No Thanks.

Nice article in Autoguide today.

It makes a change from the sort of article you regularly get like this one from Fox.  Autoguide have taken the usual article stance of cars we want but can't have and replaced it with cars you don't want and still can't have anyway.

Cars like the Tata Nano:

This is a particularly apt photo because as well as showing how ugly the car is, it shows a group of people excited by it that you particularly wouldn't want to go for a drink with.  And the car is UKIP purple - UKIP being a group of people that you particularly wouldn't want to go for a drink with and who don't like foreign things - like Tato Nanos or the other cars in the list:
  1. Jiangling Landwind X6
  2. Tata Nano
  3. Mitsubishi Mirage Hello Kitty 40^th Anniversary Package
  4. Iran Khodro Samand Sarir
  5. Chery QQ
I suppose it is a bit unfair to put the Nano in there given that its remit was to provide safe transport for people who couldn't previously afford a car - but that picture is just vomit-inducing on so many levels.

Number 3 is obscene beyond belief.  Number 4 was a bit of a surprise because I didn't know that Iranians had moved on from rebadged Hillman Hunters.  And, as Autoguide say about number 5, why bother making a copy of an already rubbish car?

Now, dare I comment on American cars that I'm glad we don't have over here?  Probably not a good idea given some British cars of the past but I suppose the AMC Pacer gets a notable mention.  And besides, we are talking cars currently on sale - which does make the list a bit scary.

Airmiles

Next time you're on one of these...

...you might be able to buy one of these...

This short story from Bloomberg states that a Chinese Airline, Spring Airlines, plans to start selling Chinese cars as early as next month.

“We wanted to start in-flight sales a few years ago, and decided cars are suitable for our passengers,” said spokesman Zhang Wu’An. “Car sales are very popular in Shanghai and our passengers can have time during their flight to study details of the models available.

Car sales on flights will initially be available on flights from Shanghai and could be introduced to other flights", Zhang said. "Flight attendants will be trained on the car details, while passengers may be eligible for discounts", he said.

They would need to be - in my experience, anything bought on a plane costs a lot more than anything bought on the ground. Here's a Thomson in-flight menu. £3.80 (approx €4.30 or $5.70) for a SMALL can of Bud!

They don't claim to know which cars they would be selling but they have stated that they will be a Chinese brand, hence my picture of a Chery QQ but now that MG and Volvo are both owned by the Chinese, who knows?


Maybe the idea will spread.


Ryanair could do it.


But you'd have to pay extra for the wheels and engine.


And the car you bought would always take you miles away from your destination.