Car makers accused of sour grapes

Press, 3 June 1989, Page 38

Car makers accused of sour grapes

PA Wellington Dealers importing second-hand Japanese cars say recent publicity that the cars have failed the Japanese warrant of fitness is motivated by "sour grapes” from New Zealand car manufacturers. The importers said that hardly any four-year-old New Zealand cars would pass the test either,, because "it was “ten times more stringent than the New Zealand test.” The statement said the imported cars had valid Japanese warrants and were bought from the same lots the Japanese public bought from. "The association can’t believe the sour grapes displayed by the local assembly industry, which resents the fact that the importing of used cars has brought down sharply the price of a well-speci-fied, air-conditioned used car for the working New Zealander.” The association’s chairman, Mr Rod Milner, said importing used cars had lowered the prices of all cars, new or used. He said this had upset local assemblers, who charged the world’s highest prices and did not offer safety extras such as air-condi-tioning and lOOkm/h speed alarms. The deputy chairman, Mr Martin Todd, said the imported cars had never been off tarseal, had never towed, had no rust and used low-pollutant unleaded petrol. He said few locally assembled cars had these advantages. “It’s more than just interesting that the dealers of major New Zealand assemblers are alsoj importing used cars from Japan on a huge scale.”

He said dealers,, now guaranteed parts supply for the imported cars.