ICaterham ihlengwe ngumphathi weLotus
UCaterham “wayephila ezikweletini,” kusho uChris van Wyck, umqondisi ophethe weCaterham Cars Australia.
Inkampani yezimoto zemidlalo yaseBrithani elula manje isisezandleni zikaTony Fernandez, usomabhizinisi waseMalaysia ongumnikazi we-Air Asia Bhd kanye neqembu leGrand Prix iLotus. Kuze kube nezinkulumo zokuthi uFernandes angase aqambe iqembu lakhe i-F1 libe yiCaterham uma ehlulwa yingxabano eqhubekayo neRenault F1 mayelana nokusebenzisa igama leLotus kuFormula One.
Ukuthengwa kwezimoto e-Australia kucace bha njengoba iCaterham isidayise izimoto ezintathu kuphela kusukela ngo-2007 kanti ibhekene nokumiswa ukukhiqiza ngo-2013 ngenxa yokuthi lezi zimoto azifiki nohlelo lwe-ESP lokulawula ukuzinza oseluyimpoqo ezweni lonke kusukela ngo-2012.
“Manje sesiphila ngokubolekwa. Ngethemba ukuthi lokhu kusho izinto ezinhle,” kusho uChris van Wyck, umqondisi ophethe weCaterham Cars Australia.
“ICaterhams ingitshela ukuthi ngeke izihluphe ngalo mbhedo wokulawula i-traction ngoba ayiwudingi e-Europe. Kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi iCaterham izoba nokusekelwa okwengeziwe kanye nokutshalwa kwezimali esikhathini esizayo. Konke engikuzwayo ngomnikazi omusha kungaphezulu kwesigaba. Kulokhu, amathuba okuthi benze umbono ongemuhle angakhula.”
I-Caterham ayikaze ibe umdayisi omkhulu e-Australia, ngenxa yezinga eliphezulu lentengo yemoto, ehlala ingashintshile kusukela umsunguli weLotus uColin Chapman ayisungula njengeLotus 7 ngawo-1950.
I-Caterham iyindawo evulekile, engena-frills ehlala abantu ababili evame ukudayiswa njengemoto ephelele - okuyinto engenakwenzeka e-Australia - kwamanye amazwe. Ukwehliswa kwamanani kulo nyaka kudale inzalo eyengeziwe, kodwa u-van Wyck usakhungathekile ngenxa yokungabi nandaba nezimoto.
“Okwamanje, i-franchise ye-Claytons ngempela. Ngisadayise izimoto ezintathu kuphela kusukela ngo-2007,” kuvuma yena. “Isicelo esibizwa ngokuthi ‘sekilabhu’ e-Australia sisuka ku-$30,000 kuya ku-$55,000. Futhi asikho lapho. Lokhu kuyakhathaza kakhulu ngoba ngiyawuthanda umkhiqizo kanye nomkhiqizo. Bengicabanga ukuthi sizoba nezindali ezimbalwa manje njengoba sisendleleni ka-$60,000 noma u-$XNUMX, kodwa lokho akwenzekanga.”
U-Fernandez uthi uhlose ukushintsha i-Caterham, eyadayisa izimoto ezingu-500 kuphela ngo-2010, ibe uhlobo lomhlaba wonke esigabeni sezimoto zemidlalo esikhethekile semikhiqizo efana ne-Aston Martin.
ICaterham, eqanjwe ngegama ledolobha laseLondon lapho izinze khona ekuqaleni, inabasebenzi ababalelwa ku-100 embonini eseningizimu yenhloko-dolobha yaseBrithani futhi yafaka inzuzo engu-$2 million ngonyaka odlule. Kodwa u-van Wyk ubone okuhle ngokuthenga u-Fernandez kanye ne-Caterham entsha ependwe ngemibala efanayo neyezimoto zalo nyaka ze-Lotus F1 ezishayelwa u-Jarno Trulli no-Heikki Kovalainen.
“Nginekhasimende elihle kakhulu elifuna imoto yohlobo lweLotus. Ngakho umphumela omuhle,” kusho u-van Wyck.
