African Automotive Design Association: African Cars - Page 2

Engineer · (#26 (**permalink**))

Vubundada_Kandaba wrote:

Quote:

The above response does not make any sense at all. I am surprise it's coming from someone who claims to be studying Mechanical Engineering. The response is a defeatist attitude and the person has given up the fight before even firing a shot. If African Leaders, Technologists and Policy Makers think like the above then we are in serious trouble, very serious trouble indeed.

Excuse i don't have a defeatist attitude, if i had a defeatist attitude i would run from knowledge rather than embraces it. Yes i study mechanical engineering, and unlike you, i have not trapped with ahopeless fantasy that Africa must follow Europe's technological progress. you use Japan and south Korea as prime examples of how a once athird world nation can climb to the top of the ladder in 50 years. You assume a lot brother. Japan and South Korea got help from the United States of America and Europe. For the solo purpose of counter balancing Chinese power in the region. Itâ€™s a game bro Africa is the continent in the center of the world, and all other 6 continents are moving in for the kill. Be realistic bro, 90% of the engineering students are European and Japanese in my department. Their are like 3 black people including myself that are studying Mechanical/automotive engineering out of 190 people. Most of the black people at my uni are doing Economics, business studies, accountancy ..ect

Bro seriously until African Government invest in sending their native students to study Engineering in western universities like the other nations around the world do. Nothing is going to really change in Africa. Yes it's sad, but put youhave to putyour pride to one side if your really areserious about development and progress in Africa.

Nothing changes over night, but with the right tools, and a few good leaders we can move Africa from a vassal continent to a truly independent society in the future.

Vubundada_Kandaba · (#27 (**permalink**))

@BIG L. Forgive me if I seem to come off too harsh and no pun intended here. I am speechless reading what you wrote here calling ideas as fantasies. This is still a defeatist attitude of running away from the battle field at the site of the enemies infantry before the war even began. With such attitude, I would not want to be on the same side with you because you might ran away and leave me to fight the enemy by my self. I have the feeling that all you did was look at the pictures of the cars I posted and did not even read the documents I posted. Here are some qoutes from the documents above and I highlight a few for you, becauseI know most people don't like to read. Bernard Otabil a Nigerian wrote the following: "Africaâ€™s automobile industry is one of the fastest growing sectors, but it lacks the necessary local technology to fully harness its potentials and contribution to growth and development".

Obi Akwe, a Nigerian Mechanical Engineer explains: "About three decades ago, Korea knew nothing about car production. In fact, the very nature of the sort of economic activities and system of governance did not permit that kind of economic activity." According to Akwe, it is the resilience and determination of the people of Korea that has made them so important in the global automotive market today".

Brother BIG L, Did you know that in the African Country of Egypt at one time you cannot buy a Foreign made car unless you already posses an Egyptian made car; or have bought in thepastan Egyptian Made car/ locally assembled car? Here is something for you fromfrom the Egyptian Government policy of 1998. "In an attempt to curb car imports and bolster the local car industry, the government has issued a new decree banning the import of second-hand vehicles for private use". The decree, no. 577, issued last week by the Minister of Trade and Supply, Ahmed Guweili, bans all private car imports, except for those manufactured in the year of importation. The decree, issued last week, was one of several recent government measures introduced in order to help the local car industry compete with imports of new cars and to reduce the sales of imported cars".

BIG L; you need to start reading History and stop making statements without understanding them. Japan started developing back in the 1800s and at one time Japan colonized China. So what counterbalance against China are you talking off? China began to be a power after World War II. Japan was an industrial power since the 1800s. Their Automotive Industry were started back in the late 1800s when relations with the west was not that good which eventually led to Japan going to war with America. To claim that America help them is a defeatist attitude. America rebuild what America destroyed.

I lived in East Africa for a brief period and in Uganda, there are alot of Indian made cars, YES INDIAN MADE CARS. Have you have ever heard of the TaTA. In Sudan I see cars that were made in Turkey, build and design by Turkey. Now tell me again why we can't do the same?

Here are pictures of Tata, cars made in India and today they are all over East Africa. The Ugandan Military uses TaTA Made Trucks specifically designed for the Military. I believe a picture is a good tool since most people don't like to read.

During the Zimbabwean Revolution that brought Independence to Zimbabwe, the racist government of Ian Smith was under sanctions that prohibited them from buying weapons. They then decided to build their own cars and here are some pictures. Do you still believe Africans (Black Africans)cannot build better vehicles then these in the year 2006?

The First car is the Kudu Mine Protection vehicle and the second one is the Crocodile Troop Carrier. The third & fourth were the Rhino Patrol Vehicles.

The Crocodile troop carrier was based on a 5t truck. Other vehicles were set on Landrover 4x4 chassis â€“ such as the Kudu (right) and Rhino patrol vehicles. These vehicles were simply a V-bottomed crew cab perched on top of the Landrover chassis. Crude as they were, these knocked-together vehicles were the first truly mine-resistant and therefore blast-resistant armoured personnel carriers. As conversions of existing types, Rhodesian mine- / blast-resistant vehicles were quick to construct and made use of readily-available components.

BIG L, we are not trying to build African Made vehicles to compete with Japan and the US. We are trying to build African Made vehicles for Domestic uses. When our cars are proven to be exceptional then we can start exporting them and put them up for competition. The Chinese today are building their own cars for Domestic purposes. The Turkish are doing the Same and today Brazil is building its own cars. Whey do you want to keep importing from Japan. Why do you see yourself as inferior to the Japanese?

Now concerningyour statement about being one of three Africans in your department, whos fault is it that Black people in Britain do not want to study Engineering? I am going here by your claims as I do not know the statistics there in the UK. In Africa especially where I lived, Science and Engineering are the Fields to be w ith the majority of people wanting to study these two fields, it is only opportunity that they lack. Here in America, the majority of Africans are in the Science and Engineering Fields particularly in Graduate school. The schools I went to here in America even had more African Engineering and Science students then there were African-Americans particularly graduate school.

Vubundada_Kandaba · (#28 (**permalink**))

@BIG L. Here is a quick Engineering tip for you. The Zimbabwean/Rhodesian build Crocodile Troop Carrier is build with a V- Bottom Crew Carrier to deflect the blast of a Land-Mine away from the body of the car thus ensuring the safety of its crew.

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Hopefully you BIG L or other Africans will build better cars for Africa. We are the future and we must put our knowledge into practical use.

If enthusiast extraordinaire Jimmy Price of Port Elizabeth South Africa(on the southernmost tip of South Africa)can build this car and build plenty of them that he has to export them to Europe & America, then why can't BIG L do the same thing? What is preventing you BIG L from coming up with a concept that will make a difference and make you rich?

[align=center]Built is South Africa by Jimy Price.[/align]
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Vubundada_Kandaba · (#29 (**permalink**))

Brought to you by Vubundada, a.k.a Ancient Kings Engineering and Innovations.

Naija Car.

Naija car is a the designs of my Nigerian Brethren Tonami Playman. Tonami Playman is a Computer Science student in the US who is a certified car enthusiast.

The biggest example of a nationwide effort for affordable mobility is the VW Beetle, the so-called â€œpeoples carâ€?. Personally I think the car was far too technical for its time, If not for the enormous amounts of free labor invested in the development, the Beetle would have been more expensive that it was.

Compared to the 2CV, the VW beetle is a Lexus. It was design for the German autobahn, while the 2CV was designed for unpaved country roads. Its solid build is light years ahead of the rickety 2CV and its price despite being very cheap, was still double that of the 2CV. Regardless the car had as much technical innovation as the 2CV, because it was spearheaded by the Best Engineer in his era Ferdinand Porsche. Porsche used rear mounted air cooled engine constructed out of lightweight magnesium, specially treated anticorrosion steel chassis, the first use of a torsion bar suspension, acrylic paint and a very aerodynamic shape for its day.

The car was thoroughly tested and engineered to standards that rival todayâ€™s cars. For a Nigerian car, going in the direction of the beetle would lead to bankruptcy and total failure, because the government is not ready to pour in such an investment. But key concepts from its design can be taken into consideration, like the rear mounted air-cooled engine, and aerodynamic shape. The beetle shows what can be done when a whole nation puts its back behind a technical endeavor. The end result was a car that was more advanced than anything in production at the time and yet affordable by the masses.

Nexo Urban: An example for naijacar

Thenexo urban car project is a concept that follows closely to what naijacar is trying to achieve. It was the second price winner of the 2006Innovar Inventions contest in argentina ( a contest that nigeria should emulate) It was design by Indutrial designers Ernesto Frias and NicolÃ¡s Alem. The car uses simple forms for easy production, a bunch of similar parts, and symmetrical door assemblies to increase economies of scale. it can be adapted to suit any market application. There are many ideas in the project that are similar to the naijacar project. Its great to see people in other developing countries are exploring such a concept.

Tonami Playman Designs.

Taysense · (#30 (**permalink**))

Nice thread! keep em comin.