Take the iPad and free service That 1% rebate is only worth at the most 1.5k. An iPad costs at least 1.8k or more (depending on storage and wifi/3G). Service also at least RM100 right?

But I doubt your VW wheels will fit a Proton. What's your PCD, and how many holes?

These days manufacturers are coming out with coupes that only have two seats at the back (Merc CLS, VW Passat CC etc). Either cars are getting smaller, or ppl are getting larger lol...

Should have just stuck to leather for a premium brand. I don't see any Audis or Beemers with fabric options, do you? The cost of changing to aftermarket leather seats is around RM2k+, if it's installed at the factory during assembly the cost is much lower.

Ya bro I know VW is not exactly a premium brand in the global context, but in Asia it can still be considered as one since it belongs to VAG. It's Audi's little sibling Yeah we can all talk about how the tax structure is screwing around with perceived values etc, but at the end of the day their objective is to sell more cars here; in this country a car doesn't even need to be over a hundred grand to warrant leather seats. Case in point: Peugeot 308 VTi More importantly, most cars in that price range come with an option for leather seats, and some of them do have more than 2 airbags.

I wasn't quoting the price for changing to leather seats as an option, merely pointing out the fact that cost-wise, it isn't a lot, especially if you spec it at factory level. IMHO (and I really mean humble opinion!), VW should have just specced the TSI with leather seats, period. It's a great car, great package, just too bad about the seats.

Let's just forget that I said "premium" for a minute, and consider that leather seats have more advantages against fabric, with fire, smell and stain retardant properties being on top of my list. At more than 150k, a few extra k won't be felt, that's all I'm saying.

Hence my point, in other markets they can do whatever they want. But you won't find a new 3-series or C-Class with fabric options here in Malaysia

Cool, looks like Toothless the dragon from How To Train Your Dragon

Ok, here's another scenario. Let's say your ECU-modded Golf was involved in an accident that needed it to be towed to an authorized workshop. That means you won't have time to reflash the ROM to stock. Apart from running the risk of losing your warranty, will it also be a problem with the insurance coverage? Will that be affected as well?

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Added on December 10, 2010, 6:09 pmIMO it's silly if they don't want to take advantage of CKD for those models that are hot selling here. Also, there aren't that many models left that aren't already selling here.

This post has been edited by gregy: Dec 10 2010, 06:09 PM

Protecting the existing market is one thing, but to do that and forgo a larger, more sustainable future market share is IMHO not very sound business sense. One can take the example of the family oriented Golf Plus as an example; you can hardly see any on the road.

Anywhere else, a Veedub is just another 'people's car', but over here it is associated with performance n speed. If u take the fun out of a Veedub it might not sell as well, even if it's priced low due to CKD.

Existing owners might feel cheated if they do decide to assemble said models here, but in the long run if the brand grows substantially in popularity, the level of service may improve due to SCs having more experience dealing with problems, not to mention the cost of parts might come down. So in the long run, assembling the Golf, Roc etc locally could end up being a blessing in disguise.

Ironically, should VW become a mainstream player here, existing owners might also enjoy better resale value.

Looking at it from the logical standpoint; it doesn't matter to VAG whether we get the cars CBU or CKD, cos they still earn the same/similar for each car sold, regardless. It's the tax that we pay that makes it expensive. So, (example) if they can currently sell 50 units a month CBU, and projections show that they can triple or quadruple that with CKD, why not?

This post has been edited by gregy: Dec 11 2010, 04:31 AM

I assume you bought yours pre-owned? Which one was it, the Wald edition MkV that was originally sold around 250k?

If the largest carmaker in the world, Toyota, can see it fit to have an interest here, I don't see why VW Group (3rd largest) shd give us a pass. A few months ago there was some chatter on forums that VW wanted to setup a plant here to supply cars regionally. This goes to show that they do intend to do something more substantial here than just exporting CBU to us. I guess we'll just have to wait n see.

Warranty claims are usually like that. Nobody wants to pay, and they will find fault any way they can.

I might be wrong, but isn't the transportation costs higher from S. Africa than from Germany? I'd think that all units would have been shipped from Germany to minimize shipping costs.

I think it's a safety feature built-in so that drivers will turn on their lights when it gets dark. Most cars don't have this system, that's why you find so many ppl who drive in darkness without turning on their lights, cos most cars today have some form of optitron meters that light up day and night regardless whether you switch on your lights or not.

If possible, turn on your lights in a car park. It's not for you to see others, it's for others to see you

I did some approximate calculations and here are the results of the power bands between the Polo 1.2 TSI and Civic 1.8S:

1,550rpm = Polo (38hp), Civic (31.57hp)

3,000rpm = Polo (73.7), Civic (68hp)

4,000rpm = Polo (98hp), Civic (95hp)

5,000rpm = Polo (105hp), Civic (119hp)

6,000rpm = Polo (102hp), Civic (139hp)

Calculations were based on torque output at the given rpms (converted from Nm to pound foot) x rpm, then divided by 5252.

So, this explains the "seat of the pants" feeling of driving a turbocharged Polo TSI at anything below 4,000rpm and in that sense I can concur that driving the Polo around town can be compared to a 2.0-litre NA car; however for acceleration and top speed you can see that the Civic is no slouch here. The main difference is not because of the turbocharging, but the fact that the Polo is just slightly over 1 tonne while the Civic is heavier at 1.24 tonnes. No need to mention about transmission loss, as the Civic's 5AT only robs approximately 20% of power to the wheels, which is very close to that of a manual tranny.

If you look at this vid, you'll see that the lack of low end torque doesn't impede the Civic, as the gears are designed to upshift at around its max torque output for flat out driving:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkdUURkcZ9c&feature=related

Nonetheless, that @$$-shoving low end torque of the Polo is more fun as a daily driver. If only the seats weren't so cramped lol...

Better enjoy it while you can I read somewhere that Toyota is going the forced induction route for their next gen mass production cars. Now only wake up, haih. Better late than neva lol

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Added on January 4, 2011, 1:58 amBetter enjoy it while you can The next gen of Jap cars will be going the forced induction route too. Better late than never lol

This post has been edited by gregy: Jan 4 2011, 01:58 AM