What do you call....

bikeboyz · Post by **bikeboyz** » 28 Apr 2005, 05:16

What do you call a Citroen ZX that looks like a Mercedes at the back, with a Toyota engine, and a Xantia style nose?
answer - Meilu
http://home.zonnet.nl/citroens/jmstar.htm

fastandfurryous · Post by **fastandfurryous** » 28 Apr 2005, 05:25

I think "dog's breakfast" would be a better description. That car looks awful!

wilkobob · Post by **wilkobob** » 28 Apr 2005, 14:30

One question..... whats the point? It must have already been more or less a ZX when they got their hands on it, why change things?

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 28 Apr 2005, 14:45

Why change things?
Its probably simply a cause of "because we can", oh and they wanted it to look like one of those prestigious Mercedes things that they can't afford to buy over in China.

ACTIVE8 · Post by **ACTIVE8** » 28 Apr 2005, 15:15

Well the people who redesigned it must have

and be expecting to make a profit. [xx(]
Anyone daft enough to buy it will end up looking rather.

That's an ugly looking car, and what a waste of time !
If anything the company should make a loss selling something like this.

rashmore · Post by **rashmore** » 28 Apr 2005, 16:22

Wonder if the parcel shelf and strings will work any better...lol

wilkobob · Post by **wilkobob** » 28 Apr 2005, 16:29

They made a 5 door with leather seats.... one minor feature you cant get on a zx!

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 28 Apr 2005, 17:14

I read somewhere that its not actually a Toyota engine- its a copy that they've done themselves and Toyota are sueing them over it.
Don't dismiss these sort of cars though, remember people once laughed at Japanese cars, which are now probably the best built mass production cars you can get, they then laughed at the Koreans, who also now build very good cars........china will be next-where was YOUR tv. vcr, pc, etc made???

Oscar Too · Post by **Oscar Too** » 28 Apr 2005, 17:39

This is fairly typical Far Eastern technological catch-up strategy - rob a design, improve it incrementally and then use the knowledge gained as a springboard for one's own industry. Even Japanese swords are improved versions of Chinese ones. The Russians try to deploy the same strategy but they are too drunk and slapdash for high-tech, quality consistent environments, although a Russian engineer can make ANYTHING work, but he'll do it his way and not be able to tell anyone.
One of the sadder aspects of the whole Rover debacle was that Shanghai Motor Company has bought the intellectual property of MG Rover - it's got all it needed at a fraction of a merger/acquisition price.