Brexit discussion thread XIV (Please read OP before posting)

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119786068#Comment_119786068

Bad news for us.

I can see small (non-UK based, would Lotus bother if they weren't?) manufacturers not bothering with the UK market at all - and larger ones not bothering for their more niche products.

This means they won't produce these models in RHD at all (or only for JDM)

So less choice of new cars to buy here, as well as the virtual elimination of UK imports due to duty and hassle.

Thanks Brexit 🙄

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119794778#Comment_119794778

I posted this in another thread:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119794782#Comment_119794782

Japanese engineers used to visit Nissan Sunderland for training. Now, that plant is closing.

Muahahaha

I found some Brexit benefits for anyone who was looking for them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVHVYXCrrEw

Its actually unbelievable, literally everything mentioned as a Brexit benefit in the video has gotten worse under Brexit.

"You and your family will benefit from a resurgent economy" and "Politicans will become more accountable" are my particular favourites.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119794810#Comment_119794810

"Politicans will become more accountable" has always meant "Politicians won't be foreign & bunch of frogs or wops".

Obviously truth and logic was non-existent throughout the Leave campaign, but way back when this thread required multiple versions, there was an enlightening breakdown about how the EU political structures turned out to be more democratic than the UK's equivalent institutions (comparing the EU Parliament, Commission etc against the Houses of Parliament, Lords and so on). Even here there's a persistent angle from some that the EU is just undemocratic by default - usually 'cos, again, it's foreign and somewhere thousands of KMs further away than Kildare Str.

54and56

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119794778#Comment_119794778

Yes, I guess manufacturers may prioritise RHD for Japan/Australia/NZ/South Africa/Thailand etc but given they'll be making RHD for those markets and the fact the UK is still a 60m person market I do still think they'll offer models for the RHD countries in "Europe" (UK/Irl/Cyprus/Malta) but whereas a single Homologation for the EU previously covered all 4 countries now an EU Homologation for a RHD model will only cover Irl/Cyprus/Malta and may therefore be far down manufacturers list of priorities thus delaying when new models will be launched here and possibly reducing the range of models made available here.

Sam Russell

Isn't there an EU requirement that manufacturers have to produce both LHD and RHD models?

Also, with the advent of EV cars with screen based consoles, there might be little difference mechanically between the LHD and RHD models. Certainly in the 1950s and 1960s, British cars were designed with speedos located in the centre of the dash. (I am thinking of the Morris Minor/1000 and the Mini).

MustangMick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119798913#Comment_119798913

No requirement to produce RHD within EU.

Notable examples include

Opel Ampera-E (Chevrolet Bolt...I wanted to buy one)

original Fiat Spider, original BMW M3.

Cheers

Mick

Hotblack Desiato

Switching over to driving on the right is, like Schengen, just another sensible thing we can't do because we have a land border with the UK.. I'm no Shinner but am getting increasingly fed up in the way that our country is to an extent shackled to the decaying corpse of the UK. There'd be ructions if we changed our time zone or summer time in step with the EU but not in step with the UK, if they unilaterally diverge... people might miss East Enders 🙄

Gerry T

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799068#Comment_119799068

NI could switch also.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799083#Comment_119799083

However unlikely the Republic is to switch to RHD, there's more chance of me being elected Emperor of Earth than Northern Ireland doing that.

Sam Russell

We cannot change to LHD because it would cost too much.

Just think of it - every road sign would have to move from one side of the road to the other. That alone would be horrendously expensive. Road junctions might need to be re-engineered, and in some cases redesigned. And that is just passive road signs and white lines.

Then you have the motor vehicles themselves. Now we could export our RHD vehicles to the UK, but the speedos would have to be changed, plus they would take a bath on price. We had a big problem changing from MPH to Km/h so how would we fare converting to LHD?

Look at your keyboard - we are still using a layout that was designed to slow typists down because the mechanical typewriter could no keep up with a fast typist. We still talk about footage when video content is talked about - a long time since video appeared on film measured in feet.

Change is difficult - even when it is easy. Changing the side of the road we drive on is extremely difficult. Sweden did it in 1967, but at the time most of their vehicles were already LHD and they bordered LHD countries with road connections. Also, the car had not penetrated society as much then.

Glaceon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119798982#Comment_119798982

Buses and coaches have had the same problem. Setra stopped producing RHD entirely and Volvo stopped producing the 9700 model in RHD, which was very popular in Ireland. Many have moved over to the Mercedes Tourismo instead, while some like Wexford Bus went with the Volvo 9900 instead.

Gerry T

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799098#Comment_119799098

😁 my suggestion was tongue in cheek.

Hotblack Desiato

Mine... not entirely.

We already changed every single speed limit sign in the country for... what exactly?

I suppose SIMI loved it because (when cars still had analogue dials) it made UK imports less attractive.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799083#Comment_119799083

Have you seen the state people get into when you mention switching to metric. Also the state they get into any time someone changes a simple road layout.

I told ya

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799445#Comment_119799445

Could be wrong, but weren't SIMI members big importers from the UK?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119800737#Comment_119800737

Some SIMI members were importing used cars from the UK.

However, as SIMI represent the trade, I'd say all common brand importers are members so you could say that 99.9% of new and used cars are imported by SIMI members.

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119799581#Comment_119799581

Some metric measures are quite well accepted generally - mostly by the young, others not so much.

Most people are happy with Celsius, and have forgotten the other one. Not much taken with metres, but OK with it as with Km/h - mostly.

However, auctioneers cannot get their heads around sq metres, and hectares - preferring sq ft and acres. Mpg is preferred to the metric version - l/100km. Tonnes and tons are pretty much the same. Shoe sizes are either/or - and so it depends which is offered.

Most people understand what 'Spend a penny' means but would not be able to direct you to where you might find a public place where one could 'Spend a penny'.

In the marine world, who could fathom what a knot was?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119800832#Comment_119800832

I more meant in the UK if you try to implement metric as law.

The tabloids were forever running EU stealing our imperial bllsht stories

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119800862#Comment_119800862

Most of the tabloid stuff is just populist trash.

Draft beer is sold in pints - there is no intention to change this in Ireland or Britain. For some reason I have yet to determine - cans of beer in Ireland are usually 500 ml while in the UK they are 440 ml. Bottles of wine are 75 cl while bottles of whiskey are 70 cl, and bottles of beer are 50 cl or 33 cl, bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale are a pint.

Butter has to be sold in pounds in Ireland - not grams - however that is not so in Britain. Milk is sold in Litres in Ireland, but in quarts, pints, etc. in Britain.

Plumbing in Britain is metric but imperial in Ireland - which can be a problem because of the difference in the standards - like one uses OD and the other ID, so the fittings are different but nearly the same. That is why plumbers tell you not to buy plumbing parts in the likes of B&Q - they do not fit Irish pipes.

People understand stones and pounds when discussing their weight (which they try not to do), and height in feet and inches.

Horses race in furlongs, but people race in metres unless they are running a marathon. Horses height is measured in hands, even though they do not have any.

As they say, it is complicated. And Brexit was supposed to sort all this out.

Seth Brundle

^^^ sure car tyres are a mix of metric, imperial and aspect ratio e.g. 255/40 R15 is 255mm wide with a sidewall height being 40% of the width and the tyre sits on a 15" rim.

It's a strange world!

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801059#Comment_119801059

Cans of beer come in both sizes in both countries and you can also get some cans and bottles in 568ml (1 pint) like Bulmers/Magners.

440ml weights 1lb which is why it's a big thing in the UK. Of course some companies now use it to catch people out. 20 cans for €20 kinda stuff hoping people won't check the size.

500, 330, 250 are something we got from European suppliers.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801141#Comment_119801141

And of all firms, British Leyland tried to go to fully metric! (amongst others)

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801141#Comment_119801141

I think the tyres were fully imperial and it was the introduction of radial tyres that introduced the metric width to distinguish them from cross ply tyres.

Why is oil measured in barrels? It is a long time since any oil was shipped in barrels.

The EU was a strong force for standardise these things.

FraserburghFreddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119801751#Comment_119801751

I work in the oil services industry and the US pretty much controls the world oil industry.The majority of world producers(with the exception of Russia and Iran) get their oilfield services from US companies.

ancapailldorcha

Another blow for global Britain it seems. Rishi Sunak will not be attending COP27 next month. Disappointing but par for the course.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802069#Comment_119802069

Presumably he, like Truss, won't allow HRH to speak at the event.

I note Sunaks claimnof commitment to tackling climate change whilst also removing COP President Alok Sharma and Climate minister Graham Stuart from cabinet (don't look up!)

Sam Russell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802140#Comment_119802140

Just as a point of pedantry, king Charles the third is not HRH any longer, but he is now His Majesty. He was HRH as Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, etc., but he has moved up a bit. As head of the Church of England, only God is above him.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119802069#Comment_119802069

It's a peculiar decision to give it a miss. They're claiming to be a big mover and shaker in global politics and how they don't need the EU and then they go and snub a huge international conference like this.

Capt'n Midnight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119786743#Comment_119786743

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/oct/26/end-of-the-road-for-ford-fiesta-uks-all-time-best-selling-car-halts-production

"Ford is in the middle of a clearout: it also on Wednesday announced the end of production in Valencia of the S-MAX and Galaxy multi-purpose vehicles – what Americans call minivans – in April 2023. The Mondeo, the symbol of aspirational swing voters during Tony Blair’s premiership, was axed last year. The bigger Focus could also face the axe soon."

When stuff like this happens there's an internal beauty competition to decide where the replacement models will be made. No EU politician will defend a UK production line or jobs.

The timeline goes like this :

Diesel engines are made in Dagenham.

Ford are investing $2Bn in Cologne to make electric cars.

The UK will ban new diesels in 2030.