At the New York Auto Show Mazda has announced plans to bring diesel engines to the United States. This is a unusual move because most automakers, besides Volkswagen, do not have smaller diesels in their United States portfolios. The first vehicle to have a diesel will be a Mazda 6 sized vehicle (maybe even the Mazda 6).
I know that diesels aren't that popular in the United States but I blame that mostly on the lack of vehicle choices. The lack of choices is sad because diesel engines offer better fuel economy than most hybrids, can burn many different types of fuels and diesels tend to have a longer life expectancy than their gasoline counterparts.
I am glad to see some more diesels coming to the States and with Mazda, you know we will have some sporty/affordable options.
What are your thoughts towards diesel engines?
Source:
http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1137598
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Is China Losing Its Appeal to Businesses?
Google has finally taking a stance against China's censorship rules of their search results by moving their Chinese servers to Hong Kong. Google understands the importance of China but they also understand the importance of information. Not long after Google announced their stance against China, two other companies also made some interesting announcements.
Godaddy.com, a web services company, has made a statement saying they no longer intend to register web domains in China because the Chinese government is requiring that they obtain photos of each person registering a domain. Also, there was an announcement by the India prime minster saying that Dell is looking at moving their manufacturing from China to India. Dell's move seems to be due to the business environment in China as well, and Dell's manufacturing business represents about 25 Billion dollars.
So what does this all mean?
China has been come from companies moving manufacturing operations to China and opening up branches in order to have a business presences in China. Chinese companies have been copying foreign product designs and/or using intellectual properties of foreign companies without permission or consequences for years. I have often wondered if this type of business environment was going to eventually cause China problems because the Chinese government doesn't seem to care about protecting foreign companies rights.
I personally think that companies have been ignoring and/or tolerating the negative conditions in China for far too long. Most of this is due to the fact that manufacturing goods in China is very inexpensive and because China is an economy with huge potential. I am glad to see some companies realize that there are more options in this world than China, like India or Hong Kong. I also think that we will see other companies continuing to look else where for manufacturing and investment.
The Chinese economy will undoubtedly be a force in the future, but why should foreign companies risk their beliefs and intellectual properties in a hostile environment just to make some money? If your products are being copied and used by the Chinese and you are unable to do anything about it, is it actually worth it to you to be involved in the Chinese economy? China could be looking at a less lucrative future if these trends continue because the cost of doing business in China may exceed the gain.
Sources
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