Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) Caterham To Expand Production (but made in France)

I would have thought that Morgan should be focusing on that market segment too. Let's face it the GT segment is for those few that can afford it and can manage that power. Fortunately Morgan has a small slice of that segment but the bulk of sales is to people who want "modest engine capacity, very light weight and fabulous handling" but are prepared to accept some compromises because they also want the traditional look. Certainly there is room for development.

If my memory serves me well, wouldn't this allow easier sales in France?
I think there are strict rules re what can be registered and isn't it nye on impossible to register a kit build in France?
The link to Renault and build in France may open up a market there if the laws can be circumvented in this way.
However, I am not certain about the laws so I may be wrong.

It is true that getting a kit car registered in France is very difficult/nigh on impossible, but Caterhams are not viewed as kit cars. I met Graham Nearn at a do at the British Embassy in Paris about 10 years ago, not long before the Nearn family sold Caterham. He was there because the commercial section of the embassy had (with some difficulty) persuaded the french authorities to recognise a lower level of homologation for the 7 than that which was required for large series mass production cars, and since then have offered a fairly comprehensive range in France.
http://www.caterhamfrance.com/showroom/showroom.html

From the press release it seems to me more about benefitting from the tie in at F1 to develop a new Renault Alpine sports car. Renault do have form on this type of collaboration - their original collaboration with Alpine of course, but also the early (plastic bodied) series 1 to 3 models of the Espace were built in a joint venture with Matra.

Probably the same as with Donkervoort. ( www.donkervoort.nl )
They sell their cars in France on a kind of European small manufacturer COC.

Rudolf.

I own and drive Caterham for the most of the last twenty years and used to have Alpine A110 as well

Caterham used to be sold in kits from the Caterham factory and being build in France by the sole dealer.

You couldn t buy and build your own kit and get it road legal

Four years ago, the COC for small volume manufacturers has been implemented and facilitated massively sales of low volume cars

However, cars now have to be built in the factory and can t be exported as kits and build locally

The UK retains quite a liberal approach on small volume cars and Caterham in UK have a different set of rules, mainly on emissions and noises to the COC models that are exported

Registering a UK catheram on the continent is a lot of pain and would at minimum require that the car is factory build and compliant to all emissions and noise level, which is virtually impossible

The former Renault Dieppe factory, used to produce Alpine and then produced some Renault Espace. That plant is small and more a big workshop type than a normal assembly line. They have been focused on small series of cars lately, mainly the race cars for some race series such as Megane, with tubular farme and poleyster bodies etc...

It is intended that Renault and Caterham will join forces to develop a new chassis, that will then be sold either wrapped in a Renault body or a Caterham body, something not too disimilar to the Elise VS the Vauxhall Spedster, I assume

Wether Renault will supply Caterham with engines for the Caterham version and wether such engines will find their way in Seven is unclear at the moment

There are a number of pretty good four cylinders in the Renault range at the moment and with down sizing, they are working on a number of sporty engines such as a 1600 delivering 190 BHP and returning 45 MPG

As of the 1st of January an emission tax is hitting very hard cars that are above 200 G of CO² per kilometer, as it will be circa 4.000 GBP plus a yearly tax of 140 GBP

It is unlikely that the new Catpine will have an engine whose emissions are that high and I would bet for a small turbo or twin turbo Renault block producing 180 BHP in standard mode and up to 280 in the most powerful version

I have to say it all makes a lot of sense to me particularly as explained by aeromax.

I am coming to like very much the idea of a turbo engine producing about 200 hp in a good handling package. I wish Renault and Caterham success in this project.

As of the 1st of January an emission tax is hitting very hard cars that are above 200 G of CO² per kilometer, as it will be circa 4.000 GBP plus a yearly tax of 140 GBP


Punitive or what!

What a fabulous way to raise tax - and all on the assumption that mankinds fraction of 1% contribution to C02 emissions will actually make any difference when measured against natures pollutants (or Asia and the USA for that matter).

Next thing is that we'll be heavily taxed for simply buying a house. Oh, hang, on, they're doing that too.

You lot don't know what tax is --- here in Ireland if you import a car there is VRT(Vehicle registration tax) this is - for a plus4 - 25% of the post VAT cost of the vehicle. So if a plus4 is £40K, pre vat that is £33000 this is €41250 plus VAT at 21.5% is €50118 THEN add the VRT which is a further €12500!!!

Road tax annually for a plus4 is €660 but if you had a Roadster it comes to an eye-watering annual cost of €2250

Now -- don't call the French £4000 and £140 pa punitive!!!!!!

You also now all know why I have a plus 4 and not a roadster!!!!!!

Nonetheless I would not be without my beloved Morgan!!!

Cheers!

Hi Robbie.

I wished I lived in Ireland (only for the car bit than ).
If I want to import my Aero8 S4 2008 (Tango ),which I have here in the UK for "work",at home in Norway I have to pay today just over GBP 50,000 (no it is the correct amount of zero's) to register the car!Talking about thieves!
So next year,when work here in the UK will become less for me,I probably have to sell Tango

Rudolf