The story of Velkarja: Part 2 - Stability is only skin deep (SMALL PICKUP REVIEWS!)

[Knugcab]

NOW FOR PART 2 OF THE SURVEY - BRAND IMAGE

AERO seems to be a brand that totally lacks prestige in the eyes of the buyers, despite not even being seen as a price leader. They also don’t seem to think that Aero is capable of making very safe or comfortable cars. But where it makes up for that is when it comes to running costs. It does not take special knowledge, tools or a whole lot of money to keep an Aero running. They are also seen as the most frugal cars when it comes to fuel.

BREDA is a prestigeous upmarket brand which also means that Breda is seen as kind of expensive. Also, it is not seen as an optimal car for some of the bad Velkarjan infrastructure, but rather as a comfortable car that is slightly more pleasant to drive than the average car, all while being sparse on the gas for an upmarket brand.

BURGWART is seen as a maker that makes cars with better fuel economy than average, but doesn’t stand out otherwise for the better or the worse.

As mainly a truck brand, CMG has an approach that stands out, it is seen as the most overpriced brand on the market, but yet offers capabilities you don’t think about when it comes to trucks, by being seen as prestigeous, comfortable and safe (!). Also, it is seen as the maker of the most reliable vehicles on the market, which maybe is more of a “conventional” truck trait.

DCMW was never intended as a brand for the masses, and that shows. It sweeps the floor with other makers when it comes to how prestigeous it is seen, but it is also seen as a maker of expensive, thirsty cars that costs an arm and a leg to service and repair. When it comes to comfort, more people trusts DCMW than any other brand, thay are also seen at top notch when it comes to safety and handling bad roads, also as somewhat fast and reliable, but not as the most exciting cars when it comes to driving dynamics.

Opinions on DUCK, TRENT & FAIR compared to the average car are mostly a negative view on how they drive. It is seen as a clumsy and not very sporty car. Otherwise it doesn’t stand out a lot compared to the average maker.

The only FITZ model on sale this far has been a large truck, that of course is practical as such one. It is seen as a vehicle that is probably safe to be in, should the worst happen, due to its mass, that also mean that it is seen as clumsy, slow, expensive and not very comfortable. But it should be kept in mind that only selling a somewhat niched vehicle might make this sound more negative than it actually is.

FULMINIO is a prestige brand on the expensive side, that is not built with conquering forest trails in mind. Instead, they reward you by being comfortable to drive - on the roads that they are able to take on.

HAAPALA has a better image than any other brand when it comes to performance, they are also seen as more exciting to drive than the ordinary car. Because ordinary is something the Haapala is not. Haapala is seen as expensive both to buy and repair, the later is something people have the perception that you have to do often with an Haapala, it is also not seen as very comfortable, practical or able to take on the worst of Velkarjan roads. But by selling more or less a race car for the road, this was the expected results.

HCA is a somewhat primitive brand for the better and the worse. They will hold up well on the bad roads of Velkarja and are among the most unstoppable vehicles if you can’t afford to buy a DCMW. They are also seen as clumsy and uninspiring to drive, not very comfortable or safe. A bread and butter car for Velkarja, something you buy because you need it rather than because you want it.

More people trust KAZ than any other brand when it comes to safety, it is overall seen as a family oriented and somewhat “nice” brand, where you have to pay a bit more than for the average car, but in return you get comfort and prestige, while you sacrifice some speed and sportiness.

KMW is a kind of prestigeous upmarket brand, where you have to pay a little premium for getting a comfortable and prestigeous car that is also good at handling bad roads.

LUVIS is a luxurious car that has its drawbacks by being expensive, unreliable and not the best on some of the bad roads in the country. On the other hand you get typical luxury car traits like good comfort and high levels of safety and prestige.

MARA is the true price leader, that makes utilitarian cars that also are more pleasant to drive than the average car, but that also seems to be a little bit lacking in the safety department.

MOTOR UNION scores very low in some areas like safety, comfort, prestige and sportiness, while one could expect a Velkarjan built brand to also have better offroad capabilities. But on the positive side, it seems to be the truck you can repair for free with chicken wire and fish glue.

A NORDSTERNE seems to be a dream car for a lot of people. It is seen as a sporty, safe, comfortable, fast and very prestigeous vehicle. That is maybe not built for the countryside, and not to be affordable for Mr. Average.

Generally, the opinions on PANDANI does not differ all that much from the average car, but people in general seems to think that it is a slightly more economical car on fuel than most others.

PRIMUS is a car that gives you offroad capabilities, but does not offer much in the way of comfort or prestige.

RSA is a prestigeous, safe and comfortable vehicle, but you have to pay a little price premium for that, and stay away from the worst of roads.

SISUS are seen as a bit thirsty on fuel, clumsy to drive and somewhat below average comfort wise, without being all that much better than average at much else.

TWIN CROWNS is a typical upmarket brand in that you have to pay a price premium, but will get prestige and comfort in return, but also get drawbacks like a not so stellar reliability, expensive repairs and questionable capability offroad.

UNION gives you prestige and comfort, and that without breaking your wallet in the same way that some other luxury brands will do. The drawback is that they are less trusted when it comes to reliability and offroading capabilities.

Despite the emphasis on 4 wheel drive, UJI KOGYO is seen as one of the worst brands when it comes to taking on the bad roads. It is also seen as a maker of cars that are not very comfortable, which might be more excusable considering that they are mainly selling small cars.

VAU vehicles are kind of workhorses. You won’t get a prestigeous and comfortable vehicle - but filling up the tank won’t empty your wallet, and nor will the repairs. The same also stays true for its commercial sister brand, VC.

WEISS-KISS has the worst reputation when it comes to fuel economy, but the best reputation when it comes to offroading capacity. For a company building large workhorses with offroading in mind, that was more or less expected. So was also the fact that people does not see Weiss-Kiss as the most sporty or comfortable brand.

@Edsel @VanZandt_Breda @Happyhungryhippo @Chief @moroza @HyperMud @Prium @Ch_Flash @Mikonp7 @Dog959 @Hilbert @BababooeyGamington @conan @AndiD @l0jli @Rise_Comics @MoteurMourmin @Fishman501 @06DPA

[Knugcab]

I actually came up with a very good way of describing the difference between the two parts of the brand image thing. So…I can as well start with doing a heads up.

I am almost done with checking the legality of entries. I am sorry that I didn’t have the possibility to check them as they arrived, with computer broken and such shit. Checking them all at once takes time. Especially considering the increase in numbers. Last round I got 41 cars (I think 44 with the bins, not 100% sure now), split up into nine categories. For this round I have gotten 73 cars, and I have to add some categories, split up some, remove none. So that will take time. But I am working on this every day, so don’t worry. The delay until now was a planned one.

So…now for the difference I told you about.

As I have stated earlier, the first part is about what view people has of the manufacturer in itself. The second one is about the cars they make. So, why is that different? I actually came to think about three different examples from real life.

1. Most people would see Volkswagen as a maker of relatively decent cars after all. That view probably didn’t change after the dieselgate scandal, but it absolutely made some people lose trust in Volkswagen as a manufacturer.

2. Ford as a whole does not make cars that are remarkably more unsafe than its competitors just because the Pinto had a design flaw, that is just one model after all. But it was seen as a rather cynical view of its customers when it was revealed that they didn’t spend a couple of dollars per car to fix the fuel tank issue, because it was cheaper to do payouts to people that had been injuried in accidents.

3. Toyota is absolutely a manufacturer most people would trust and has a good view of overall. Yet, when they were going upmarket in the US, they had to invent the Lexus brand, because Toyota badges on a luxury car was not seen as prestigeous enough there.

Easy enough explanation?

[Knugcab]

RULE BREAKERS

First of all, I want to give you some good news - no instabins for this round. There are some minor violations though, but nothing serious, fortunately enough.

BAAS 3, PRIMUS PUBLICA, BURGWART VICTORIA @Happyhungryhippo

The bureucracy of Pavel Ilves era Velkarja probably gave the people at the car importer company Phillipps some grey hairs this year. Paperwork to do type approval of their 1952 models didn’t arrive in time, delaying them for a while, also inflation and exchange rates caused prices to go up on the Publica and Victoria when they finally arrived, while the BAAS somehow could still be sold at the price it was promised to sell for.

The techpool, which I didn’t get a screenshot of, is supposed to be the same for all the entries, which it wasn’t, so I adjusted it to the techpool the BAAS has for the Primus and Burgwart (the Primus also had too high TP). It didn’t affect stats all that much, mostly had an impact on the pricing.

KMW SWIFT 100 @BababooeyGamington
The KMW Swift 100 was another car that was delayed due to getting stuck into the bureaucracy and paperwork, also ending up not being exactly how it was promised in the end.

Same problem here. All cars were supposed to have the same techpool, the Swift differed. Swift TP was adjusted to the Wayfarer/Fieldrunner one, I don’t remember now how it affected the stats, I seem to remember that some were better, some worse.

HAAPALA 2800 RACING, HAAPALA LM KATURATA @Mikonp7

Haapala still promises that their vehicles “can take unleaded fuel”, which is true, but not the low quality Velkarjan one. Confusion still have been leading to some burned pistons, surprisingly enough since they have had the same issue since 1946, you would think that the customers should have learned by now, but appearantly not.

Same violation as last time, you little rascal!

UNION LION @Fishman501

Another car disappointing customers a bit by arriving later than promised, and to a way different price point than intended. Union seemed to have too much confidence in themselves, this time it didn’t involve any administrative troubles at all.

The Lion was set at default techpool. I lowered it to the one the other cars had which was almost absurdly low, so I almost felt bad for doing it since you could have used so much more, but well, since all cars were supposed to have the same TP that was what I did…

RSA MORA, NORDSTERNE FREGATT, DO DISPATCH @Rise_Comics
DCMW AL SHEIKH SUPERIORITY TWELVE X, DCMW KUTSHURIAT STANDARD FOUR X, DCMW GHURRUZ MEDIUM SIX @moroza

Two other car distributors that failed to send in their paperwork correctly, delaying type approval for 1952. Also, the Ghurruz and the Dispatch shares another thing - marker lights that technically weren’t approved by the Velkarjan department of transportation. Both Daedalus and DCMW argued that they made the vehicles safer rather than the opposite, leading to them getting a legal exemption, but it also lead to an investigation about how marker lights on commercial vehicles should be handled in the future. New regulations can be expected around circa 1959.

Techpool screenshots were missing in both cases. Not the worst violation but complicates stuff for me in the long run. As for the very different approach on marker lights on the Ghurruz versus the Dispatch, that technically isn’t allowed by the rules in any of the cases, well, I realize that there probably should be some ruleset for them next time, since it would only be stupid to not allow marker lights on commercial vehicles, so the fault is more on me than on you, but this will help with the worldbuilding in the long run, I guess.

[Knugcab]

The COMPACT FAMILY CARS keeps having their grip over Velkarja as the largest segment for 1952. Maybe not a surprise, since after all that’s just enough car for most of the people, while getting anything more than that will take a big toll of the wallet. For 1952 we have eight strong contenders in this class.

MAW BRUNANTE SD @karhgath

(Inline 3 cylinder OHV, single carb, 959 cc, 28 hp. Rear engine, rear wheel drive, 3 speed transmission. Mc Pherson struts front and rear. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Rack and pinion steering. Unitary body construction. 6.1 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 101 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 7320 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C.)

The Brunante quickly became a success and one of the most purchased vehicles in Velkarja. It is not hard to see why! Sure, it is not one of the most stylish or one of the fastest vehicles on the market, then again, nothing in this class is. But it is one of the more economical ways to get behind the wheel of a new car. Next to the HCA Honeybee it has the lowest purchase price in this class, service is dirt cheap at 350.65 VEM, its fuel economy is second only to the Aero Move, and it is also in tax class C. Still, nobody would argue against the fact that this is very much a real car. It has space for four people, sure some competitors offer seating for five, on the other hand the four doors on the MAW makes for an easier entry for the back seat passengers. It can reach speeds over 100 km/h - more is rarely useful on Velkarjan roads. Even if there is some twitchiness, it is decently stable on the road for a rear engined car. It is also unquestionably the most well built car in its class. That also gives you some trust that this small car should still give some protection for its occupants, should the worst happen. It is also reasonably nimble and fun to drive.

It should be said, though, that you will absolutely not get anything more than a bread and butter car, there are some competitors that offer a bit more feeling of luxury and comfort than the MAW will be able to give. Also, for a car with the weight placed over the drive wheels, we had expected it to do better under harsh road conditions. Yet, it is not hard to come to the conclusion that MAW offers the best value for your money in this class. That is the reason why it became the class leader with 2966 cars sold for 1952.

AERO MOVE COUPÉ @Edsel

(Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single carb, 787 cc, 27 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive, 3 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspension, solid coil sprung rear axle. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Rack and pinion steering. Ladder frame. 6 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 106 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 7620 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C.)

The former top seller in the class is still going strong at the second place. It looks a bit more conventional nowadays than some years ago, preferred by some buyers, while some others would say that it has lost some of its soul. However, you can still identify the Aero Move when you see one.

Aero is standing strong as an economy champion, since it is both the most economical car to service, and to fuel, in this class. Even if there are cheaper competitors, it still sells for under 8000 VEM. That gives you a car that is still adequate for most needs, seating four and able to reach a little over 100 km/h, eventually. For a shorter trip, it is also a fun and nimble little car to drive.

It should be said however, that the economy, and maybe also the good reputation for being economical that its predecessor had, is the main selling points of the Aero. It is, even for its class, an overly simplistic car that gets tiresome to drive in the long run, and you can feel how cheap and tinny it is built. With the Brunante being a cheaper car to purchase, with almost as good total economy, and being equally good, or better, at most things, we can see why it has passed the Aero in sales. The 1952 sales of the Aero Move Coupé ended up at 2538 cars.

HCA HONEYBEE 860 @Dog959

(Flat 4 cylinder OHV, single eco carb, 857 cc, 30 hp. Front engine, front wheel drive, 4 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspenson, solid leaf sprung rear axle. Twin leading shoe drum brakes front and single leading rear. Recirculating ball steering. Ladder frame. 7.9 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 101 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 7170 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C)

A domestic car takes the third place in this class sales wise. The Honeybee is the cheapest car you can buy in this class at a price of 7170 VEM. It is also reasonably cheap to service at 366.35 VEM, but does not manage to be on par with the class leaders when it comes to fuel economy. The Honeybee features reasonably modern styling, does not seem to fall apart from abuse and it is clearly a car built with Velkarjan roads in mind, with its front wheel drive traction. It also gives you seating for five, despite its size.

On the other hand, of course there are going to be drawbacks for this price. It is a rather uncomfortable and crude car, even for this class. It is uninspiring to drive, high speed stability is at its limits (so please HCA, do not give this car a more powerful engine without fixing the chassis first), and looking at the tinny bumpers and some of the interior details with raw, unfinished edges, we are at doubt that you would want to be in a crash with this car.

But for this price, even a crude car can be great value for the money, like the HCA also is. 2434 Velkarjans bought a HCA Honeybee during 1952.

PAIGE 100 SEDAN @donutsnail

(Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single carb, 999 cc, 29 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive, 3 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspenson, solid leaf sprung rear axle. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Recirculating ball steering. Ladder frame. 6.2 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 103 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 8830 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C)

Finding an American car in this class is maybe a surprise, but Paige’s smallest model actually is a contender for this class, and even goes under tax class C. It is a stylish and modern looking litte car, very comfortable for its class, also drives very well both on paved roads, and on most of the Velkarjan roads that still looks like forest trails. It is decently well put together, has space for five people, a well appointed interior for its class, and its engine is very sparse on the fuel drops, still giving adequate performance. There is actually a challenge to find any drawbacks with the Paige, and we would even go far enough to call it the best vehicle in its class. However, service is expensive for a small car at 547.72 VEM. Not to mention the purchase price. 8830 VEM is maybe not horrifying, but still dangerously close to some larger cars. That explains why it didn’t do even better sales wise, and ends up at a fourth place, selling 2433 cars.

VAU 30/4 RABBIT @Fishman501

(Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single eco carb, 902 cc, 27 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive, 3 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspenson, solid coil sprung rear axle. Twin leading shoe drum brakes front and single leading rear. Rack and pinion steering. Ladder frame. 6.8 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 98 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 8660 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C)

By now, there is hardly any Velkarjan that does not recognize the Rabbit, even if it has gotten some small facelifts during the years, it is starting to show its age. Despite its ancient roots, it will cost you 8660 VEM to get one, money that almost can buy the very competent Paige 100. But sure, it is economical to run and has low service costs, also qualifies for tax class C. It seats five, and takes on rough roads very well. So, as a pure tool for transportation, it does a decent job. But more modern competitors clearly have surpassed it when it comes to driving dynamics, comfort and performance, where the Rabbit is starting to feel hopelessly dated. Also, its sloppy build quality doesn’t really make one patriotic about Velkarjan craftsmanship.

Is the Rabbit’s main selling point by now “you know what you get”? We start to think so, the importance of familiarity should not be understated. 1960 Velkarjans bought one during 1952.

MARA KAMRAD 1.3 SKE @AndiD

(Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single carb, 1298 cc, 44 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive, 4 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspenson, solid leaf sprung rear axle. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Recirculating ball steering. Ladder frame. 9.4 litres per 100 km, 92 octane leaded. 121 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 7390 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 934.75 VEM. Tax class B)

Mara has a reputation as a price leader. Now, at 7390 VEM, it mainly holds true, but it is not the cheapest car in its class. It also has several other economy drawbacks. Service is among the more expensive in this class at 536.56 VEM It requires the more expensive 92 octane fuel, despite already having worse fuel economy than most of its competitors. It also goes into tax class B, unlike most of its competitors. The explanation is of course in its larger 1.3 litre engine. That also makes the Mara the best performer in its class, it also drives reasonably well, is one of the most comfortable small cars, has a well appointed interior for five people, and overall it is hard to find any major drawbacks. So, it could maybe be said that it shows why nothing in life is free. When a car that feels a notch “nicer” and more well appointed than most of its competitors sells for this price, you have to pay somewhere else. 1760 cars found their buyers during 1952.

VICTORY VICEROY MK1 @missionsystem

(Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single carb, 1370 cc, 41 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive, 4 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspenson, solid coil sprung rear axle. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Recirculating ball steering. Ladder frame. 8.9 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 117 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 8690 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 967.25 VEM. Tax class B)

A new brand on the market from Oceania. The relatively soft, long-travel suspension means that it is the best car in its class when it comes to offroad capacity and comfort. It also has frisky performance, thanks to its 1370 cc engine that unfortunately puts it in tax class B. It has a well appointed interior for its class, with space for five. It also manages to be a genuinely decent car overall, and without standing out all that positively at anything than the points mentioned earlier, it is also hard to find any major drawbacks.

Unfortunately, this is far from the most economical car in this class, it is not only a bit on the expensive side to buy, it is also in tax class B and drinks a little more fuel than the best contenders in this class. But if you can take that extra cost, sure the Viceroy is not a bad car at all. 1549 Velkarjans dared to choose this so far untried car for 1952.

PANDANI COLIBRI @Prium

(Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single eco carb, 1111 cc, 36 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive, 3 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspenson, semi trailing arm rear axle. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Recirculating ball steering. Ladder frame. 9.5 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 115 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 8820 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 970.50 VEM. Tax class B)

When the Cardenal was first shown in Velkarja in 1946, it was one of the most promising small cars on the market. It was expensive, but it at least gave you something for the money. For the 1952 Colibri, expensive still stands, but we are questioning the rest. What we question the most is the build quality, that really feels sloppy. Our testing has also shown that this car will have trouble on the worst of roads before any competitor will, and Velkarja is still full of them. It should be said, though, that the Colibri is reasonably comfortable for a small car (as long as you sit up front. The back seats is another story, cramped and uncomfortable), it also has a modern and stylish design (some people should say “overdesigned”). But it also costs only 10 VEM less than the very nice Paige, and next to that car, the Colibri pales in almost anything. It is also in tax class B, one of the most expensive cars in the class to service at 539.16 VEM, and thirstier on fuel than even the Mara (which on the other hand is compensated by the Pandani taker cheaper, low quality fuel). Sure, it is a decent, if not great car, but without any of the cleverness that made the original such a pleasant car back in the days, it also will give you ownership costs (and probably a lot of trouble) that does not match its capabilities. All in all, the results of that was that only 831 cars were sold in 1952.

[Knugcab]

A smaller class of cars, the MINI CARS , has evolved below the compact car class. We are talking about cars mainly for people willing to trade up from a motorcycle, and getting a roof over their head. In this class we will mainly find relatively simple cars, that still does a good job when it comes to transporting a not-too-large group of people to their destination.

AERO CREATURE @Edsel

Inline 3 cylinder OHV, single carb, 360 cc, 9 hp. Rear engine, rear wheel drive. 3 speed transmission. Mc Pherson struts front and rear. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Rack and pinion steering. Unitary body construction. 3.9 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 69 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 6220 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C.

Weird looking cars sometimes will earn their nicknames fast. The little Aero Creature was quickly dubbed the “Piglet” by the Velkarjan people at the time of its release. Yet, it has sold at a faster pace than most other cars on the market. Probably, most people were willing to ignore the weird looks, out of a need for cheap transportation. Because in Velkarja, that is still a huge need.

But what do you get for your money? Well, transportation for two people, and not much more. But you get it for a low price, and to low costs of ownership. It is in tax class C, sparse on the fuel drops and extremely cheap to service at 306.98 AMU. Fact is, though, that the KAZ Kazenkiv sells for an even lower price and drinks less fuel, but Aero has managed to cement a reputation as a maker of extremely economical cars, that is hard to wash away. It is also well built for the price, and believe it or not, but it actually leaves some “real” cars behind on the worst of roads.

On the other hand it should be said, it drives quite terrible, the top speed is so low that it is almost silly, and already maxed out there it is a torture chamber. In the way of standard equipment, it offers absolutely nothing. It is a motorized tent, more or less. But it should not be seen as a competitor to the compact cars. Rather, a competitor to a small motorcycle. The Aero also seats two, and does it in a way more suitable for the Velkarjan climate. That’s enough to make a top seller as we speak at the moment, and Aero sold 3225 Pigl…sorry Creatures, during 1952.

SIGURDSSON T82 800E @splendidsloth

(Flat 4 cylinder OHV, single carb, 804 cc, 28 hp. Rear engine, rear wheel drive, 4 speed transmission. Double wishbone suspension front and rear. Twin leading shoe drum brakes front, single leading shoe drum rear. Rack and pinion steering. Ladder frame. 6.5 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 112 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 8510 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C.)

It should be said that the Sigurdsson is not mainly a price fighter. 8510 VEM is expensive for such a small car. On the other hand, it is kind of marvellous when it comes to squeezing in a lot of car in a small package. And even if its initial cost is high, it is economical to own, like one could expect from a small car like this, fuel economy is good, taxes are non existant and 386.06 VEM in service costs is a very low figure. It can also seat four in somewhat acceptable comfort, has frisky performance for what it is, drives well for a rear engined car, and even comes with a radio, even if the interior appointments overall are simple. All this is wrapped in a rather modern and elegant package, and for many people this made them decide that they really don’t need a larger car than this, the Sigurdsson can do it equally well.

If you can overcome the initial cost of purchase, this is probably the best car in its class overall. But it is not without its drawbacks, that should be said. There are some owner dissatisfaction with T82s considering reliability, and we could have wanted a more well built car for this money maybe. But all in all, the T82 has been a success on the market, selling 2959 cars in 1952.

KAZ KAZENKIV 220 @Hilbert

(Inline 3 cylinder OHV, single carb, 396 cc, 13 hp. Mid engine, rear wheel drive, 3 speed transmission. Mc pherson struts front and rear. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Rack and pinion steering. Unitary body construction. 3.6 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 76 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 5870 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C.)

With the Kazenkiv, KAZ is aiming at a lower end of the market than they have previously occupied. Probably that is a reason for slower initial sales than expected, most people would not think about visiting a KAZ dealer firsthand when shopping for an economy car. Yet, it undercuts even the Aero in price at 5870 VEM. It also offers an incredible fuel economy at 3.6 litres per 100 km. Service is cheap at 370.38 VEM. To some extent, it feels a bit more like a real car than the Aero, with a higher top speed and more powerful engine, and a styling that looks a bit more like a conventional car (though some people have drawn parallells with a boat or a shoe). It also drives slightly better, and is almost as well built as the Aero. But it also shares the exact same drawbacks, that comes with something this small and simple. It is economical transportation and nothing more. Also, an annoying thing is that compared to the Aero, this car will struggle under the worst of road conditions, meaning that the Kazenkiv has mostly been of interest for buyers in the major cities. During 1952, 2531 Kazenkivs were sold.

KMW SWIFT 100 @BababooeyGamington

(Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single carb, 995 cc, 41 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive, 4 speed transmission. Double wishbone suspension front and rear. Twin leading shoe drum brakes front, single leading shoe drum rear. Rack and pinion steering. Unitary body construction. 9.5 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 128 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 14400 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 1110 VEM. Tax class B.)

KMW has never been a car builder for the masses. Not even when they are releasing a car this small, are they even trying to make it economical. Nope, sit down now. 14400 VEM(!) for a car this size, obviously puts it out of reach for most of the mini car buyers. Not only that, it goes into tax class B, and due to its price, it also has higher taxes than any of the compacts, not to mention that service costs are 859.94 VEM, and that it needs imported, expensive special tires (so called “radials”).

For this price, it of course has to be nicer than most small cars, and for sure, it is. The styling is modern, chic and elegant, it is a joy to drive, quick, and it comes with stuff like mounting points for seat belts, and a radio with deep and crisp sound. It also rides almost as good as some larger cars, so from an engineering standpoint it is impressive, even if there are reports that it is not holding up all that well.

The question still remains. Who is willing to pay this much for a car this small? Well, appearantly it had some success as a “second car” for rich city families. The back seat can fit two kids and it is a little more practical than a Breda. Ironically, a little crackerbox like this could become something of a status symbol. But it is absolutely a very niched vehicle and only 884 were sold.

[Knugcab]

The SMALL PICKUPS has been something of a backbone in the Velkarjan transportation system for the last years. With that in mind, it is a bit surprising that the choices are so few nowadays. Four vehicles are competing, all four of them with their own different approach to solving the problem. One purpouse built, but traditional, pickup. One tiny and everything but traditional, with the purpouse to squeeze in as much cargo space as possible within a small footprint. One passenger car with the back end chopped off and replaced with a flatbed, and another passenger car based one with a more elegant and integrated solution.

MAW TITEBULLE OSCHE @karhgath

Inline 3 cylinder OHV, single carb, 811 cc, 20 hp. Mid engine, rear wheel drive. 4 speed transmission. Coil sprung solid front axle, Mc Pherson struts rear. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Rack and pinion steering. Unitary body construction with subframe. 5.7 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 85 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 6390 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C.

The little Titebulle might look odd, almost like an Aero Creature with a bed, some people would say. But fact is, it is extremely space efficient, with its minimal cab and engine under bed configuration. Of course, it is still a small truck, and also has the smallest loadspace in its class, but the flatbed still makes it very practical, even if one drawback of the design is that it has a kind of high loading floor. But still, for such a tiny vehicle it is impressive. It is also the cheapest truck to buy, has very cheap service costs at 362.35 VEM, is very efficient on fuel and also classifies for tax class C, so it won’t ruin your business. It is also built like a small tank, this thing will take abuse and never break down.

Sure, its tow+load capacity is not gigantic, but actually higher than the larger VC, it also can cope with very bad roads thanks to its knobby tires, while it still manages to be a decent drive on short trips. The only major drawbacks of the Titebulle is that it certainly isn’t a pleasant truck to be in on longer journeys, it is also a bit slow (but not gutless, despite its small engine).

David beats Goliath? At least this time. 2682 Titebulles were sold during 1952.

PAIGE 100 UTILITY @donutsnail

Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single carb, 999 cc, 29 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive. 4 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspension, leaf sprung solid rear axle. Single leading shoe drum brakes front and rear. Recirculating ball steering. Ladder frame. 7.1 litres per 100 km, 85 octane, 101 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 8600 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 0 VEM. Tax class C.

An utility version of the little Paige 100, with an elegant integration of a “truck bed” into the passenger car body, of course with the drawback that it isn’t as practical as a flatbed. But as long as you have room for the cargo, the Paige have the guts to move it, the tow+load capacity is rather impressive for its size. Its passenger car roots are also showing in that it is the best driving small truck on the market, and also the most comfortable. Also, more or less on par with the Fitz as being the fastest.

Overall costs are about mid pack, it seems to be decently well built, and as long as you take it for what it is, a small passenger car based truck, it is not a bad choice. Sure, it is not the most utilitarian choice, or the one with the best offroading capacity, but for lots of tasks, it actually does things pretty well, and it also helps that it is based on the very nice Paige 100 passenger car. 2492 Velkarjans agreed, and made this their truck purchase for 1952.

VC 30/4 DONKEY @Fishman501

Inline 4 cylinder OHV, single eco carb, 902 cc, 27 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive. 3 speed transmission. Double wishbone front suspension, leaf sprung solid rear axle. Twin leading shoe drum brakes front and single leading shoe rear. Rack and pinion steering. Ladder frame. 7.3 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 94 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 8230 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 955.75 VEM. Tax class B.

A very familiar truck for most Velkarjans. Not only has it been around since 1946, it is also based on the tried and true VAU Rabbit. And as we said about the Rabbit sedan, it starts to feel dated, but as a practical truck it still fulfills a purpouse and as such one it has aged better. If you want a small truck with a large loadspace, this is the choice, but ironically enough the loads have to be light, its load+towing capacity are instead the worst in its class. Build quality is as mediocre as for the Rabbit, and we would have expected better offroad capabilities of a domestically built truck. It is not very comfortable, nor is it any pleasant to drive. But it still does its job.

For a dated truck that does its job and not much more, however, the price is maybe a little bit stiff. If VC had managed to squeeze the price a bit to make it more of a price fighter, it would have made more sense. It is also hard to excuse that the truck gets into tax class B just by being a little bit too wide. Fuel economy is also only mid pack, although it should be said that it is very cheap to service at 345.62 VEM.

The Donkey still finds its buyers, 1674 of them this year. The question is only - for how long will it keep doing that?

FITZ C130 @Prium

Inline 4 cylinder OHC, twin carb, 1906 cc, 45 hp. Front engine, rear wheel drive. 4 speed transmission. Coil sprung solid front axle, leaf sprung rear. Twin leading shoe drum brakes front and single leading shoe rear. Recirculating ball steering. Specially reinforced ladder frame. 13.1 litres per 100 km, 85 octane. 101 km/h top speed. Price pre-tax 9920 VEM. Taxes for the first three years of ownership 998 VEM. Tax class B.

The C130 is by far the least economical choice in this class. Most expensive to buy, most expensive to fuel, most expensive to service, most expensive to tax. For sure, it is also built like a Fitz, meaning that you get a more heavy duty truck than if you go for any of the other competitors, with a larger engine, a larger tow+load capacity, better offroad capacity and other advantages. On the other hand, the answer to the question could as well be a larger truck. Especially considering that the more truck like underpinnings of the Fitz makes it the clumsiest one to drive in its class.

All of this could have been excused if the Fitz had been as heavy duty as it is stated to be, but our experiences this far says that it is not very good at taking abuse, and is a truck that risks being very troublesome to own. And for the rest of the truck, it just feels like you have taken the drawbacks of a larger truck, without getting the advantage of a larger loadspace that a larger truck would have given you.

The Fitz is, as stated, not without its points. But the overall package is not very convincing, and appearantly many Velkarjans have been just as hesitant. 1371 of them were sold during 1952, showing that it still has its niche after all.

[Knugcab]

VELKARJAN NEWS FOR 1952

WEATHER SUMMARY

It has been a very calm late winter and early spring, weather wise. The average temperature has been 0.5 degrees below average, the snowfall has calmed down to almost nothing, and the winds have been very still, just some faint blowings from east-north-east.

During the second quarter, hard winds has been blowing damp and chilly air from the north-west, leading to some heavy rainstorms. The average temperature has been 4 degrees below usual, there has been fog leading to some traffic disturbance at sea, as well as problem with wind and waves, some property damage has been reported, even if not at any alarming levels, some roads has been closed after rain damage and in some places high water levels have lead to flooding.

If the spring was wet, it all dried up in the summer, with remarkably less rain than usual. Talking about an outright drought would be to go too far, but it surely has been a bit dry. Temperatures have been about average and the winds have calmed down, with mostly some faint blowing from the east-south-east.

Calm winds have been blowing from the south west during the fourth quarter, the average temperature has been 1 degree warmer than usual, and there has also been slightly more rainfall and snow than usual, though nothing extreme has been reported.

PROTESTS IN SVALBORG TURNED OUT ALL CALM AND PEACEFUL

There has been protests in Svalborg lately where people negative to the current government under Pavel Ilves criticised him for, in their opinion, slowly turning Velkarja into a totalitarian state once again. There was fear that the protests would turn out violent, leading to lots of police resources being directed towards the protests. However, the protests turned out all peaceful in the end, without any riots or violence.

STILL UNPLEASANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REGIONS IN EDUCATION, NEW REPORT SAYS

Despite the school reform in 1947, the education levels in especially the poorer areas of Karsfjell and Kainmark still is at a remarkably lower level than in for example the more wealthy areas of Skärvala. That was shown in a new report, released in february of 1952. School minister Ingvar Pedersen has chosen to not comment on the report, but says that “In the state Velkarjan education was in at the time of the fall of the empire, this isn’t a problem that is going to be solved quickly. At least the trend is positive for the less educated regions of Velkarja, and it keeps being positive.”

FISHERMEN FLAGGING FOR A BAD YEAR

It seems like 1952 will be a bad year for fishing. Velkarjan fishermen are now reporting that the quantities are at a level way below usual, and are now alarming that this can lead to both prices going up, and even shortages.

COMMERCIAL VEHICLES LINKED TO INCREASING TRAFFIC FATALITIES, NEW REPORT SAYS

With an increase in the numbers of cars on the road, an unpleasant side effect is that the traffic fatalities also have been increasing. A current report says that a disproportionate number of them are involving commercial vehicles, and often on the smaller roads at night. It is believed that sharing the roads with the often larger vehicles, that sometimes are also carrying loads or towing trailers, is increasing the risk of accidents on especially small and cramped roads. A current proposal for legislation is that commercial vehicles should be equipped with marker lights on the roof, and also side marker lights, for other road users to be able to see and identify them at night.

VERANET NOT IMPRESSED BY THE IDEA OF TELEVISION

Television is at the moment a hot topic, already being introduced in Gasmea. However, VERANET, the Velkarjan Radio Network does not believe in the idea of Velkarjan television. “We have already had trouble with adopting FM radio, which will be a much more long winded and troublesome progress than we ever counted with”, officials for VERANET says. “To also start trying to introduce another new and untried technology like television on top of that, would be both costly and also a risk where the rewards are doubtful. Also, television recievers are expensive, and with the current economical situation in Velkarja, who would even be buying them? We will reach such a small amount of the population, that it simply would not be worth it”.

THE CONFLICT IN KARSLAVIA HAS ITS FIRST VELKARJAN VICTIMS

The conflict between Karslavia and Brzovia-Bohemisk has now claimed its first Velkarjan lives. Two Velkarjan soldiers were killed and one seriously injured, when the truck they were travelling in was destroyed by an explosion. The government of Brzovia-Bohemisk denies having any involvement in the incident, saying that the bomb must have been placed by civilians. The conflict has been going on for over four years, but this is the first case of Velkarjan soldiers being fatally injured.

VELKARJA INTRODUCES CENSORSHIP OF PRINTED MEDIA

“A sad day for the free speech”, some critics says. “Necessary to uphold the security of the country” is the opinions of others. From now on, all the printed media has to be approved by the Velkarjan bureau of censorship before it can be allowed for publishing. Critics means that this is just one step that Pavel Ilves takes towards a totalitarian state. Ilves, on the other hand, states that “at the moment, misinformation is spread about the conflict between Karslavia and Brzovia-Bohemisk at an alarming rate, which also means that it risks causing damage to the country in the long run. To uphold the security of Velkarja, we have to be sure that the media published does not spread desinformation”. And fittingly enough, the media that has been disapproved this far is all pro Brzovia-Bohemisk.

FIRST VELKARJAN COMPUTER PROJECT GETS APPROVAL

It is now official, that the first Velkarjan computer will be built. “VERONICA-1”, a reverse acronym for VElkarjan electRONIc CAlculator, has gotten its approval from the Velkarjan state, as a co-operation between the department of communication and the department of defense. However, private owned businesses, like for example Solveig Mechanical, also has shown interest in the technology. VERONICA-1 will be built using approximately 5000 vacuum tubes, be able to hold 2048 words in memory, and is planned to be finished at the start of 1955.