QUOTE(SoZa @ Aug 17 2013, 11:13 PM)
I think you got mistaken with ride height and belt line
Belt line is the window line I presumed? Understand? From the side profile you can see the window rises to the boot. The chunky bonnet is unavoidable though for safety reason as your explain. In design talk the high bonnet forces the belt line/window line to increase in height and the boot follows along. This is basically like a by law book in designing cars
And this also causes car nowadays have tapered greenhouse unlike older car that has narrow bonnet yet generous amount of glass
Anyway this is a mass market car, higher ride height would promote better ingress and degress especially to the elders
Oh that one. My mistake
QUOTE(giovanni @ Aug 17 2013, 11:16 PM)
The rebate was gone long ago but it was given long enough. In fact local carmakers especially Proton was given a head start (with all previous protective measures) long ago hence they were already not competing on a level playing field so you can't really make a direct comparison in terms on timeline. I do understand that any government would have helped its local carmaker but to the extent of what our gov did previously to Proton, I am not too sure ( I stand corrected on my view). The amount of support given could have put any carmaker on the right track no?
Yes, that's y cronyism makes Malaysians suffer.
Chinese government have stronger protection for their car makers, yet people still go to china because of the market. No car maker in the world has a level playing field. Local makes will always be given prefernce. Japan, Korea will give preference to their cars. BMW price their cars expensive, but their market is export, hence even their people use Kia.
Also, no government in the world is idiotic to put their industry out to die. Lets say you remove everything for Proton, level playing field. Proton compete, but then people still will not buy proton because now can buy cheaper dugong. Why buy proton since dugong cheaper now. Proton dies out like Chrysler. Now, if you are a politician, making policies, how are you going to face 30k odd proton workers (including manufacturing parts, service, etc) saying, because I want cheaper dugong made by JAPS or THAIS, I rather see 30k MALAYSIAN workers merempat. 30k workers got families, got sedara-mara. As stupid as politicians are, they are not that stupid to loose voters.
Same thing with MAS, same with Petronas. Will always get better treatment. Every country does this. If you don't do this, then you yourself will merempat. Lets say, that you have nothing to do with auto industry, working as grocery shop/hardware shop/own business. So now, you have 30k MALAYSIANS jobless, who is going to buy at your shop/use your facilities.
That is why during Malaysian economic crisis, Tun M say-spend spend. IMF idiot say, keep-keep. Logically when in crisis, you keep money to build revenue. However, if money does not circulate, economy will cripple. If everyone stopped going to McD because of crisis for 1 year, that shop will close. When I got the 3 gen's past accord 2.0 year 2000. Honda so desperate, they put in accessories you cannot find now. Bodylex massger, wood trim, parking pole, Vkool, can put downpayment with credit card some more, fog light and some sort of skyactive guard for 5 years. All free included in price. This was still during economic crisis. Then in 2002, economy got better, honda stopped giving bodylex massager, wood trim, parking pole. Even radio also aftermarket. Fog light not included. Seats don't have cloth cover. Forget skyactive.
If you want to get best value car, see which car comes with the most accessories, and balance with the brand value. As I see it, my new current gen 2010 Accord has less stuff compared to the 2000 Accord. Vkool was factory tinted. Now need to go tint yourself. Skyactiv, no more there. Massage seats-can forget it. When car makers are desperate, they put a lot of stuff. That is why cherry got tons of stuff, people still don't buy because brand value worse than proton. Honda, Nissan, Toyota give so little now because people rate the brand value too high. That is consumer's fault.
At the way Toyota, Honda and to an extent Nissan swindling consumers giving little stuff, I don't see my next car will be an Accord. Then again, it may be a rebadge Accord
Kia/Hyundai considered good value as they have tons of stuff. I bet you that if Kia/Hyundai are at H, T and N position, they and H, T, and N at K/H position, H, T and N will give more stuff to consumers.
So, in your quest to have "fair and level playing field" for car makers, you are actually not being fair to your own people working in your own country. So i quote Tun M said: "Free trade can be fair, but Fair trade cannot be free". I don't want Malaysia to be like Indonesia with the huge income disparity or like EU and UK now, all bankrupt because all buy from China but China don't buy back from them.
Please read the link I gave and the pages following that. Then got problem ask back. I don't want to write same thing over and over again.
This post has been edited by mystvearn: Aug 17 2013, 11:58 PM