Saving the day

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Mon 22 Jun 2020 00:42
Saving the day - SLO76
Earlier today I spotted a nice Rover R8 414 on the road and it got me to thinking (after a few rum and cokes) about cars which saved (often temporarily) their manufacturers.

The Rover R8 was one such car. Back in 1989 when it first appeared it was far in advance in every way of its rivals. It was a genuinely great car and Rover made excellent use of its talents, producing everything from 1.4 carb 3dr shopping trolley through Turbo diesel family estate, leather clad luxury saloon, sun loving cabriolet to barnstorming 150mph turbocharged coupe. Every base was covered with a range that could attract Escort to BMW 3 series buyers. Without the R8 Rover would’ve died much sooner.

Nissan Qashqai is another. I don’t rate them as reliability is poor but they caught the mood of the moment brilliantly with a small affordable family SUV that drove well. Sadly it’s no more reliable than the Renault’s they’re based on but strong sales effectively saved Nissan in Europe and secured their UK manufacturing.

Fiat 500, the modern one. Fiat were in a sorry state before these gorgeous and quite well made wee cars appeared. Their range was dated and unappealing, all sold on price alone but this model changed that. Suddenly there was a premium priced Fiat selling in huge numbers at great profit margins. It’s the car which has kept Fiat alive to date.

What other cars saved their parent firms from failure?

Edited by SLO76 on 22/06/2020 at 00:43

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 05:29
Saving the day - madf

BMW 700

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/the-car-that-saved-bmw-is-the-one-you-never-knew-existed/

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 07:56
Saving the day - elekie&a/c doctor

Ford Mondeo and the Focus were big game changers and certainly upped the capabilities of a mainstream manufacturer. I had a Mondeo in 1993 and it was a revelation, good to drive and quiet . It was no longer a revised Sierra or Cortina.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 08:54
Saving the day - 72 dudes

BMW 700

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/the-car-that-saved-bmw-is-the-one-you-never-knew-existed/

Looks like a re-badged DKW to me. Wouldn't say it saved BMW.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 08:57
Saving the day - 72 dudes

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV springs to mind.

They had and still have no competitive models in any other segment (ignoring cab truck things)

Even the ASX is outdated.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 09:11
Saving the day - Andrew-T

I'm surprised the Pug 205 isn't in your list, SLO. Certainly had an impact on Peugeot's fortunes, which seems to have lasted quite well.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 10:01
Saving the day - Avant

I agree about the Rover, SLO: I had a 220i as a courtesy car for a few days in the 1990s. Lovely to drive with my favoured combination of an unstressed 2.0-litre engine in a medium-sized car. Offering hatchback and saloon as alternatives (and later an estate) was something that BL should have done with the Allegro.

The BMW may have started things off, but it was the 2002 that brought BMW to our attention in the UK as a go-to car for aspiring professionals; and they've never looked back.

VW may not have been near to failure in the 1970s, but they badly needed a mass-market replacement for the Beetle. The Golf was it, and with the Passat and Polo alongside it VW had a good range.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 10:56
Saving the day - elekie&a/c doctor
VW thought the K70 would be the successor to the rear engine , air cooled models . Sadly , didn’t make the grade , and didn’t last long .
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Mon 22 Jun 2020 11:38
Saving the day - Stackman II

Agree with SLO76 on the R8. Dad was a Rover dealer at the time and his fortunes were transformed when he could offer 216 or 416 models over Maestro and Montego. These were far more competitive and attractive vehicles.

The GTi version with the Honda twin-cam engine was a peach and a 420 GSi estate was a fine place to be.

In terms of cars which saved the company then the Porsche Cayenne must be right up there.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 12:12
Saving the day - John F

Aston Martin DB7. All credit to Ian Callum.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 12:09
Saving the day - thunderbird
VW thought the K70 would be the successor to the rear engine , air cooled models . Sadly , didn’t make the grade , and didn’t last long .

If I remember correctly the K70 was originally designed by NSU and intended to supplement the RO80 in their range. When NSU died VW took over the car (NSU was part of the group) hoping it would sell, it didn't. Luckily they had the Passat and Golf lurking and they without a doubt saved VW.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 15:07
Saving the day - Zippy123

Vauxhall / Opel Nova.

They had the awful Chevette before that - real rust buckets and much older than the competition. The Nova was a real young persons car and had some street cred against a Fiesta that had been out a few years.

They then introduced the Corsa which was also hugely popular for them.

Both the Nova and Corsa in SRI form were very popular.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 15:13
Saving the day - Zippy123

Range Rover Evoke - stylish replacement for the ageing and boring Freelander which was supposed to be its mass market car. The Evoke gave the small Range Rover some flair again.

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Mon 22 Jun 2020 15:35
Saving the day - MGspannerman

The Cayenne has done well for Porsche, but I think it was the Boxster that was real make or break for them. Their profits had slumped by about two thirds and heading south in a big way. The Boxster was a great piece of marketing, many components the same as the 911 but cleverly packaged and priced to appeal to aspiring Porsche owners whilst the opposite to 911 drivers who wouldn't be seen dead in a "poor mans Porsche". The list price at launch in the Uk was around 32k if I recollect, but very few were sold at less than 44k as the RHD models came loaded with (non-optional) extras that bumped the price, and the margin, up.

I was doing some work with Porsche at the time and there is a very good story to their turnaround. I must be one of the few people ever to have been given a Porsche by the company. Unfortunately it was only a Burago model of a 911, but very much appreciated by me none the less.

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Wed 2 Feb 2022 23:47
Saving the day - SLO76

Talking to a friend at work earlier about his Alfa 156 reminded me of how it essentially saved the firm in the 90’s. It suddenly made buying an Alfa Romeo a viable option for a sane person seeking a small family car. These were lovely things when new and could with care be reliable enough until 6/7yrs when the usual Alfaitis would set in.

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 07:24
Saving the day - badbusdriver

Talking to a friend at work earlier about his Alfa 156 reminded me of how it essentially saved the firm in the 90’s. It suddenly made buying an Alfa Romeo a viable option for a sane person seeking a small family car. These were lovely things when new and could with care be reliable enough until 6/7yrs when the usual Alfaitis would set in.

Back in the early noughties, a neighbour had a silver Alfa 156, I was so jealous!. Such a beautiful car, with no unnecessary lines or 'features'. A classic example of the theory, 'less is more'.

Sadly, these days cars seem to be styled with the complete opposite in mind!.

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 08:35
Saving the day - pd

Certainly agree with Pug 205.

Citroen BX

Jaguar XJ40

Skoda Felicia (proved they could design a modern car and got VW interested)

Lotus Elise

Volkswagen Beetle

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 09:44
Saving the day - badbusdriver

Certainly agree with Pug 205.

Citroen BX

Jaguar XJ40

Skoda Felicia (proved they could design a modern car and got VW interested)

Lotus Elise

Volkswagen Beetle

Some mistakes here I'm afraid.

The BX didn't 'save' the company, as Citroen ceased to be an independent concern (and had to be saved) long before that. While the BX was innovative and a sales success, it didn't really make much money due to the complexity of the hydraulic system. Yes, it was pretty reliable by then, but it was still labour intensive to build.

The Jag XJ40, far from saving the company, almost killed it. It was very late in being released because they couldn't get the electronics to work (hence the XJ6 Series 3 soldiered on for a couple of years past when it was supposed to be replaced). Also, while it may have been half decent by the time it was replaced, early cars suffered from poor reliability.

The Skoda Felicia didn't save Skoda, VW did. The Felicia was the first result of that takeover appearing around three years later. It was however the last Skoda built using a Skoda platform, being based on the Favorit.

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 09:53
Saving the day - pd

The Skoda Felicia didn't save Skoda, VW did. The Felicia was the first result of that takeover appearing around three years later. It was however the last Skoda built using a Skoda platform, being based on the Favorit.

I meant Favorit, got them the wrong way round. The BX was arguably one of the first proper mainstream Citroens which sold in large numbers people didn't have to try and make strange justifications for buying. It might not have saved the company, but it did a lot to keep the brand a mainstream one.

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 14:03
Saving the day - Engineer Andy

Talking to a friend at work earlier about his Alfa 156 reminded me of how it essentially saved the firm in the 90’s. It suddenly made buying an Alfa Romeo a viable option for a sane person seeking a small family car. These were lovely things when new and could with care be reliable enough until 6/7yrs when the usual Alfaitis would set in.

Back in the early noughties, a neighbour had a silver Alfa 156, I was so jealous!. Such a beautiful car, with no unnecessary lines or 'features'. A classic example of the theory, 'less is more'.

Sadly, these days cars seem to be styled with the complete opposite in mind!.

Indeed - a (then) work rep I used to deal with had a similar era Brera - lovely looking car, inside and out.

The current Mazda3 hatch reminds me of those Alfas, especially from the rear & 3/4 view, and similarly inside with (compared to many rivals, especially Japanese ones) a relatively minimalist, but stylish dash and centre console area.

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 09:36
Saving the day - craig-pd130

Volvo 850, I'd argue that it saved the company from disappearing completely down the 'dull and worthy' cul-de-sac it was stuck in during the 80s and early 90s.

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 09:48
Saving the day - badbusdriver

Volvo 850, I'd argue that it saved the company from disappearing completely down the 'dull and worthy' cul-de-sac it was stuck in during the 80s and early 90s.

Well using the estate in the BTCC was certainly a masterstroke in publicity, even though it wasn't actually very successful on track!

But I have to say, I've a real soft spot for the 480. Even now, I'd love to get hold of a decent example!.

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 09:57
Saving the day - mcb100
As mentioned above a couple of times, the Peugeot 205 is, for me, the best example.
It instantly brought the brand up to date, offered stylish motoring for the masses, gave us the GTi as a Golf GTI or Escort XR3i alternative, and inspired the 205T16 that competed and won at world championship level in rallying. This at a time when rallying was, arguably, bigger than F1.

Edited by mcb100 on 03/02/2022 at 09:59

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 10:16
Saving the day - badbusdriver

The BX was arguably one of the first proper mainstream Citroens which sold in large numbers people didn't have to try and make strange justifications for buying. It might not have saved the company, but it did a lot to keep the brand a mainstream one.

I'd absolutely love a decent BX!. Not one of the fancy ones, a 1.9 (n/a) diesel for me, though I'd also settle for a 1.4 petrol (it was a light car for its class, and aerodynamic).

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Thu 3 Feb 2022 14:42
Saving the day - SLO76
“ I'd absolutely love a decent BX!. Not one of the fancy ones, a 1.9 (n/a) diesel for me, though I'd also settle for a 1.4 petrol (it was a light car for its class, and aerodynamic).”

I was a fan of the later BX’s, once they got rid of the horrid cheap early dashboards and sorted the quality out. The diesels were the ones to have, they were far ahead of rivals of the time regarding refinement and ride quality. Later cars were pretty long lived if looked after too. The pick for me was the higher spec TZD turbo. These went well, would do 50mpg easy enough yet could easily run to 250k if you had a garage that knew what they were doing with the suspension. It really wasn’t that complex. The gear change was the only down side.
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