Endorsement Policy - Fitch's approach to ratings endorsement so that ratings produced outside the EU may be used by regulated entities within the EU for regulatory purposes, pursuant to the terms of the EU Regulation with respect to credit rating agencies, can be found on the EU Regulatory Disclosures page. The endorsement status of all International ratings is provided within the entity summary page for each rated entity and in the transaction detail pages for all structured finance transactions on the Fitch website. These disclosures are updated on a daily basis.Recently, there was some attention drawn to Chun See’s photo posted at the top right corner of this blog. It wasn’t Chun See or the dog, but the car; especially its number plate, that attracted some readers.Anyway, I take the opportunity to tell you a bit about that car, which belonged to our Seventh Uncle uncle (the one who was a badminton champion) who lived next door to us in our kampong at Lorong Chuan/Lorong Kinchir.After resettling down in Singapore, my uncle bought a brand new Toyota 700 Deluxe.
This was sometime in the late sixties. To a certain extent, my uncle was a person ahead of his time, full of faith in Japanese goods, when most of us had an aversion to them, especially cars. At that time there were few Japanese-made cars on our roads. If I remember correctly, only Datsun cars, namely the few Datsun Bluebird could be seen cruising around the island. At this time, Toyota made its entry by introducing two models, the 700 standard (air-cool) and the deluxe (water-cool). My uncle quickly bought a deluxe model. I could not remember the price, maybe a few thousand dollars, definitely much cheaper than its European counterparts. His purchase brought in many critics, all expounding ideas that it was a wrong decision to buy Japanese goods. Some even said that if you were to scrap the under-carriage of a Japanese car, you could see the word ‘Ovaltine’ imprinted on it.One day my mum and I hitched a ride on my uncle’s Toyota to KL (Kuala Lumpur) to attend my cousin’s wedding.
Another uncle drove a Volkswagon competing against the Toyota all the way up to KL. I would like to give my verdict: European vs Japanese. Undoubtedly the Volks had the edge in stability, air-cool, excellent cornering, slope-climbing and comfort. The Toyota had some virtues also, namely: better fuel consumption, fuel warning light, fast pick-up and excellent paint-work. However, it was not fair to compare the two, one being a branded car of many years, and the other the Toyota being just a new-comer in the international car market. But my uncle was ahead of his time, Toyota is now fast going to be No.1 car maker of the world.In Malaysia, you can still find many old cars that are no longer seen on Singapore roads. Above are 2 of the oldest models of Toyota Corolla I have come across – Lam Chun See A UNIQUE PLACE TO BUILD YOUR CAREERWe are looking for talent Volvo Cars is one of the world’s most attractive companies to work for. Join us as we create the next generation of safety, autonomous driving and electrification technologies.
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A company with a purposeSo will your career We help you realise your potential GOTHENBURG CITY AND WEST SWEDEN A high-tech hub in Northern Europe. Visit Move to Gothenburg It’s great that Volvo Cars has been recognised internationally as one of the leading employers. We are appreciated for being an employer where you have a good personal development and career. These are just a few of the awards given to us: Global ‘Top 50 Most Attractive Companies’ 2014, 2015 and 2016 Sweden's ‘Top 5 Most Attractive Companies’ 2014, 2015 and 2016 – Randstad Awards, Sweden APAC Region ‘Top 50 Most Attractive Companies’ 2014, 2015 and 2016 Volvo Cars China ‘Top 30 China Best Employer’ 2013, 2014 and 2015 Join the conversation on our social media networksCar buyers today have it made. Almost every segment and price point includes vehicles to satisfy not only the driving enthusiast but also the design aficionado. Indeed, high-end brands like Audi and Ferrari are well known for winning designs, but even mainstream players like Ford and Kia now boast lineups full of attractive and tastefully styled vehicles.
Not every automaker is created equal, however. Any combination of unrestrained creative ambition, manufacturing and/or packaging constraints, and poor executive decision making can birth an ugly ride. This is our list of today’s worst offenders, ranked in order of onerousness. It’s not just that the Subaru Legacy sedan and its faux SUV derivative, the Outback wagon, are styled with a mishmash of disjointed, gimmicky, and exaggerated cues. No, what makes it worse is the aesthetic face plant the current models took compared with their predecessors. The previous-gen Legacy and Outback were elegant and offered near-luxury detailing and styling. Not that sales of the latest models have suffered—quite the contrary—and Subaru’s North American executives say that’s justification enough for the styling. We disagree, and so apparently do those at the brand’s Japanese HQ: The 2011 Advanced Tourer concept stands as an apology in steel and is a clear indication that Subaru can do a lot better.
Have you ever wondered what a Fiat 500 might look like if it had an air hose shoved up its tailpipe? The new 500L is the answer—and it’s not a pretty one. The five-door Fiat eschews any connection with the cute 500 except for the precious lighting and ornamentation, which are plastered onto an awkwardly proportioned, overly tall, and essentially bland wagon. Along with Chrysler’s cash reserves, the little 500 has been Fiat’s savior, so it’s no wonder the brand is trying to milk the concept to the extreme. A onetime class-leading people hauler, the Honda Pilot would fade into the crossover static if it weren’t for one of the most obnoxious-looking snouts in the industry. Not helping matters are the stupendously sized halogen reflector-type (i.e., the lowest grade) headlights, which flank the glitzy grille like teddy-bear ears. Of course, this brashness doesn’t carry over anywhere else: The interior is a smorgasbord of conflicting themes, and the rear end simply looks irritated to share a vehicle with the front.
Honda’s consumer website adds insult to injury, reaching out to visitors with the statement that the Pilot was “designed for you.” This modestly face-lifted Sebring is a sad leftover from the Daimler-Chrysler “merger of equals” marriage from hell. And like nearly every Chrysler from that era, it looks as if its manufacturing tooling were carried over directly from the CAD drawings, without anyone bothering to create a three-dimensional model to hone its graceless lines. The stubby wheelbase and the cramped cabin—to say nothing of its punchless dynamics—are just the rotten cherries on top. Chrysler says the 200 represents “the refined look that no one expected from the city of Detroit.” Except for the “refined” part, that’s true. “It’s got style to boot,” Nissan says. Aiming directly for buyers on a budget who value rear-seat and trunk space above all other attributes, the posterior of the Versa sedan dwarfs the car’s stubby nose and riding-lawnmower-esque 15-inch wheels.
On the automotive styling meter, this awkwardly proportioned four-door sedan sits alongside the fruits of Eastern Europe’s finest former Communist economies, and fittingly, its interior is a sea of gray. The Versa, which can be “upgraded” from an ancient four-speed automatic to a droning CVT, sends the message that its driver doesn’t care about much, especially not cars. To be sure, such people deserve and need personal transportation, but does it have to be so depressing? The Paceman is what happens when you take the impractical three-door Mini hatchback, make it practical by enlarging it and installing more doors, and then make it impractical again while keeping some performance-sapping weight. The Countryman-based, three-door Paceman seems to have been created by committee, keeping the Countryman’s contorted headlights and grille while adding a set of massive taillights with a huge chrome frame. Traditionally British Mini, which is now owned by BMW, doesn’t have a design studio in the U.K. anymore.
That might explain the unchecked proliferation of models that have little to do with the brand’s heritage—or even the brand’s very name. We’re all for saving the whales, but our enthusiasm doesn’t stretch to embracing artificial ones on wheels. Lincoln’s “trademark” grille has closely emulated the baleen of the mammoth mammals, and the rest of the MKT provides the fitting proportions. With the Town Car dead, this front-drive-based model also serves as Lincoln’s livery vehicle, and they’re also being converted to hearses. That last use might explain the poor material quality in the rear of the cabin, given that it might be ripped out anyway. Being based on the Ford Flex, this Lincoln drives well enough, but sharing a platform with that funky, attractive crossover only emphasizes the MKT’s aesthetic failure. You know the old idiom about having a face only a mother could love? This Infiniti puts even maternal affection to the test, its styling having thoroughly shocked the automotive design community when it debuted at the New York auto show in 2010.
(It was called the QX56 then; Infiniti has since renamed all its vehicles to Q-something-or-other.) Tall, ungainly, and adorned with extraneous chrome bits, it’s the automotive equivalent of a fairy-tale castle. It’s as big as one, too. Sometimes you have to wonder whether Toyota’s various design centers exist in happy bubbles, safely disconnected from the real world in sanitized, cheerful bliss. There, oddball characters like the brawny FJ Cruiser and wide-mouthed new Corolla frolic free and unencumbered by the strictures of conventionally attractive design. Of course, such worlds often have villains, and the SR5 and Trail trims of the freshly face-lifted (face melted?) 2014 4Runner SUV fill the bill: Their frumpy countenance looks like a cross of Predator, lamprey Transformer, and gaping wound. The 4Runner Limited has a different front fascia, but its huge chrome mustache isn’t much of an improvement. Expectations couldn’t have been higher: Years before it was shown publicly, whispers from BMW headquarters excitedly touted a new “space-functional concept.”