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[750] Welcome! Ugyen 2001/05/17 15:56:43
Dear Khun "myzafira,"
On behalf of all the members of Zafira On-Line Network Japan (Z-ONE), I send a very warm welcome to you and your fellow members of ZCCT.
Just as you in Thailand face the problem of mostly illegible words and characters when you log in this Japanese-language website from your Thai character-based PC, we also have great difficulty in reading ZCCT web pages since all the Thai characters are converted to Japanese and Chinese characters, and in most bizarre combinations, on our PC screens! But, never mind. One Z-ONE member discovered the ZCCT website just a couple of weeks ago, and we all have been enjoying watching pictures from your meetings. We were very envious of ZCCT members and their families, who were able to visit a factory where Zafiras are being assembled!
At the moment, all the Zafiras sold in Japan are imported from Europe, but according to a recent news report, the GM plant in Thailand may start shipping Zafiras to Japan in the near future. These Thai-assembled Zafiras will be marketed in Japan by Fuji Heavy Industries (a GM-group company) as a Subaru model, the report said (did you read this news in Thai papers?). We are anxiously waiting if this report will prove correct or not.
Yes, as you have already found out, we are very much concerned about the wind screen wipers. It is actually one of only a few shortcomings we find in Zafira. Some Z-ONE members have tried to correct their wipers in their own ways, with limited success.
We are preparing to send a letter with our signatures to the GM Japan management, first to appreciate this important product (I mean the car as a whole, not the wipers!) of theirs and then to ask for an effort to better-tune the Zafira for the right-hand drive markets, including Japan, Thailand and Commonwealth nations. Frankly, we do not expect much short-term results from this activity, but believe it should be beneficial for us to establish a good rapport with GM Japan. We will be glad to coordinate with ZCCT in this and other communications efforts with GM Japan or GM Thailand. Please e-mail me directly to discuss the matter in details.
Just for your information, the current chief executive of GM Japan is someone who is very familiar to the Thai automobile market. Mr. Mitsuru Sato was the president of Honda Motor Thailand in the late 1980s, and some of you may remember how this outstanding businessman successfully established Honda's high-quality brand image in Thailand. I have had a personal meeting recently with Mr. Sato on this and other matters.
Just by chance, I am also a former resident of Bangkok, and still have many good friends over there, and many with keen interest in automobiles. Traffic was just as crazy when I was there some 10 years ago, but I was one of the very few Japanese residents who dared to drive myself. I enjoyed it very much, and I still do drive whenever I visit B
angkok these days. Next time I am in Krungthep, I hope I can meet with some ZCCT members and try a Thai Chevy Zafira on the road!
Z-ONE members
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