The other day I managed to drop into the Moscow International Automobile Salon 2018 (MIAS) for literally half an hour, in connection with which I hasten to share with you a short line of various thoughts and impressions from the exhibition and not only.
Content
- About electric cars
- Photos from MIAS 2018
- Pro Volkswagen
- Pro Renault
- Hyundai Ioniq
- About Geely
- About Haval and Lifan
- Senat aurus
- Lada
- Conclusion
About electric cars
Bloomberg (positioning itself as a data, media, finance and software company) has released a report on the current successes and plans for the future of electric transport. It contains quite interesting figures and forecasts.
It turns out that despite the numerous talks about electric cars, manufacturers managed to sell a total of a million electric cars only after 5 years. And according to data from a Bloomberg report released at the end of August, the market has just broken the 4 million mark. And the interesting thing is that the last million was sold in just six months. A good illustration of the fact that the market is gradually gaining momentum. Take a look at the graph below, it shows the growth of the share of electric cars in total sales – from 0.05% in Q1 2011 to 2.5% in Q2 2018. And in absolute terms, the figures are, of course, insignificant, the increase in percentage terms is impressive – double-digit figures on average 50%.
It is especially interesting that the most devoted to the topic is not the United States with Tesla and Silicon Valley, but China. Look at the cumulative sales of electric vehicles in China
Bloomberg analysts are confident that by 2040, electric cars will occupy 33% of the total number of cars on the road. And their share in sales will be 55%. Accordingly, the share will continue to grow, but gasoline and diesel will begin to decline starting from 2020.
It is China that over the coming decades will become the main market for electric cars.
Bloomberg sees this sales split:
- ICE – cars with internal combustion engines
- BEV – battery operated cars
- PHEV – hybrids
- All EVs – all electric cars
Interestingly, the proportion of hybrids is stable. For some reason, it seemed to me that a hybrid car was the most preferable option: you can charge it from the socket, you can fill up the fuel. Perhaps we will talk about electric cars in the future in a separate article. In the meantime, he cited these data only in order to explain why almost all foreign manufacturers presented their versions of electric cars at MIAS. Even people like Lifan, Haval, Geely.
Photos from MIAS 2018
- All photos were taken as part of a photo test on the Pocophone F1. If you do not like the quality of the photo, then send your claims Xiaomi (position themselves as an electronics manufacturer).
- The exhibition is taking place at Crocus Expo. Nobody invited me there, and I forgot to register as a journalist, so I wandered off to the ticket office to buy a ticket. The price is 500 rubles on weekdays and 750 on weekends. The cost is totally unfair. The Rossiya TV channel mentioned that the exhibition had shrunk this year, but immediately added that the Paris Motor Show in October will also lack participants. About Paris, I only know that no one invited me there either, but MIAS made a dismal impression – little and boring.
Some cars, such as a carriage and a small cart of tuned understated cars, gave the impression that they had been parked to somehow hide the gaping voids.
They underestimated Volkswagen:
And then the hand did not flinch and disfigured Porsche:
Many rare cars were placed around the entire perimeter of the exhibition. For example, here's a commanding Kurogane Type 95 of 1935. The name is translated from Japanese as 'black steel', and the customer was the imperial army. The car is four-wheel drive, a 1.4-liter engine, power – 33 horsepower, and a maximum speed of 70 km / h. In total, fewer than 5,000 such cars were produced, and they have practically not survived to this day, so it is believed that this is a very rare instance:
But Horch 901. I don't think there is much to say about it – all-wheel drive, maximum 95 kilometers per hour, engine capacity – 3.8
Along the way, notice how the Pocophone does not perform well in difficult light conditions.
Also, the Russian Hunting Magazine with the slogan 'Hunters for Wildlife Conservation' was exhibited at MIAS. A stuffed wolf and a gutted lion confirmed that the slogan could be trusted:
Of the unusual specimens, the SHAMAN all-terrain vehicle looked curious – 8 hefty wheels, a steel case.
There was no one near the all-terrain vehicle, but there was a banner that answered my questions:
Pro Volkswagen
Most of all on MIAS I liked the idea Volkswagen. The company did not buy a place in the pavilion, but set up an impromptu camp in the parking lot. There I saw the most interesting car of the exhibition – a minivan Volkswagen California. It has a ceiling that unfolds, the salon turns into a bed, the front seats rotate 180 degrees, and there is also a kitchen module with a refrigerator.
All car colors look very fun and perky.
At the same time, I looked at the advertising poster in the booklet:
It seems to me that Volkswagen also supports pension reform. Note. A couple in love by the fire in the foreground, and the gray-haired grandfather lights it on the surf. Although, probably, the company just wanted to show the continuity of generations. After all, those hippies and surfers who once made vans Volkswagen their symbol have already grown old.
Everything was joyful and cool exactly until I saw the price tag – 3.3 million rubles. My question is exactly one – who and when decided that the hippies were with the money? Somehow it seemed that they had a rolling ball in their pockets, not $ 50,000.
Modestly in the corner stood, in my opinion, the most beautiful executive sedan of the MIAS. This is Volkswagen Arteon R-Line. An impressive car. Look at what a wide muzzle he has:
And in profile, of course, pretty damn good:
Under the hood, there is a gasoline 2.0 TSI for 280 forces, and a price tag of 3.2 million. But, as I understand it, it has been available in Europe since 2017, but we still can't start selling it.
Pro Renault
There were a couple of high-profile premieres at the exhibition. One of them is Renault Arkana. The name comes from the Latin word Arcanum, meaning 'secret'. The automaker said it is the first coupe-like crossover in its history. And, I confess, I don't know what that means. Separately, the words are familiar, but the combination is incomprehensible. Who knows, explain in the comments. At MIAS, they showed not a commercial prototype, but just a show car, so it stood on a rotating stand and was not allowed close to it. The price will be announced only in 2019.
Along the way Renault a real Formula 1 car was brought in. It is great, and strict security guards around even allowed to touch the tire. By the way, write in the comments who have already traveled to Sochi for Formula 1. Share your impressions. At the same time, tell us how much the trip cost in total.
Hyundai Ioniq
As I wrote above, almost all automakers had one or another electric car at their stand. Upon entering the exhibition, he is immediately greeted by a stand Hyundai with a hybrid model Ioniq. In Russia, this copy is not for sale, but in the USA it costs 22-27 thousand dollars (imagine, at a price of 30 rubles per dollar, this is only 660 thousand rubles). The car has 130 horsepower, and it eats 4.3 liters per 100 kilometers, regardless of the mode. I was 188 cm tall, and I was spacious and comfortable inside the car. The seats have an electric drive, the sound insulation is excellent – you sit in the salon, and you can hardly hear the sounds of the exhibition. The salon is spartan, the materials are simple.
About Geely
It seemed that the most responsible approach to the exhibition was Geely. The manufacturer took up the design of its stand with high quality. The main message can be formulated as follows: Geely is a high-tech company and makes quality cars.
It all started with the fact that the manufacturer presented its technological processes in parts. Here is a wheelbase showing how the systems work with luminous tubes (the viewer presses buttons and the tubes light up):
At the second stage, it was demonstrated that the body is reliable:
The company also installed a curious cutaway model of the engine, where it was seen how which fluids move (fuel, oils). Probably, this stand hinted that the engine is reliable and in general the manufacturer knows how the internal combustion engine works – the fuel enters the combustion chambers, the oil is outside – that is, everything is done as in the textbook:
But what I liked the most was that Geely brought two motorized hands off the assembly line to make coffee for visitors. More precisely, they took a glass, put it in the coffee machine, and then served it to you. It seems like a trifle and nonsense, but there is something cool in this, when such a huge mechanism picks up a glass and brings you:
Of course, Geely presented their version of the electric car. The GE model is a hybrid. By the way, Geely is actively promoting the idea not only of reliability, but also of what the cars help them do Volvo. The Geely hybrid will only appear on sale in the fall of 2019 (?) At a price of 2-2.2 million rubles (if the rate is stable) and will become the most affordable hybrid in the world. Under the hood is a 1.5 turbocharged engine Volvo and an electric motor. The declared fuel consumption is only 1.6 liters per hundred, and the dynamics is 7.5 seconds to 100 km. I think taxi drivers will be most happy with such cars.
The pattern on the face of the Geely GE is slightly hypnotic:
About Haval and Lifan
Manufacturer Haval has revealed its hybrid concept. In general, write your attitude towards the Chinese in the comments. I have always treated them with a bit of disdain, but I walked around the exhibition, touched my hands, pressed all sorts of buttons – everything works, nothing falls off, there is a steering wheel, headlights and pedals, the interior smells nice, and the seats are comfortable. Question: have we already come to the point that Chinese cars have become like Chinese smartphones – that is, it is quite possible to drive?
And here's another crossover coupe, but from Haval:
Even Lifan made his own version of the electric car. Outwardly it looks quite good, but on the inside it is still not very good.
The feeling of the car is rather strange. As if you are sitting not behind the wheel, but on the couch. Finishing materials are very cheap. Against their background, the tunnel between the front seats stylized as an expensive tree looks funny. There's even a panel that slides off gracefully to reveal a USB cigarette lighter. In general, the car is spacious, and a little dust on the wheels convincingly confirmed that it can drive, well, or at least can roll.
Senat aurus
The second main star of MIAS was the Senat Aurus – a car for top officials of the state. A separate pavilion was made for Aurus. It was quite quiet there and generally deserted. In fact, such a large space confirms that there were too few participants at the exhibition.
Live car looks very impressive. If such a person hesitates at a traffic light, then you will not beep. Although, it is probably unlikely that this model will ever stop at a traffic light.
It was impossible to approach the car, but they were allowed to touch the wheelbase. Thought it would be a good hot rod:
Lada
I also visited the LADA stand and sat behind the wheel of Vesta:
The catalog Kia was in the back seat of the cloth interior. Perhaps this means that Avtovaz has a conscience and is trying to warn its potential customers about the danger?
The prototype of the new Niva became the star of the LADA stand. It looks brutal, stylish and futuristic. The car was not allowed to be touched, so I don't know what was inside. Perhaps it's for the best:
Conclusion
That's all that was shown at the exhibition. I missed only a fairly large stand Kia, where they were allowed to sit in new Stinger's for 2 million. But I think you've seen them already. MIAS makes a dismal impression – few participants, few visitors, and international status is questionable. Rather, it is a Russian-Chinese exhibition.
Most of all I liked the Kawasaki booth at the show, because there they were allowed to sit on a motorcycle. I liked two models very much. The first is the Z900RS. Wide comfortable seat, nicely holding your feet on the tank, but I can hardly afford such a motorcycle – the price tag of 1 million stops.
But I liked the Vulcan S both in appearance and in price. Only 652 thousand, and you can proudly dissect around the city.
I, of course, will not buy it myself, but I will choose something inexpensive for 200-300 thousand, so that it would not be a pity if they were stolen. The idea to buy a motorcycle has been around for a long time. And after I moved to Moscow, she only got stronger, since I completely disliked driving by car. As usual, he stops that there is nowhere to store. Although I observe that some simply leave in front of the house, and the motorcycles stand quietly. Write in the comments where you store it, if you leave it in front of the house overnight. Has anyone rolled a motorcycle up the stairs to the floor? In theory, I have a freight elevator, but, according to the law of meanness, 10 steps lead to it.
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