that the sold platform is still years ahead of what the Chinese are capable of designing themselves.

Gee, i had an old 73 buick around here somewhere. Maybe i need to sell that to the chinese. Maybe i'll trade it for some of their high quality chocolate or high protein milk products.

[ChevroletRevived]

We've seen more of this happening lately, probably because companies are realizing these vehicles are still pretty competent and far better then what they could develop on their own. I wonder how much it cost to buy the rights and tooling, etc to one of these cars? That would be something VERY interesting to find out.

[moon111]

Sometimes all you have to do is put better wheels and tires on an old 70's vintage chassis and it'll out-perform today's vehicles. The money spent on new chassis designs is nuts. I rather have a vehicle that's been produced for years, making parts either new or used easy/inexpensive to get.

[Bravada]