Iran's leading automaker, Iran Khodro, has unveiled its fourth domestically-built car — dubbed Dena — which will hit the markets in April 2012.
Iranian Minister of Industries and Mines Ali Akbar Mehrabian told Press TV on Saturday that the new car has been designed and manufactured by Iranian experts and complies with Euro IV and Euro V emission standards.
The Iranian minister noted that Dena meets the latest motor vehicle safety requirements and will replace the country's previous national car, Samand, by the end of the year.
According to Mehrabian, Dena is the most luxurious Iranian automobile.
"We already have markets in 30 counties. Last year, we exported 40 thousand automobiles, and now with Dena we are targeting luxury car markets,” Iran Khodro Company (IKCO) CEO Javad Najmeddin told Press TV.
The largest carmaker in the Middle East, IKCO, plans to increase its production to 730,000 vehicles a year by the end of 2011, and raise the volume of exports to more than 600,000 cars by 2016.
Russia, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Ukraine, and Egypt, are among the main target markets of the company.
The mid-size four-door class-D sedan has an Iranian-built EF7 engine that produces 113 horsepower and a fuel efficiency rating of 7.2 liters per 100 kilometers.
Dena comes in two models of LX and ELX. The former is outfitted with an EF7 gasoline engine and a CNG-based engine. The ELX version is equipped with a turbo-charged EF7 engine.
A manual gearbox is fitted in the car, but an electronically-controlled automatic transmission system could be a future possible option.
IKCO plans to manufacture 35,000 units of Dena in 2012, 80,000 units in 2013 and 100,000 units between 2015 and 2017.
TEMPO Interaktif, Jakarta - Desain ulang Volkswagen Beetle telah dipikirkan sejak 2007 dan benar-benar merupakan upaya global. Mobil itu akhirnya terungkap pada hari Senin di New York dan Shanghai, dan akan diproduksi di Meksiko.
Mobil itu merupakan hasil sketsa selama empat tahun dari seorang desainer Indonesia yang mengonsep ulang mobil impiannya itu menjadi kenyataan di Beetle 2012.
Chris Lesmana membuat desain yang menjadi headline minggu ini, dan dengan beberapa penyesuaian proporsional, impiannya itu akan menjadi kenyataan di jalan-jalan Amerika musim gugur ini.
Lesmana yang saat ini tinggal di Jerman tidak bisa datang ke acara peluncuran di AS karena tugas keluarga, tapi ia diharapkan menghadiri acara Beetle di Berlin.
Desainer Exterior Frank Bruse yang mewakili Lesmana di New York menggambarkan upaya Lesmana itu kepada AutoWeek sebagai "seseorang yang dapat merancang versinya tentang mobil impian."
Lesmana dan Bruse tumbuh bersama Beetle sebagai mobil keluarga dan desain yang lama lebih terbawa ke versi baru. Mobil terbaru ini yang lebih bundar dan condong diarahkan ke pengguna wanita. Model 2012 itu memiliki atap lebih rendah, roda yang lebih besar, atap panjang, dan interior yang sporty --minus vas bunga.
"Ini jauh lebih dekat dengan yang lama daripada Beetle baru," kata Bruse tentang produk terbaru. "Kami memutuskan untuk kembali ke tema awal."
Rancangan itu telah memenangkan perhatian bos Grup Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, yang memberi lampu hijau untuk rancangan akhir yang merupakan gagasan Lesmana.
"Rancangan itu begitu baik di awalnya, kami hampir tidak mengubahnya," kata Bruse.
Dengan 23 juta terjual di seluruh dunia selama jangka panjang--termasuk enam juta di Amerika Serikat--Beetle bukan subjek mudah untuk mengalami penyegaran. Mobil itu telah didesain ulang dua kali dalam perjalanan untuk menjadi kekuatan penjualan dan ikon budaya VW di seluruh dunia.
Versi convertible akan menyusul tahun depan dan versi R line juga diharapkan menyusul. Desain baru ini ditandai dengan spatbor semakin ditarik ke luar, lampu bixenon, dan interior yang berwarna-warni, dengan dashboard sesuai warna badan mobil.
"Anda tidak mengubah mobil seperti itu secara iseng," kata Kepala Volkswagen, AS Jonathan Browning.
Salah satu cara yang dilakukan pemerintah kota Asmterdam, Belanda untuk mendorong penduduknya menggunakan (juga membeli) mobil listrik adalah menyediakan inftrastruktur lebih awal.
Kendati jumlah mobil listrik atau hibrida plug-in di kota itu masih belum banyak, sesuai dengan target pemerintah kota tersebut pada 2015, yaitu 10.000 mobil listrik, mulai tahun ini dicanangkan memasang tempat pengisian baterainya.
Untuk itu, Pemerintah Kota Amsterdam, meminta penggelola energi Belanda, Essent milik RWE AG, Jerman untuk memasang paling kurang 125 tempat pengisian baterai buat umum. Jumlahnya bisa saja ditambah menjadi 750 tempat dan dihrapkan rampung pada semester pertama tahun ini.
Dengan cara ini, Amsterdam berharap akan menjadi salah satu trendsetter kota di Eropa untuk mobilitas listrik. “Kontrak ini sangat penting bagi Essent dan RWE. Ini untuk pertama kalinya di Belanda, sebuah kota bisa dicapai oleh mobil listrik sampai ke pelosok. Nantinya mobil listrik menjadi bagian dari kota ini,” kata Peter Terium, CEO Essent.
“Stasiun pengisian baterai di Amsterdam dibuat oleh RWE. Perusahaan ini sudah berpengalaman memasang sistem pengisaian baterai di Eropa, antara lain Jerman, Polandia, Hungrian dan Austria.
“Setelah Berlin, kami melihat Asmterdam sebagai proyek metropolitan kedua di Eropa dengan target mobil listrik bisa beroperasi di seluruh kota,” kata Ingo Alpheus, CEO RWE Effizienz GmbH. Perusahaan ini mengakata sudah memasang 800 tempat pengisian baterai di 14 negara Eropa.
Meski menempatkan institusi sebagai bidikan pertama, PT INKA optimis mobil GEA juga akan mendapat sambutan publik (perseorangan). Pasalnya, konsumsi BBM GEA terbilang irit. 1 liter premium bisa untuk 30 km. Lalu bagaimana purna jualnya? Bagaimana soal perawatan dan ketersediaan suku cadang? PT INKA selaku produsen menyadari betul hal itu, karenanya jika jadi dipasarkan PT INKA berjanji segera juga membangun jaringan marketing dan aftersales di pelbagai kota.
“Kedepannya juga akan melakukan penjaringan marketing – marketing dari kelembagan yang ada di kota – kota besar namun kesemuanya masih menunggu hasil tes ujicoba oleh BPPT (Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi) di Jakarta,” ujar Humas PT Inka Fathor Rashid, Rabu (8/10/2008).
Rencana membuat jaringan besar untuk GEA tersebut tentunya juga menunggu respon dari masyarakat. Apabila publik juga antusias terhadap GEA, PT INKA tak kan menunggu lama untuk membuat jaringan aftersales di berbagai kota. “Semua bisa memiliki mobil GEA karena saya yakin nyaman dan irit BBM. Suku cadangnya murah dan perawatannya bisa dimana saja, sehingga daya beli masyarat juga banyak," jelas Rashid.
Rashid pribadi optimis GEA akan mendapat sambutan. Pasalnya, prilaku sebagian besar konsumen lokal cenderung menyukai mobil yang irit bahan bakar. Terlebih di jaman harga minyak naik gila-gila-an seperti saat ini. Nah, GEA menurutnya memberi solusi. Jika mempergunakan bahan bakar premium, menurut Rashid, konsumsi BBM GEA bisa mencapai 25-30 km untuk setiap liternya.Angka itu sudah nampak dalam hasil ujicoba yang telah dilakukan pada jalur Madiun, Ngawi, Ponorogo, Pacitan dan Magetan. "Dari pengujian 10 ribu Km tersebut selama 3 bulan mulai April hingga Juli oleh tim kami, terbukti memang irit dan suara mesin pun nyaris tidak bunyi," tambah Rasyid. Soal tanjakan jangan khawatir, jalur Sarangan yang penuh tanjakan pun menurut Rashid, mampu dilalui GEA.
Selain soal konsumsi BBM, harga yang murah dan perawatan yang mudah juga dihitung Rashid sebagai keunggulan kompetitif GEA dibandingkan kompetitornya kelak. Kalau sudah mendapat lampu hijau dari BPPT, PT INKA memprediksi bisa memberi harga GEA pada bandrol Rp 45- Rp 50 juta per unit.
GEA saat ini tengah dikembangkan oleh PT INKA dan telah menjalani ujicoba 10.000 km. Bahan bakar GEA diutamakan menggunakan BBG namun terbuka opsi untuk juga mengunakan BBM Premium mengingat tingkat konsumsinya yang sedikit. PT INKA sendiri masih memprioritaskan pasar institusi jikalau GEA nanti lolos uji BPPT. Namun, pasar personal juga dibuka lebar.
Mobil nasional GEA produksi PT INKA yang rencananya akan dilaunching di Jakarta pada akhir Oktober 2010, sudah banyak peminatnya. Sayang, saat ini cuma bisa dibeli di Koperasi.
Dalam dua hari, mobil yang dipamerkan di acara Pameran dan Seminar Produk Alat Transportasi di gedung Gramedia Expo di Jalan Basuki Rahmat, Surabaya, sudah ada 33 orang yang memesan.
“Ya lumayan bagus. Masyarakat sangat antusias dan ingin membeli GEA,” ujar Ridwan tim GEA di lokasi pameran kepada detikOto, Jumat (1/10/2010).
Ridwan mengatakan, berdasarkan kebijakan perusahaan, mobil yang kapasitas penumpangnya 4 orang dan berbahan bakar Bio Fuel Engine (Premium dan LPG) seharga dibawah Rp 50 juta itu, tidak dijual retail atau perorangan.
“Banyak yang ingin langsung membeli dan ada yang ingin meminta kartu nama. Tapi tahap awal ini, penjualannya melalui koperasi. Usaha yang mempunyai koperasi bisa mengajukan, minimal pembeliannya 25 unit,” tuturnya.
GEA diprediksi dapat menarik masyarakat, untuk memilikinya sebagai micro car 650 CC, yang ekonomis, lincah dan tangguh. Namun, hanya bisa dibeli di koperasi.
“Kenapa kita pilih koperasi, karena suplai spare partnya maupun layanan service bisa ke koperasi tersebut,” tuturnya.
GEA adalah mobil micro car yang sistem pengeraknya, tipe intak : penggerak depan. Daya maksimum kapasitas : 20 kw/5300 rpm (650 CC). Suspensi depan maupun belakang dengan menggunakan Per keong dengan peredam kejut.
Transmisi mobil nasional ini tipenya manual dengan tingkat kecepatan 4 tingkat. Pengereman depan dengan menggunakan Disk Brake, sedangkan belakang rem tromol.
Dimensinya, mempunyai panjang 3.210 mm, lebar 1.430 mm, tinggi 1.705, jarak roda 1.984 mm, jarak tapak roda depan 1.277 mm dan jarak tapak roda belakang 1.267 mm. Kapasitas penumpang sebanyak 4 -5 orang dan kapasitas tangki sebanyak 30 liter, dengan perbandingan 1 : 25.
Ketua III Gabungan Industri Kendaraan Bermotor Indonesia Johnny Darmawan mengatakan, Indonesia wajib memperkuat industri komponen otomotif di Indonesia. Pasalnya, gempa yang terjadi di Jepang, Maret 2011, membuat industri otomotif Tanah Air mengalami gangguan pasokan kendaraan dan suku cadang.
Johnny menjelaskan, Indonesia merupakan pasar otomotif terbesar di Asia Tenggara dan terus menunjukkan peningkatan dari tahun ke tahun. Kesiapan industri otomotif dan pendukungnya menjadi sesuatu yang mutlak. Guna merealisasikan hal ini, Gabungan Industri Kendaraan Bermotor Indonesia (Gaikindo) berharap dukungan dari pemerintah, khususnya dalam hal perbaikan infrastruktur dan ketersediaan energi.
"Kita harus mulai memikirkan bagaimana memajukan industri otomotif nasional agar Indonesia bisa menjadi basis produksi. Ekspor menjadi salah satu keunggulan suatu negara ketika ditunjuk sebagai basis produksi," ujar Johnny yang juga Ketua Penyelenggara Indonesia International Motor Show 2011 (Ketua Penyelenggara IIMS 2011) dalam keterangan resmi yang diterima Kompas.com, hari ini (3/5/2011).
Sementara itu, guna menggali pengembangan industri otomotif lokal, Gaikindo akan menggelar The 6th Indonesia International Automotive Conference bertema "The Indonesian Automotive Industry Post 1 Million Cars" di JIExpo, Jakarta, 21 Mei mendatang. Pada kegiatan ini diharapkan para pemegang keputusan otomotif Indonesia bisa menghasilkan satu agenda besar terkait masa depan industri ke depan, ke arah pengembangan teknologi ramah lingkungan.
Konferensi ini merupakan agenda tahunan yang akan dilaksanakan Gaikindo sebelum IIMS digelar pada Juli 2011. Tahun ini, Gaikindo juga menyambut kehadiran Pertamina sebagai sponsor utama pameran otomotif terbesar ini. Selain itu, Tokobagus.com sebagai sponsor pun turut memeriahkan perhelatan IIMS 2011. "Sebagai situs jual beli online terbesar di Indonesia yang kali ini berkesempatan mendukung event IIMS 2011, kami merasa antusias dan optimistis bahwa ajang tahun ini juga akan semarak sebagaimana tahun-tahun sebelumnya," kata Arnold Sebastian Egg, Presiden Direktur Tokobagus.com.
Johnny Darmawan is certainly not an ordinary man. Being the CEO of Toyota Astra Motor, he certainly has a full grasp of what is happening in the automotive industry and the way forward.
His company enjoys the largest market share in the industry that makes him the ultimate representative of the Indonesian car manufacturing industry. He frequently speaks on behalf of the Indonesian Car Manufacturing Association.
For 2010, Darmawan initially predicted that the Indonesian domestic car sales may reach 550,000 units, a number deemed optimistic when it was first stated at the end of 2009. At that time, the industry had just been bruised from a steep fall in its sales from 607,000 units in 2008 to 486,000 in 2009, an almost 20 percent drop.
It is no surprise that the industry has been deemed quite optimistic in saying that there would be a partial rebound in domestic sales compared to the 2008 record. But since then the domestic market has been moving very briskly.
In the first five months of the year, the Indonesian car sales already reached a level of around 300,000 units.
In fact, the last three months the sales hovered to more than 60,000 units every month. It is no surprise therefore that Darmawan finally revised upward the Indonesian car sales prediction in 2010 from 550,000 units to 650,000, an almost 20 percent upward revision in one year's time.
Where is the way forward? Recently there was an interesting article in the Financial Times about the rise of the Brazilian car industry. It was stated that the Brazilian car industry was becoming the fourth largest industry in the world in 2010, overtaking Germany.
Having recovered from the crisis at the end of the 90s, the Brazilian car industry quickly covered ground and made a quick rebound. What was the result?
The car sales have increased sharply from almost 1.5 million units in 2000 to more than 3 million in 2009. A twofold increase in 10 years time is certainly a miraculous come back for the industry.
Quite different to the aerospace industry in which Brazil boasted its icon Embraer Aerospace Industry, which has positioned itself as the third largest aircraft producer after Boeing and Airbus (the rank may be reversed), the Brazilian car industry was crowded by various foreign names such as Fiat, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Toyota and many others.
Fiat, being the first ranked car producers in Brazil with its popular Pinto and Fiesta brand, has produced more cars in Brazil than in its headquarters in Italy.
Volkswagen, ranked number two in Brazil, is also churning many products in the country. General Motors and Ford are the two North American car industries that so far have to admit defeats to the European car manufacturers in its backyard.
The Brazilian success story in its car industrial development may provide some lessons to the Indonesian car industry on the way the Indonesian industry will lead. Looking back to the past, the Indonesian car industry also experienced a "roller coaster" like development.
Sometimes the sales increased very sharply while on other occasion it experienced a steep drop. The development is far from being linier. However, looking at a longer perspective, the Indonesian car industry has continued to grow, in fact to grow very rapidly.
As mentioned earlier, in 2008, the Indonesian car industry has made record breaking sales of more than 600,000 units.
In addition, the Indonesian industry also actively sold its products to overseas markets. While the data are quite scanty, inferring from the BPS (Central Statistics Agency), we can predict that the Indonesian car exports (both in the form of Completely Built Up, Completely Knocked Down or in the form of components) may reach around 300,000 units.
Thus both the domestic and export car sales have almost touched the psychological level of 1 million cars annually. If that number is achieved, we may have to celebrate it as one milestone for the Indonesian car industry.
Just like what has been achieved by the Brazilian car industry in 2000, we may have approached that level in the not-too-distant future, 10 years behind Brazil.
Recently, Hino truck manufacturers has just expanded its truck production capacity from 10,000 units annually to 35,000 in Indonesia. This event marked the optimism of the company on the prospect of Indonesia. In different occasion Johnny Darmawan also stated that Toyota Indonesia will have to increase its Fortuner production to cater the Middle East and the Philippines market this year.
"I continue to believe that the Indonesian lead in this rank will sustain.This will make Indonesia the country with the strongest car industry in ASEAN. "
The demand for domestic sales as well as for export markets for Fortuner has been quite strong recently. Volkswagen officials have also stated that they will build a factory in Indonesia in 2012 for a full car manufacturing while this year they will start assembling its MPV, Touran, in cooperation with Indomobil.
One Korean car manufacturer is also in the process of deciding whether to put its factory in Indonesia or in Vietnam. Again, this shows the optimism of the global car manufacturers on the prospect of the Indonesian car industry.
In the mean time, the mathematics of demography has shown its magic in the last few months.
Indonesia has always stood at the third rank of the ASEAN car industry. However, in the last four months, Indonesian car sales have started to exceed its counterparts in Thailand and Malaysia.
As displayed in my previous articles, the number of the Indonesian people that belongs to the middle class is larger than the entire Malaysian population.
Similarly, 30 percent of the Indonesian population, slightly larger than the entire Thailand population, has a greater average income than the entire Thailand population. Therefore, that demographic picture and the distribution of income will eventually be reflected in the cars demand.
I continue to believe that the Indonesian lead in this rank will sustain and in fact the gap will widen in the next few years. This will make Indonesia the country with the strongest car industry in ASEAN.
I have predicted earlier that the Indonesian domestic car sales in 2010 will be in the range of 610,000 to 650,000 units. With the performance of the last five months, that target may be exceeded as long as the economic environment does not change significantly.
While I share the optimism of Johnny Darmawan for a 650,000-unit domestic car sales prediction for 2010, I will not be surprised if the car sales this year may reach higher than 700,000 units.
In the long-term prospect, Indonesia may hit its first million annual car sales in the next two to three years. With the pattern depicted by the Brazilian car industry, we may have 2 million sales in the next 10 years.
This prospect will be the center of attention of the global car manufacturers. For those who have been in the country, they will certainly prepare to expand. For those who are still outside, they will have to think about when to penetrate.
Pemerintah berencana untuk memproduksi mobil murah bernama 'Mobil KITA' seharga 30-40 juta per unit. Rencananya akan diproduksi 2 juta unit mobil murah hingga 2020 nanti.
Deputi Menko Perekonomian Bidang Industri dan Perdagangan Edy Putra Irawadi menyatakan mobil murah tersebut ada 2 jenis yaitu mobil kluster IV dan mobil low cost. Untuk mobil kluster IV, harganya sekitar Rp 30-40 juta per unit, sedangkan harga mobil low cost akan dijual dengan kisaran Rp 80 juta per unit.
"Kalau yang kluster IV itu Rp 30-40 juta, yang low cost Rp 80 jutaan," ujarnya dalam diskusi dengan wartawan di Kantornya, Jalan Lapangan Banteng, Jakarta, Kamis (4/5/2011).
Menurut Edy, produksi mobil murah tersebut diusahakan untuk meningkatan industri otomotif di dalam negeri. "Supaya turn over policy lebih cepat, jadi jangan ditahan demand itu," ungkapnya.
Edy menegaskan mobil murah tersebut tidak akan meningkatkan penggunaan premium yang rencananya akan dibatasi konsumsinya. Pasalnya, untuk mobil low cost menggunakan bahan bakar gas. Namun, meskipun mobil kluster IV menggunakan BBM, Edy yakin mobil-mobil lama bisa ditekan penggunaannya dengan pemberlakuan pajak progresif untuk kendaraan.
"Kita kan ada fiscal policy, makin tua makin mahal pajaknya, pajak progresif dan ada policy rangsangan, misalnya ada daerah yang mau narik mobil lama, maka akan nol persen pajaknya," tukas Edy.
Mobil murah ini akan menjadi mobil nasional karena penggunaan komposisi bahan baku lokalnya lebih banyak. "Ini nanti namanya Mobil KITA kan sudah ada Minyakita," ungkapnya.
Penggunaan bahan baku lokal ini yang menyebabkan harga mobil ini sangat murah. Karena selama ini mobil impor yang digunakan masyarakat Indonesia memiliki biaya yang besar karena beban negara pengekspor dilimpahkan ke negara-negara pengimpor mobil tersebut, termasuk Indonesia.
"Borosnya itu karena, beban ekonomi negaranya itu banyak ke kita. Padahal bahan baku lokal naik, tenaga kerja menurun. Lalu ada biaya administratif, itu yang bikin mahal. Makanya, kita harus menggunakan bahan dari negara yang telah ada perjanjian 0 persen untuk bea masuk," ujarnya.
The Cub Scout Pinewood Derby is probably the most popular "fun event" that a young Scout will participate.
The recognition of the time spent building the car may be seen as Pack prizes for the most colorful, most inventive, fastest, most "radical" and as many other categories as one can imagine. In the San Diego - Imperial council, the Cub with the fastest car in the Pack is eligible to compete with all the other Cubs from the Packs at the San Diego 500 held at the San Diego - Imperial Scout Fair.
Every year, boys with their parent's help, build cars of every description to enter at the local Pack competition. The construction of the car is intended to be a parent and son project with the son doing the majority of the work. The parent should supply the advise and limited assistance with the more difficult tasks. Please remember above all that the Pinewood Derby is supposed to be fun for all. So get started early and take your time building and testing your car. Plan to spend at least 4 to 6 hours building the car over several days. The experienced racers may spend many times this amount of time and it shows in the appearance and racing performance.
The planning and construction of your car may be approached in many ways. This information will serve only as a guide to some while providing good first-time information and pointers for others. The experienced wood craftsman will find the teaching experience a great project for a young man while the "Klutz" may find it just a little challenging. No matter, the time spent working and learning with your son should be a lot of fun.
If you're designing a car for speed here are the important points about car design to keep in mind.
o Sleek Shape
o Maximum Weight
o Smooth, Round Wheels
o Polished Axles
o Good Lubrication
o Straight Running
On the other hand if your objective is to create a unique or personal design then think about these points.
o Model your car after something you like or adapt a theme from a Cub Scout or other recognizable object or character.
o Use color and finish as a way to get your car noticed. A bright red or yellow paint job with a high gloss finish is always an attention getter.
o Attention to the details of car construction shows in the final product
o Design on paper before you start cutting wood
Construction Step 1 - The Plan (or What are we Doing?)
You may already have an idea as to what your car should look like when you're done but in order to take this idea to a completed form you should have a plan. Take a little time to sketch out your idea on paper. If you haven't decided what you want to do you may want to check out some possibilities. Look at the profiles provided in this guide to get some ideas. Draw your design at full scale so you can transfer the profile and shape to the wood block later. Ready-made templates or car outlines can be purchased at Scout supply outlets, the Scout Shop or Scout mail-order catalog. These will help you transfer a predefined profile to your car but are certainly not required. You may want to take a look at the templates in this web site for some ideas.
Starting with a block of wood is like a hand full of clay. What are you you going to do with it? What kind of car do want to build? Well, there are several basic types of car classifications cars that are fast, cars that are fast to build and then there are character cars. Character cars are cars that model other types of cars or objects. Remember that a highly decorative car with characters, decals and other trim will not be as aerodynamic as a "plain" car. The sleek low profile designs will tend to have less wind drag and therefore faster. The fast car is usually not a handsome car. Don't limit your design ideas but we'll talk about the plain, more aerodynamic designs and remember, you can paint car just about any way you you'd like.
Construction Step 2 - Gather Materials and Tools.
You will, of course, need the basic car kit that includes the wood block, axles, wheels and numeric decals. They cost $3.55 + applicable tax in the 2005 catalog. The kits produced since 1998 have unpredictable quality wheels in the kit and that may make it more difficult to produce a fast car every time. If you have still have an older kit it may be used as long as it is the Grand Prix series racer kit. Do not substitute the wheels and axles from non-BSA kits into your car design. This will make it illegal in most races and you can be disqualified.
You will need the following tools and additional materials: Safety Glasses (for drilling, sanding etc.)
Coping Saw (A Powered Dremel Saw or Scroll Saw may also be used)
Small File (Mill or Fine Cut)
3/8"/10 mm Drill Bit (a Brad point bit gives you better hole positions)
Electric Drill Motor
Tracing Paper
Small Strip of Soft Cloth (like an old Tee Shirt)
80 Grit and 220 Grit Garnet Sand Paper
400 or 600 Grit Wet or Dry Paper
Metal Polish (for polishing the axle)
3/8"/10 mm Tubular Weight (Available from Scout Shop or plumber supply)
Wood Putty (or better yet - plastic auto body filler)
Sanding Sealer or wood Primer
Finish Paint (Either Spray or Brush on)
Decals and Decorations as Desired
This set of tools and materials will vary depending what you have available and the extent of work you have in mind.
Construction Step 3 - Cutting the Basic Car Shape.
Decide how you want you car to look. Again, you may want to refer to the templates in this web site. When you have a design idea it's time to transfer the profile (side of the car) and plan view (top of the car) to your block of wood. The block included in your kit is usually close to 7 inches (17.8 cm) in length but may vary a little shorter or longer. Be careful to measure the final overall dimensions of the finished car to insure that your design does not violate the racing specifications.
Using your side profile drawing and a sheet of carbon tracing paper align the drawing to the block and carefully trace the outside lines of your car so that the image is transferred to the wood. If you prefer, you may find it just as easy to copy or duplicate your lines on the wood directly. Use a hard lead pencil or ball point-point pen so that the lines are easy to see when you're cutting.
Construction Step 4 - Wheel Mount Preparation.
Its been discovered over the years that cars with a longer wheelbase can be faster than shorter wheelbase cars. With this in mind you may want to consider relocating the two axle slots in the car block toward the ends of the block. Perform this modification only if your pack or local rules permit it. The San Diego 500 rules do permit this change.
Remember to set the wheel slots back at least half the diameter of the wheel so that it doesn't extend over the end of the car body. The overall length of the car (including wheels) cannot exceed seven inches. It is very important to cut the new axle slots exactly square to the sides of the block so that the axles provide a good alignment for tracking. An alternate method is to use a drill press to make the holes but in either method make sure that the final position of the axle isn't too high so that it creates a problem for the block dragging on the track's guide strip. Use a #43 (2.3 mm) drill bit. Insert the axles in each of the slots or holes so that you know they'll fit later. Install the axles at the top of the slots so that they have plenty wood under them. Now that we have opened the wood fiber remove the axles. We'll permanently install the wheels and axles after the paint has dried.
Construction Step 5 - Drilling Holes for Weight.
Your finished wood block along with the, wheels, axles and trim will not usually weigh much over 2.5 ounces (71 grams) while the finished car is allowed to weigh in up to 5.0 ounces (141.75 grams). Don't even think about skipping weight addition if you want to be race competitive. The weight of your car overcoming friction is what will allow to you to win over other cars. You must make gravity work for you. Your car must overcome both breakaway friction and minimize air resistance and it will do this by being as heavy as allowed while presenting the smallest profile to the air-stream. That's why we wanted the low and skinny body design.
There are two basic approaches to adding weight to a derby car. The easiest is to attach pre-drilled and shaped lead or zinc weights to the outside of the car. Some of the commercial varieties are cast such that they provide a tapered shape and break-off ribs that permit convenient adjustment to overall weight after the car is assembled. It is best to attach this type of weight to the bottom of the car so the center of gravity may be kept low. If you use this type of weight on the bottom of your car insure that the weight doesn't hang down too far. It may not be obvious until race-day but the weight could drag on the track guide. This could prevent the car from moving off the the starting line. Mortise or "hog out" a void in the wood on the underside of the car and then attach the weight inside the void.
The other method for adding weight involves the installation of weight internal to the body so that there is no additional wind resistance. This may be only a small advantage but it just might make the difference of a winning inch or two at the end of the track. Most car profiles will be narrower at the nose and provide little space for adding lead internally. There is an advantage in placing the weight in the back. The front wheels perform the function of guiding or steering and the less weight on these wheels the easier the car corrects itself when it strikes the guide strip. Fewer and shorter contacts with the guide strip means a faster car.
Drilling the Car Body. Each internally weighted car will have a little different cavity placement based on the wheel/axle position and amount of wood available to accommodate the weight. The hole or cavity for the lead weight must be large enough to accommodate the weight you using. You will need fewer holes for lead than you will for other materials. Plan on drilling at least 2 or 3 holes of 3/8" ( 10 mm) (or 7/16") diameter at a depth of 1 ½" (38 mm) each. Experience has shown that holes drilled from the side or back tend to work the best. Locate and drill the holes being careful not to drill all the way through the wood. Also make sure that you are leaving enough wood around the hole to provide a margin of safety in your drilling operation.
Construction Step 6 - Adding the Weight.
There are many things that you might use to add weight to the car but you will find that lead and zinc will probably be used most often. These are the heaviest materials easily available for their volume. Lead works easily and is commonly available in a number of forms. As options you can use steel in plate, tubular forms or even common bolts. Other metals may be used but just as steel you will find them difficult to work and sometimes awkward to attach or insert.
Warnings
Lead is toxic and should be handled as little as possible.
Use gloves and never put your hands in or near your mouth
after handling it. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling lead.
Do not use mercury at all! It is toxic, difficult to handle
and should not be touched by Cubs or adults.
Weigh your car on accurate scales. Most household scales are not very accurate. If you have access to calibrated scales compare a known item weight on the calibrated scales to your home scale indication for that same item. Mark this reference for use later. Allow for scale inaccuracies by not adding to exactly the 5.0 oz. (141.75 grams) indication. It is better to be slightly light than to have to remove weight on race day. Consider also, while you may have an accurate scale your pack may not. It could be weighing items heavier than they actually are!
Weigh your car body, wheels, axles and any other parts that will be on your car all at once. This weight is usually less than 3 ounces (85 grams). Now, with your car lying with the weight holes facing up carefully add your weight until the weight is just over 4.5 ounces (128 grams). Allow enough space in the holes so that you can add filler material in the next step. If you find there isn't enough room to add weight to get to 4.5 ounces (128 grams) you will have drill an additional hole or holes. Remember, you will be adding wood filler and paint to your car later and this will a little more weight. When you are satisfied go to the next step.
Construction Step 7 - Sealing the Holes.
Once that you have got the correct amount of weight installed you are ready to seal the hole(s) in your car body. There are a number of materials that you can use to cover the weight holes in car body. If you are in a hurry and want to insure a good seal try using automobile body putty (like Bondo®). This type of filler material is a two-part mix that sets in 15 minutes. You will need only a small amount but it works very easily and may be sanded, drilled and painted. Standard wood fillers that don't use a catalyst will take longer to harden (usually overnight) and may need to be applied with several thin coats. Apply the filler so that it may be sanded down smooth to the original wood surface. You'll want to recheck you total car weight at this time.
Construction Step 8 - Sanding and Smoothing.
Sanding the wood body will eliminate any of the saw blade marks as well as any small blemishes in the wood surface. If you have access to a motorized belt-disc sander your work will be quickly done but for most of us a sheet of sandpaper and a sanding block will do just fine. Start by using a 100 or 120 grit paper and wood or rubber block on the filler and rough portions of the wood car body. Gently smooth the edges and corners of the car while using a little more pressure on the flat areas. Then switch to a 220 grit paper to smooth the sanding marks left from the initial sanding. When you have the wood smoothed switch to the 400 grit paper. It will provide an excellent surface for your final finish. DO NOT WET-SAND UNPAINTED WOOD.
Construction Step 9 - Painting and Finishing.
The bare wood surface will act much like a sponge when your paint is first applied and it will take several coats of paint to seal and finish the wood. A better approach is to apply a wood sanding sealer to the wood. This acts like a primer coat for the wood and provides a good base to apply the color finish paint.
Prepare a place to paint your car that will be out of the house while you are painting and out of the reach of younger children while your car is drying. You may either paint one side at a time waiting between coats or suspend the car on a string with a nail in the axle slot and paint all of it. Brush or spray the sanding sealer on the car with a complete coat and wait for it to thoroughly dry. You will see that the grain of the wood will raise slightly. After the paint is thoroughly dry, sand it with 400 grit wet or dry sandpaper. You will find that the finish is smoother if you use a wet-sanding process. Wet the paper and the painted car body. Lightly sand until the sanding-sealer is smooth but not through the sealer to the wood.
You are now ready for the finish color coats of paint. The best and smoothest finishes will be had with a spray paint but brush-on paint will not effect the overall speed of the car. Use fast drying enamels and avoid using different brands on top of each other. Above all don't use lacquer paint on top of enamel paint. Your paint will wrinkle and bubble. If you get a run in the paint, let it dry and sand it smooth. Re-coat it later. You can achieve a very, very smooth finish if you wet-sand between coats with 600 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. Your car can look like it has a glasslike finish with several coats of paint and fine sanding.
If you are going to apply decals and detail work now is time to do this type of work. If you are careful, you can apply a clear coat of finish over the decals to seal them. Don't use too much clear-coat at one time or you'll wrinkle the decals.
Construction Step 10 - Wheel Work.
Next to the weight of the car the wheels are the most important element in the car. The biggest problem is that there is not a great deal that you can legally do with them. You must insure that the wheels roll smoothly, in a straight line and roll very easily. The wheels included with kits manufactured through 1998 have a better quality wheel than that of previous kits. Kits produced in the 1999 race year were very inconsistent. Even still, there are things to check and fix on each of the wheels. First, the wheels must be perfectly round. The wheels are produced in Multi-cavity molds and some molds may produce slightly out-of-round wheels which will be slower than others. To check for this put the wheel on an axle and spin it. It should turn with the outside surface at a single reference point never varying. The run-out or the wheel movement along the axle axis should also be minimal. If you suspect the wheel is out-of-round discard it and buy just the axle-wheel kit ($2.35 for 5 wheels and axles) or another car kit at your Scout supply outlet. There isn't much you can do to correct a bad wheel. The wheels are all produced from a mold set and will all vary to some degree.
Check the wheel for burrs on the running surface of the tire and hub areas. These need to be freed of any extra plastic residue or molding marks. Most Packs and council races require the racers to do minimal work on the wheel surface. This means that the outside wheel surface can be sanded or filed to make it flat across the bottom of the "tire". To perform this work you may use either a very small machine screw or nail about 3 inches long to stack all 4 wheels onto and chuck them in to a drill motor. Using a fine flat mill file, turn the drill on and at an angle to the rotating wheels, apply very light pressure to the wheel surface touching at least two wheels at a time. Insure you don't create a rounded wheel surface which may be illegal. Alternately, purchase a commercially-available wheel turning kit from the Scout supply distributor or Pinecar® source. These wheel turning mandrels are designed to hold a single wheel in a drill motor for turning. Watch for the newer wheels with these mandrels, they may not fit. Again, observe the local rules for what may be allowed.
Construction Step 11 - Axle Polishing.
The 'nail' type axles that come in the Pinewood derby kit must be used in the construction of your of your car. These axles provide no bearing surface so there is friction between the plastic wheel surface and the metal axle. Since this friction reduces speed we need to minimize the contact surface area, make the surfaces smooth and lubricate the mating surfaces. It is usually against the rules to machine the plastic wheel and these procedures usually require a lathe or other tools not typically available to a Cub Scout. That still leaves the axle open to "play with". The following suggestions are things you can do with simple hand tolls to improve the performance of the axles.
Axle Burr Removal. First, the heads of the nails used as axles in the kit will often have a mold or casting mark in two places just where the head attaches to the shaft the nail. Remove this web of metal with a file being careful not to gouge or scratch the running surface of the shaft. This will prevent the axle from grinding the plastic hub area and slowing down your car. You might be surprised to how "out of round" the shaft of the axle really is. Chuck/secure the axle in a drill press or electric hand drill secured into a stable position.
Optional step. This step can be performed before actual polishing but is designed for those creating "the ultimate" racing machines. It's not necessary for the average racer. Use a fine flat file to reduce the overall diameter of the axle. To do this, chuck the pointed end of the axle into a drill press or drill motor that has been secured with a vise or clamp. Place the file against the rotating axle and apply even pressure while moving the file slowly. Do this until the area within ½" (10 mm) of the head is smaller than the rest of the axle body. The more metal that is removed the less contact surface available to create friction. The drawback to removing too much metal is that the axle becomes weaker and will not tolerate being dropped or withstand rough handling without bending. This is often a trial and error procedure with much testing required to result in a fast turning wheel. You will want to buy extra axles to try this and use the best of the lot for your car.
First-Surface Polishing. The axle can be finished to a high luster by following the steps detailed here. First, mount the axle in drill motor chuck exposing the head and the first 3/4" of the axle. Secure the drill so that it doesn't move. Now cut a piece of 400-600 grit wet or dry sandpaper to a strip approximately ½" (10 mm) wide and 4 to 6 inches (about 100mm) in length. Wet the surface of the sand paper with water or light machine oil, start the drill and loop the sandpaper over the axle and pull the paper back and forth like a shoe polish cloth. Work the paper until the metal is smooth in the wheel running area (next to the head of the axle). This usually takes about a minute for each axle. Now, using either pumice paste or metal polish in a soft cloth (like a tee-shirt), start the drill again and press the cloth and polish compound into the axle with a slight movement back and forth. This will also take about a minute. The finished axle will be very smooth and bright in appearance
Construction Step 12 - Lubrication.
The type of lubrication is usually restricted at most races to dry lubricants but there are great advantages to using the right lubrication. By the same token there is harm in using the wrong lubricate. First, we should discuss what it's all about.
The wheel should turn on the dry axle without any undo force but the friction between the two parts will quickly act to slow it down. It's this friction that you would like to eliminate. While we can't eliminate friction completely it can certainly be reduced. An automobile uses steel roller or ball bearings to reduce friction on its wheels but our car isn't permitted to use them. We can only lubricate what we already have. A lubricant is any agent that provides a reduction of friction. While there are many types of lubricants many will either not work on lightweight parts or are not formulated to work with plastics. Petroleum products such as motor and household oil may soften the plastic wheels. The wheels could, after a time, fail to turn at all. This is not the surprise you'd like on race day. Other liquid or aerosol lubricants include spray-on Teflon, WD-40, CRC and 3 in 1 oil. Except for Teflon, these are all petroleum based products which you'll want to avoid.
The most common and successfully used lubricants are the graphite formulations and Graphite-Moly blends. They provide a very thin plating of microscopic spheres that greatly reduce rolling friction. Plain graphite is available in hardware stores and some variety stores. When installing your wheels fill the axle hole of the wheel while capping the other side. Gently push the axle through the wheel. Do this several times and spin the wheel to help distribute the graphite through the running surface. A good test of the wheel, axle and the lubrication is a spin test. While holding the wheel in the axle in a horizontal position spin the wheel with a flick of your finger. It should spin freely, then slowly coming to a stop after 20 to 30 seconds. If it didn't spin that long take a close at your wheel clearance, axle finish and lubrication. Correct the problems than test them again.
Construction Step 13 - Wheel Installation and Alignment.
The guide strip on a pinewood derby track will keep the cars on the track and prevent them from hitting each other. This strip is necessary but each time your car's wheels hit it the car slows down a little. This is where wheel installation become important. If the car runs straight it will less often hit the guide strip.
There are a number of little tricks to consider in this stage of the car building. First, while you must run all 4 wheels they all don't necessarily have to touch the track surface. If each wheel has rolling resistance don't roll all of them. Simple. Usually, the best one to elevate off the track is one of the front wheels. Second, to prevent additional rolling resistance install the axles at an angle to the body so that wheels ride the end of the axle not against the car body. Install your wheels so that there is clearance between the body and wheel and insure that the car body surface has a hard finish (No washers though) next where the wheel hub might touch the body.
Test roll the car so that you are satisfied that the car rolls in a perfect line. Put the car on a flat board or other smooth surface that has a straight line scribed for reference. Lift the board so that the car begins to roll. It should roll very close to the line. If it doesn't, then a front end alignment is required. Slightly bend the wheel axle(s) to correct the drift.
Checking Alignment. Another test using a long smooth surface is to check for tracking or wheel alignment. Draw a straight reference line on your surface and place the car on the surface with the wheels on top of that line. Now elevate the surface to the rear of the car to start the car rolling. Your car should roll along the that line is its tracking straight.
Construction Step 14 - Other Testing.
Now that you have finished construction and initial wheel alignment of your car you will want to test and re-test your car
Sebanyak 10 tim mahasiswa Indonesia yang terdiri dari berbagai perguruan tinggi akan mencoba memecahkan rekor irit BBM di sirkuit Sepang Malaysia dalam ajang Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2001 pada 6-9 Juli 2011 nanti.
Kesepuluh tim itu terdiri dari: Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) dengan tiga kendaraan irit BBM, Universitas Indonesia dengan 2 mobil irit BBM, ITB dengan 2 mobil irit BBM, UGM dengan 2 mobil, dan tim Politeknik Negeri Pontianak (Polnep) dengan 1 mobil irit. Polnep merupakan tim baru yang masuk dalam lomba irit kali ini, 4 perguruan tinggi lainnya sudah menjadi langganan.
Country Chairman dan President Director PT Shell Indonesia Darwin Silalahi menuturkan lomba irit ini terbagi dalam dua kategori yakni kendaraan urban dan kendaraan prototipe futuristik.
"Target konsumsi BBM tim mahasiswa Indonesia untuk kendaraan urban adalah 100-300 km per liter, sedangkan untuk kendaraan prototipe 600-1.500 km," ujarnya dalam peluncuran 10 kendaraan irit BBM mahasiswa di Parkir Selatan, Senayan, Sabtu (14/5/2011).
Indonesia tahun ini dalam posisi sebagai juara bertahan, mengingat tahun lalu, tim dari ITS dan UI menjadi juara Shell Eco-marathon.
"Saya sangat bahagia mendengar pada kompetisi sebelumnya sudah ada prestasi yang membahagiakan. Saya harap adik-adik bisa mencapai yang lebih tinggi lagi," ujar Wakil Presiden Boediono yang meluncurkan 10 kendaraan ini.
Selain Wapres, Mendiknas M Nuh dan Menteri ESDM Darwin Zahedy Saleh turut mendukung persiapan para mahasiswa.
Bagaimana rupa dan spesifikasi kendaraan irit mahasiswa itu tahun ini? Simak artikel berikutnya.
Siswa SMK PGRI 6 Surabaya berhasil membuat mobil mungil bernama Teenage Car. Mobil yang dikerjakan hanya dalam waktu 33 hari ini mempu melaju dengan kecepatan hingga 60 Km/jam.
Mobil Timor ketubruk di WTO! Berita itu sebetulnya tidak lagi mengejutkan masyarakat. Sejak awal, memang banyak yang mengecam subsidi pemerintah terhadap mobil Timor yang dianggap sebagai mobil nasional itu. Tidak hanya itu, pemerintah dan IMF juga pernah bersepakat untuk membiarkan Timor melaju tanpa dorongan subsisi. Belakangan, pemerintah rupanya tak tega melihat "mobil nasional" ini mogok di pasaran. Sebuah Keppres pun datang menyelamatkannya.
Wawancara Suhari Sargo:
Di luar itu , Jepang terus melaju ke WTO. Jepang memperkarakan Timor ini di Organisasi Perdagangan Dunia itu. Hasilnya? Ya, itu tadi. Timor kalah telak di organisasi itu. "Nasib mobil Timor benar-benar terancam setelah keputusan WTO itu", kata Suhari Sargo kepada TEMPO Interaktif. Menurut alumnus ITB (1960) itu, sebelum subsidi untuk Timor dicabut pun pemasaran mobil ini anjlok di pasaran. Bulan Maret misalnya, hanya terjual sekitar 100 unit.
Dengan kekalahan di WTO itu berarti harganya tambah melejit dan pasar akan kian meninggalkannya. Jadi, Timor bakal KO di dua tempat. Di WTO dan di pasaran.
Berikut petikan wawancara Wens M. dari TEMPO Interaktif dengan Suhari Sargo, lewat telepon, Kamis, 3 April 1998. Purnawirawan TNI- AD yang berpangkat kolonel itu memang tekun mengamati perkembangan otomotif di Indonesia.
Bagaimana tanggapan Anda atas kalahnya mobil Timor di WTO?
Sebetulnya, keputusan di WTO itu adalah juga senjata yang ampuh bagi IMF terhadap keplinplanan Indonesia dalam soal mobil Timor. Sebagaimana diketahui, Indonesia dan IMF telah bersepakat untuk tidak memberikan kemudahan kepada mobil Timor. Tetapi kemudian keluar lagi Keppres yang mencabut kesepakatan itu. Sekarang, WTO memutuskan, mobil Timor tidak boleh disubsidi. Jadi, secara umum, dapat disimpulkan bahwa kebijakan kita memang salah dalam kasus mobil Timor ini.
Apa yang terjadi dengan mobil Timor pasca kekalahan di WTO?
Nasib mobil Timor akan sangat ditentukan oleh kekuasaan pasar semata. Dengan harga yang mahal, karena tanpa subsidi tadi, nasib perusahaan mobil ini memang terancam. Karena jangankan naik harganya, dengan harga yang lama saja pembelinya sangat sedikit. Coba bayangkan, dalam bulan Maret, penjualan mobil Timor ini hanya laku sekitar 100 unit. Jadi masih ada banyak mobil Timor yang nongkrong di gudangnya.
Apakah pemerintah akan berusaha membantu?
Biasanya, memang pemerintah berusaha membantu, tetapi untuk perusahaannya saya kira pemerintah akan kesulitan menyelamatkannya. Tetapi kalau untuk mobil yang sudah diimpor, pemerintah memang masih bisa menyelamatkannya. Taruhlah misalnya, semua mobil Timor itu dijadikan taksi saja. Karena kalau mau mengunakan cara-cara seperti sebelumnya, yakni mewajibkan semua instansi untuk membeli mobil ini, saya kira sudah tidak mungkin lagi. Karena pemerintah sendiri sudah terengah-engah. Negara sudah tidak punya uang lagi untuk memborong mobil ini. Untuk makan rakyatnya saja pakai kupon segala, apalagi buat beli mobil. Kecuali kalau perusahaannya mau jual mobil Timor ini dengan mengunakan kupon gratis juga.
Jadi, tidak ada jalan buat pemerintah untuk menyelamatkan "mobnas" ini?
Bisa saja pemerintah melakukan subsidi diam-diam. Lepas dari mungkin tidaknya pemerintah melakukannya, apa yang mereka dapat setelah itu. Pasarnya kan jelas sedang jeblok. Industrinya pun belum jelas benar. Jadi tidak ada gunanya pemerintah membantu. Biarkan saja mobil Timor bersaing bebas di pasar.
Mobil Timor mampu melakukan itu?
Sangat berat sekali. Saya kira mobil Timor tidak hanya kalah di WTO, tetapi juga bakal kalah di pasar mobil. Tahun kemarin saja pasaran mobil Timor itu kalah sama mobil Baleno, Kijang, dan jenis-jenis mobil lainnya. Dalam persaingan seperti itu dan dengan pasar yang merosot, jelas mobil Timor ini akan kewalahan. Pada 1997, memang mobil ini mampu memasarkan sekitar 20.000 sampai 24.000 unit. Tetapi jumlah sebanyak itu berhasil dipasarkan selama mereka masih mendapatkan fasilitas bebas bea masuk. Tetapi mobil-mobil dengan merk yang berlainan juga tetap laris di pasaran, bahkan cenderung meningkat. Jadi, kehadiran Timor ini tidak mendesak pasaran mobil lainnya. Dia hanya menciptakan segmen pasar baru saja. Tetapi dalam awal tahun ini, pasaran mobil Timor ini anjlok. Artinya, segmen pasarnya tadi mulai susut. Apalagi kalau bebas bea masuk itu nanti dicabut.
Jumlah yang banyak pada tahun lalu itu dibeli secara kredit. Dengan habisnya subsidi pemerintah ini apakah kreditor mobil Timor terkena dampaknya?
Kredit tahun lalu itu sekarang tidak bisa diubah lagi. Karena mobilnya kan sudah diimpor tahun lalu. Yang justru menjadi masalah adalah bagaimana menjual mobil yang sekarang ditumpuk di gudang Kerawang dan Cengkareng yang jumlahnya sekitar 15.000 unit. Andaikata sekarang manajemen mobil Timor mampu memasarkan 1.000 unit setiap bulannya, itu berarti mereka membutuhkan waktu satu tahun tiga bulan untuk memasarkan produk yang sudah ada. Dengan catatan, produksinya dihentikan sama sekali. Tetapi, menurut saya, angka seribu itu terlalu besar buat Timor ini. Ya, ratusan-lah. Kalau hanya ratusan, itu berarti butuh waktu puluhan bulan untuk memasarkannya. Mobilnya keburu rusak, kan?
Kalau Timor diberi subsidi, apa ruginya buat rakyat Indonesia?
Ruginya, rakyat diabaikan dalam alokasi keuangan negara. Sebab masih banyak kebutuhan nasional yang lebih besar yang perlu disubsidi. Misalnya beras, industri kecil, kerajinan tangan, dan sebagainya. Menurut saya, itu yang harus diprioritaskan, kalau pemerintah punya uang untuk memberi subsidi. Sebab kalau dihitung, fasilitas-fasilitas yang diberikan pada mobil Timor ini jumlahnya besar sekali, sekitar 800 juta dollar. Apa tidak lebih baik dana sejumlah itu disubsidikan pada sektor yang menyangkut nasib banyak orang?
Sejak pertama kali diperlihatkan, Tata Nano langsung menghentak dunia dan menjadi mobil termurah sejagat. Tapi kini, Tata Nano mendapat saingan dari China, Jiangnan Alto yang dijual hanya lima ribu rupiah lebih mahal dari Tata Nano.
Di India, Tata Nano dilepas mulai harga 124.106 rupee atau sekitar Rp 23.519.154,- sementara Jiangnan Alto baru saja dijual di China dengan dengan harga 17.800 yuan atau sekitar Rp 23.524.677,- atau Rp 5.523,- lebih mahal.
Namun, harga ini sebenarnya masih lebih murah dari perkiraan awal. Sebab tahun lalu, Jiangnan Alto diperkirakan akan dilepas dengan harga 20.000 RMB atau sekitar Rp 26,4 jutaan
Meski selisih harga ini tergolong sangat tipis, tapi praktis dengan selisih harga ini Tata Nano pun berhasil mempertahankan predikatnya sebagai mobil termurah di dunia.
Jiangnan Alto yang kini harus puas hanya menjadi mobil termurah di China ini seperti detikOto kutip dari china car times, Jumat (26/5/2011), diboyong oleh Zoyte setelah sekian lama vakum di pasar China.
Mobil yang desainnya sederhana ini sebenarnya adalah sebuah Suzuki Alto yang pernah masuk pasaran China pada medio 90an sampai 2000an awal. Ketika itu, Suzuki Alto dibawa oleh empat pabrikan mobil lokal yakni Chang’an Auto, Jiang Nan, Xi’an Tai dan Sichuan Auto.
Di tangan keempatnya, nama Suzuki Alto kemudian berubah menjadi Chang’an Alto, Jiangbei Alto, Jiangnan Alto dan Tai Chuan Alto sebelum akhirnya berhenti dipasarkan.
Kini setelah kembali ke pasar, mobil ini pun langsung menghentak. Sektor dapur pacu mobil ini dikatakan telah mengalami peningkatan kualitas hingga memenuhi standar emisi Chinese5.
Di atas kertas, Jiangnan Alto memiliki keunggulan di sektor mesin dibanding dengan Tata Nano. Bila Tata Nano hanya mengusung mesin 623 cc dengan tenaga hanya 33 PS, Jiangnan Alto hadir dengan mesin 800 cc berkekuatan 36 bhp.
Melihat hal itu, Tata Nano sepertinya kini harus segera waspada. Apalagi ada beberapa pabrikan mobil yang sudah secara terang-terangan ingin menantang pabrikan India itu dalam membuat mobil termurah di dunia.
Seperti pabrikan mobil China, Geely yang memiliki rencana untuk mengeluarkan sebuah mobil sangat murah bernama Intelligent Geely (IG) yang bahkan harganya dibawah harga Tata Nano yakni hanya 10.000 RMB atau sekitar Rp 13,5 jutaan. Mobil ini rencananya akan diproduksi pada tahun 2013 mendatang.
Atau mobil mungil buatan Nissan-Renault yang kabarnya akan menyaingi Tata Nano dengan harga US$ 2.500 atau sekitar Rp 21,4 jutaan saja.
Tema : Attitude Change (Perubahan Tingkah Laku) sebagai Efek Transnasionalisme dalam Politik Dunia
Kasus : Indonesia dan WTO dalam masalah Mobnas (Mobil Nasional) “Timor"
Efek transnasionalisme salah satunya adalah Attitude Change (Perubahan Tingkah Laku). Maksudnya adalah hubungan antara organisasi transnasional dengan negara diharapkan bisa merubah kebijakan negara tersebut. Kebijakan yang memang merupakan kepentingan dari organisasi transnasional. Oleh karena itu mereka berusaha membawa ide baru, hal baru dan norma yang dikemukakan mereka kepada negara yang dituju.
Kasus WTO dan Indonesia dalam masalah Mobnas (Mobil Nasional) Timur menujukkan bahwa organisasi Transnasional (dalam hal ini adalah WTO) bisa mempengaruhi kebijakan pemerintah Indonesia. Awal mula muncul kasus ini karena inisiatif pemerintah Indonesia dalam mendukung dan ingin meningkatkan industri mobil nasional. Oleh karena itu, pemerintah akhirnya mengeluarkan kebijakan program Mobil Nasional yaitu bisa dilihat dalam Inpres No.2 tahun 1996 mengenai Program Mobil Nasional bahwa sebagai sebuah terobosan di sektor otomotif Indonesia. Tujuan Mobnas (Mobil Nasional) adalah sebagai embrio kemajuan dan kemandirian bangsa Indonesia dalam industri otomotif.1) Program Mobnas ini yang menunjuk PT Timor Putra Nasional (TPN) sebagai pelopor yang memproduksi Mobnas sayangnya Mobnas masih belum dapat memproduksi di dalam negeri, maka perlu dikeluarkan Keppres No. 42 tahun 1996 yang mengizinkan PT TPN mengimpor Mobnas yang kemudian diberi merek “Timor” (baik dalam bentuk jadi atau completely build-up/ CBU dari Korea Selatan.2)
Hal ini mendatangkan reaksi dari beberapa pihak yaitu Jepang, Amerika Serikat dan beberapa negara Eropa. Jepang yang paling berusaha keras kerena mempunyai kepentingan kuat dalam industri otomotifnya yang telah menguasai hampir 90% pangsa mobil Indonesia. Reaksi lain dari Amerika dan beberapa negara Eropa gelisah karena mereka berencana menanamkan investasi dalam industri otomotif di Indonesia. Akhirnya terjadi dialog antara Jepang dan pemerintah Indonesia dan hasilnya dead lock. Kemudian tindakan lanjutan dari Jepang yaitu melalui Wakil Menteri Perdagangan Internasional dan Industrinya menyatakan bahwa mereka akan membawa masalah ini ke WTO.
Indonesia secara resmi telah bergabung dengan World Trade Organization (WTO) dengan ratifikasi konvensi WTO dalam Undang-Undang No.7 tahun 1994 secara hukum Indonesia sudah terikat kepada ketentuan- ketentuan General Agreements on Tariff and Trade (GATT). Dalam GATT ada prinsip- prinsip yang telah dilanggar Indonesia yang terkait dengan kebijakan Mobnas Timor, prinsip- prinsip berikut adalah:
-Prinsip National Treatment, Artikel III, Paragraph ke-4 GATT 1994
Intinya tentang kewajiban negara untuk memberikan perlakuan yang sama terhadap semua investor asing. Kebijakan Mobil Nasional dianggap telah melanggar ketentuan ini karena pemberian fasilitas penghapusan bea masuk dan penghapusan pajak barang mewah yang hanya diberikan pada PT. Timor Putra Nasional.
-Prinsip Penghapusan Hambatan Kuantitatif, Artikel XI, Paragraf ke-1 GATT 1994
Intinya tentang GATT mengizinkan tindakan proteksi terhadap industri domestik melalui tariff dan tidak melalui upaya perdagangan lainnya (non-tariff). Perlindungan melalui tariff ini masih memungkinkan masih ada kompetisi yang sehat dalam perdagangan internasional. Kebijakan Mobnas dianggap telah melanggar ketentuan ini karena pemerintah Indonesia dianggap telah melanggar ketentuan kewajiban investor menggunakan bahan baku, bahan setengah jadi, komponen juga suku cadang produksi dan proses produksi otomotif dalam negeri (industri otomotif Indonesia) ketentuan ini dikenal sebagai Persyaratan Kandungan Lokal. Berdasarkan ketentuan GATT yang diimplementasikan dalam aturan Trade Related Investment Measures bahwa kebijakan Persyaratan Kandungan Lokal merupakan salah satu kebjakan investasi yang berbentuk non-tariff dan harus dihapus karena bisa merusak kestabilan perdagangan internasional.3)
Pelanggaran Indonesia dalam WTO sudah cukup jelas. Maka pemerintah harus melakukan beberapa kebijakan- kebijakan untuk memperbaiki keadaan, kebijakan- kebijakan tersebut yaitu:
-Penghapusan bea masuk dan penghapusan pajak barang mewah yang mulanya hanya diberikan pada PT. Timor Putra Nasional. Logikanya ketika hal ini dilakukan maka biaya produksi mereka akan naik sehingga membuat harga jual mobil Timor menjadi rata- rata (sama dengan harga jual mobil buatan negara lain yang dijual di Indonesia). Hal tersebut tidak akan mengancam posisi investor asing karena sama-sama menggunakan harga jual yang standar.
-Penghapusan kebijakan pemerintah tentang ketentuan Persyaratan Kandungan Lokal (bentuk non-tariff) supaya perdagangan internasional dapat berjalan secara adil.
Perbaikan kebijakan tersebut nyatanya membuat Mobil Nasional “Timor” menjadi terancam bangkrut. Angka penjualan merosot dan banyak sekali mobil yang tersimpan dalam gudang Kerawang dan Cengkareng yang jumlahnya sekitar 15.000 unit pada tahun berikutnya.4)
Berdasarkan kasus antara WTO dan Indonesia mengenai masalah Mobnas (Mobil Nasional) Timor bisa disimpulkan bahwa organisasi Transnasional (WTO) bisa membuat perubahan tingkah laku dalam suatu negara yaitu berupa perubahan kebijakan mereka. WTO menentang tentang kebijakan Indonesia tentang Mobnas dan akhirnya Indonesia mengubah kebijakannya sesuai keinginan WTO. Sehingga efek Transnasionalisme dalam politik dunia dapat ditemukan dalam kasus ini.
Footnote:
1) Dani, Sengketa Mobil Nasional Indonesia, dalam http://one.indoskripsi.com, 2008, diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 05.09 pm.
2) ___, Met or Zonder WTO, Timor Terus Melaju, dalam http://www.tempo.co.id, 1997, diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 05.14 pm.
3) Dani, Sengketa Mobil Nasional Indonesia, dalam http://one.indoskripsi.com, Op cit.
4) ___, Mungkin, Beli Mobil Timor Pakai Kupon, dalam http://www.tempointeraktif.com, 1998, diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 05.02 pm.
REFERENSI
_____. 1997. Jangan Ada Lagi Kebijakan Hit and Run. Dalam http://www.tempointeraktif.com. Diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 05.23 pm
_____. 1996. Jepang belum Adukan soal 'Timor' ke WTO. Dalam http://www.republika.co.id. Diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 04.42 pm
_____. 1997. Met or Zonder WTO, Timor Terus Melaju. Dalam http:// www.tempo.co.id. Diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 05.14 pm
_____. 1998. Mungkin, Beli Mobil Timor Pakai Kupon. Dalam http://www.tempointeraktif.com. Diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 05.02 pm
_____. 1996. Timor Tenang-Tenang Hadapi Gugatan WTO. Dalam http://www.jawapos.co.id. Diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 05.12 pm
Dani. 2008. Sengketa Mobil Nasional Indonesia. Dalam http://one.indoskripsi.com. Diakses tanggal 22 Oktober 2009 pukul 05.09 pm
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Tema : Attitude Change (Perubahan Tingkah Laku) sebagai Efek Transnasionalisme dalam Politik Dunia
