The automotive debate

I'm a snob. Oh I'm sure many people have had those thoughts about me before. Here I am admitting it.

Why the sudden admission? Well, I've come to realise that there isn't a single Japanese car that I'd really really really want.

Now by saying that I like the car, it just means that I'm okay with it, I can live with it but it's still not the driving machine that I'd really want.

So that's the reason why I'm admitting that I'm a snob. Let me explain.

I've had may debates with a number of people regarding this issue; a Japanese car, like a Korean car, Chinese car, Indian car; Russian car...oh you get the picture, will NEVER EVER, in my opinion be anything close to being luxurious.

First and foremost, luxury items are not mass produced. They are hand-built for the select few. Examples that comes to mind would be:

1) Rolls Royce
2) Bentley
3) Maybach

Now obviously these are really exclusive cars reserved for the very elite. What about for the millionaires out there? The corporate chiefs and directors?

Well, there you have Mercedes, BMW, Aston Martin, Maserati, Porsche, Ferrari, Jaguar etc.

For the junior executive (people that generally make more than S$100K annually)? Well, now comes the Volvos, Saabs, Volkswagens, Audis and continental cars priced within say S$100K-$250K. Why didn't I mention a single Japanese car then?

Here's the reason.
Although the Japanese have their own so-called "Luxury" brands; Lexus being the first to pop into your mind I assume, to me (and YES this is a personal view), they are not luxurious.

They are corporate and efficient, well engineered vehicles but they do not make me enjoy driving. Of course not every car in my junior exec. list will make me enjoy driving either but it's different.

What then defines a luxury car to me then? Passion.

Ever wonder why the Japanese have yet to come up with a car that's remotely close to the emotions that a Ferrari or Lamborghini brings to a person? Why most dream-cars are the likes of th F-word and the L-word?

You might wanna argue "What about the new GT-R?" Oh it's a wonderful car. Marvelously engineered. Brilliantly hand-assembled. But it's designed and built by a bunch of engineers whose passion is not really the whole package of how the car looks, handles, drives and is engineered but rather whose passion is "Lets bring engineering to its limit" or "Lets see if we can come up with the best-handling, fastest car".

In North America, Japan, China; the new automobile manufacturing countries, it's all about making money. They've applied Ford Model-T's principle of "Lets bring cars to everyone". Therefore, they build cars that are reliable, fuel-economical, reasonably comfortable and nice to look at.

But that's it. And I dare say that Lexus is just another one of these. It's still just a Toyota with better handling, a better engine, slightly more comfortable leather seats but it's still just a Toyota.

The designers didn't put any passion into the car. Thus, to me, they're just boxes on wheels, some better equipped than others, but not something that I'd really really want.