None of what you said makes any sense in this challenge at all
Honestly, I have no idea due to the sheer complexity being scattered everywhere.
Call me stupid, but this isnât clear chief.
I see that I have to have been around the first round to then be able to use lobbying to challenge the rules
I can check what the morphs should be set at - if my own file still works.
1952 Liberty Sales Report
Liberty Headquarters, Philidelphia
William Peterson is in his office, cigar in his mouth, book in his hand⌠He hears a knock at his door. He puts his cigar down in his ashtray. âCome in!â he shouts. His assistant, Henry Harrisburg, walks in with a small stack of papers.
âItâs that time of year again!â Henry says, with fake exitement. âAnnual financial reports!â He puts the stack of papers on the desk. âIâve got to go, thereâs more papers I need to grab. Iâll be right back!â He walks out of the office. William puts his cigar back in his mouth, takes a puff, and starts flipping through the papers. He takes a look at the sales of the whole lineup in the United States over the past 4 years.
He starts reading the report. âLiberty Civilian⌠350 thousands⌠Merchant⌠hmmm⌠ok.â He starts flipping through the pages and takes a look at the sales in Canada, Spain, England, France, Germany⌠who organized these papers? He stumbles on the Letara page and looks at the chart. âInterestingâ he says out loud. Henry walks back in his office.
âIâm back with more papersâ Henry says while putting the papers on his desk.
âThank you⌠do you have any clue as to why are sales in Letara have been a bit low?â William asks. âExcept for the Liberty Wagon, our cars have not been selling well.â
âWell⌠what I heard from the marketing department is that it has been hard to sell a high priced family car due to the current poor economy. Probably wasnât the best idea for the Civilian to be right between a decently priced family car and a premium car. However, I have heard about some people using the V8 to their advantage, so it might be a good idea to dip our toes in the sport car market.â
âGood idea⌠what happened to the Artisian, why didnât that sellâ
âLetâs be real, that was a shitshow from the start. I think we both know why that thing didnât sellâ
âI thought the car was perfect! (although a little experimental)â There is a pause. William clears his throat. âAnyway, how did we do in the canonball run?â
âWe failed.â
ââŚAnd the Government-â
âWe failed that too.â
âWelp⌠I donât know what to say.â He puffs his cigar and starts to think. âI may have an idea for what I want for out next car. Come get the engineers!â
4 Likes
Capital Motors Local Archives and Registers
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
1948
After opening sales abroad, a significative demand for the Commodore K6 has set a constant flow of vehicles to different countries around the world. Particularly in Letara, both the basic trim and the executive trim are well recived by the public, securing a high volume of export sales.
However the directive board is not pleased with what the basic trim repesents to the brand, especially Director Mako, stating that it degrades the brand to a lower standard. Production is set to continue, but basic, stripped-down trims wonât be sold for the newer models.
1952
The Commodore K12 proves to be another success for Capital, and also the coachbuilder Pegaso, who supplied the excelent bodies for the chassis. A long-term contract has been settled between the parts, making the coachbuilding company the official supplier of special limited designs bodies for Capitalâs chassis. Future designs are proposed for the next flagship model of the company.
A rogue group of engineers has been located at Letara using company properties to participate in local races without the boardâs consent. They are obliged to dismantle the team and the vehicles, however thereâs no physical proof of that being done. Director Mako is following this issue personally, and is considering sending a group of âproblem-fixersâ to âdismantleâ the team.
3 Likes
Will there be military contracts for companies?
From the very first post:
So each round, the government will request some kind of vehicle for a specific purpose. Whichever company builds the best vehicle wins, and gets bought for fleet use by the country. That vehicle may or may not be a military vehicle; the last round asked for unmarked prisoner transport trucks, which was sort of military-esque, but in the coming rounds they could just as easily want something more civilian, like taxis, police cars, or park service trucks.
5 Likes
1952 Garland Press Release.
''(...) After the mediocre sales of all Garland vehicles in Letara; we've decided to go back to our roots and focus on what we know best.
From now forth Garland and our subsidiary Lombard will reinvent ourselves for you, LetaransâŚââ
-Claimed Chairman Alex Sounderois, of Garland of Letara; ââWell, we werenât expecting such horrible
initial results, but weâll continue working to deliver quality automobiles to Letara, as for the leaked clay model and experimental features of the 358R, weâre looking into it, apparently weâve had a rogue employee leak them.ââ
4 Likes
1954 EMPIRE MOTORS STATUS UPDATE.
As mentioned in our previous status update, the Empire Motors Manhattan 50 had the worst sales loss out of any car ever made by us. and we have no one to blame but ourselves for this. Empire Motors was not ready to build cars across the world in 1950. Despite having put nearly three years of time into engineering our Manhattan 50 lineup, building the same cars to different markets in different continents was too difficult at the time. The remaining Manhattan 50âs in the US will still have new parts stock until the next car is released. As for Letara, there are unfortunetely no more spare parts in production for any trim, even the Luxe trim that was not recalled. Empire Motors will be stepping out of Letara until the economic crisis in the nation is over.
According to the EM customer survey, most Manhattan 50 Luxe trims are still on the roads of Letara, with a rising trend among enthusiasts to gut out the interiors and tune them for street racing according to employee reports. Not we expected from a luxury carâŚ
Oh weâll be happy to receive such parts for the Rhania corporation if we can get such a deal, Iâll say this: why donât we work together for a bit? I get my other collaborator from Japan(Mokhastu) to send you economical engines while we receive some help with the development of our cars?
Currently our partnered company is now working on an experimental inline six that is estimated to have 250 horsepower! We can send you such engine for racing, if we can get some experience in making luxury cars.
Ok, figured it out. As it turns out, sometimes with RT Refraction turned on, some of the negataped stuff will show through as a semi-transparency or something. Fixed the picture!
And @Riley, sports lineup pic fixed with the two Zephorus cars now correctly shown.
4 Likes
is anyone even going to read this? I guess I'll just put a spaceship here (_)(_)=====D~~
^ The div above this is the first background, and the primary border. The background doesnât move due to the âbackground-attachment: fixedâ tag. The background loops vertically if your image is short or your device is tall enough, so this allows for patterns (see: portalkatâs AGC20)
Feel free to change the image to whatever suits your fancy.
^ The div above this is the second background, and secondary border. it also defines the text color and font family.
Planar History Files: Letara memos vol.1
When P&A first entered the Letaran market, P&A management began sending out ârecapâ memos to their Letaran dealerships and management to inform them of sales numbers and forthcoming plans.
Here is the first memo sent out at the end of 1954, after their first year in the consumer market.
Letara Sales Memo 1
I am overjoyed to hear of our relative success in the Letaran market! While sales of merely 25 cars may not seem like much, as you all should know we didnât have much optimism at all to begin with, launching at the end of an economic crisis and without bringing our volume sellers to market. But what we have now is a base to work off, and a burgeoning reputation as the âotherâ, and more importantly different, luxury brand, which with diligent work and good models releasing onto the market means Letara can possibly be cultivated into our best export market!
As for the P&A Trucks operation, while it has never quite lived up to expectations, with the government bid failing and the Loadman never quite catching on, our strategy of releasing the civilian model during the bid has paid off, and there are just enough Loadmen out there that we have a small following in the region, so P&A Trucks can be expected to support the Letaran market for the foreseeable future.
Future models are in the works, worry not. With a deal already on the table with Lyons to develop and manufacture a new engine for a future flagship, and research being undertaken even now into building our own chassis, things are only looking up! In the meantime, we will keep supporting and updating the Sportsman Mk.II, and may even bring our smaller models into Letara as well.
I wish you all good luck, may you work diligently to elevate our position in Letara even more.
-James Ardent, P&A CEO.
5 Likes
The Letaran Herald, October 1953
Johan Jurgensen to be promoted to Levante sport program, sources say
After yet another year of exploits, Johan Jurgensen, the flying swede, is now firmly set to join Scuderia Levante main effort in the World Sportscar Championship as a full time driver for the Scuderia, along with friend-rival Giovanni Mancusi-Sforza and a yet undisclosed driver. The swede already had all eyes set on him after his debut in motorsport with a privately owned ITAL, and cemented his position as a top driver with numerous wins in the âsub 1 literâ categories, as well as his excellent podiums in the 1951 and 1952 Castelletto-Portello, driving a Levante Grifo for Squadra Corse Portello.
Despite his numerous successes, Johanâs most well know antics belong to his partecipations in the Portunis Cannonball Run, where he beat his teammates every single year from 1949 to 1952, with the notable exception of a spectacular engine failure in this yearâs run.
Despite being prevented a competitive showing from the relative low power of ITAL cars, Johan managed to become a sort of local hero, running his privately owned machine against a slew of factory backed racecars, and ended up emboding the idea of a lowly man rising to success, on the merit of nothing else but his own, incomparable talent. He has become a telltale of hope in the dire days, and a motivatonal figure for many young Letarans; and we wish him best luck in his new, challenging adventure in the top echelon of motorsport.
1 Like
Rd. 2 PREFACE: SPENDING AND LOBBYING
The Preface of Round 2 will determine the starting condition of Letara in 1955. For a summary of what happened between 1946-1954 economically and politically, see this post. In short, the country is experiencing a recession, suffered several major natural disasters, has a new government in power focused on austerity, and has relatively unchanged international relations.
For those that are eligible and want to participate in the lobbying and spending mechanism, this is your chance to shape how Letara dealt with its many challenges, how its industry and infrastructure grew and overcame (or didnât) the natural disasters and subsequent economic woes.
TIMELINE
Round two will span 1955-1963 inclusive.
CAR CULTURE - TAKE-AWAYS FROM 1946-1954
The car market in Letara was fairly saturated with city and family cars. Options ranged from cheap, barebones cars to the most expensive and opulent luxury cars. In the budget and standard segments people favoured the best value for money. So it was not necessarily about being outright the cheapest; it was more about being the best value proposition. If for a little bit more money the car offered significantly more comfort, or luggage space, or reliability, or⌠any other key statistic, then Letarans did favour that car in most cases.
For more premium - and especially luxury - offerings, value for money became a more and more diminishing consideration. Even though the regular premium market did fade away as the economy plummeted, the few customer who hung on in this market segment wanted something âextraâ for their investment. For the increased price the car had to be unique in some way, something you could show off and brag about. And in the luxury segment this was especially emphasized: nobody wants to drove what their neighbour drives. Being unique (in a good way) sold cars.
The utility segment was a bit of a disappointment for Letarans. In their eyes a utility car is just that - purpose build for getting a job done, and getting it done well. Too many utility vehicles were simply too small to be useful, or were too compromised due to platform sharing with their passenger car siblings. As such, Letarans were forced to buy whatever they had access to, regardless if this car really fulfilled their needs or not, and make aftermarket modifications to the vehicles as necessary. The frustrated utility market was then left hungry for true, purpose built, capable, reliable utility vehicles.
The sports segment had a decent spread in the upper, more expensive tiers. Letarans clearly have a hunger for sports cars - they started the Cannonball Run in their regular road cars long before it became a legitimized and official race. However, sports cars were late to arrive in Letara, and by the time they did, most were too expensive for the general population. So for many, owning a true sports car was nothing but a dream.
Cabriolets were rare in Letara. Although available in the city, family, and sports segments, they were only available in limited quantities in the more expensive vehicles. In the Mediterranean climate, they were ideal to show off and drive down the highway with the top down. They were a rare and thus desirable option that elevated the carâs status above the rest, and became a status symbol of wealth and luxury.
Only three cars had metallic paint, so similar to cabriolets, these cars had something special to show. Having a nice sparkling paint job also became a symbol of uniqueness and opulence, and could elevate even a relatively cheap car above the crowd.
Lastly, and this only tangential to the car culture and ties in with the economy - but very few (13/77) cars on the market opted to use aluminium panels, and a few more opted for an aluminium engine head. These cars didnât receive any special attention from Letarans as they didnât really seem to bestow much benefit - except maybe in the sports category for weight savings. As such, the newly elected Letaran government of 1953 decided that the aluminium subsidy might have been a failure by the previous government, and started looking into other options. Their support for the existing aluminium industry and the import subsidy hangs in the balance, but could be saved by sufficient external pressure - which brings us toâŚ
COMPANY SPENDING AND LOBBYING
The following 32 people submitted consumer cars in Round 1, and are eligible for company spending and lobbying: @abg7 @Admiral_Obvious @AndiD @Aruna @ChemaTheMexican @conan @donutsnail @Edsel @Elizipeazie @Fayeding_Spray @FidleDo @GassTiresandOil @HelloHi @karhgath @Knugcab @lotto77 @LS_Swapped_Rx-7 @Ludvig @Lupus @Madrias @mart1n2005 @Maverick74 @Mikonp7 @MrdjaNikolen @Petakabras @Prium @Riley @SheikhMansour @TanksAreTryhards @Texaslav @Vento @voiddoesnotknow
SPENDING
Everyone on the above list has 10 spending tokens that you can spend in whole integers. How you allocate your tokens is up to you. You may buy an assembly or factory in Letara, which increases your lobbying power:
- Spend 10 tokens on spending items and 10 power on lobbying items; or
- Spend 6 tokens on an assembly plant for the next round, 4 tokens on spending items, and 13 power on lobbying items; or
- Spend 10 tokens on a full factory for the next round, and 16 power on lobbying items.
Note that the government has their own spending purse, so your spending will supplement the governmentâs funds. Spending items proposed by the Letaran Government include:
- Road maintenance - helps to rebuild the current road network after the natural disasters, and maintain at the current level so that roads donât deteriorate.
- Road construction - will expand and improve the current road network. These might include paving gravel or dirt roads, start construction on an interstate highway system.
- Supporting the current bauxite mining and refining industry.
- Expanding the bauxite industry with alumina processing capability.
- Expanding and supporting higher education - in general, or in any of the following specialties:
- aerodynamics
- mechanical engineering
- petrochemical engineering
- materials science
- electrical engineering
- Building of improvements along the Portunis Cannonball Run to enhance its appeal.
- Construction of a dedicated race track (specify what kind).
- Support for train infrastructure.
- Support for air infrastructure.
- Support for other industry - general support, or any of the following:
- Petroleum
- Coal
- Iron
- Forestry
- Agriculture
- âOtherâ - feel free to spend on items not on this list. Provide a brief description what your company spend its tokens on and Iâll do my best to incorporate it into Letaraâs lore. If you think your idea might be too far fetched, outside the scope or spirit of the challenge series, itâs best to ask; the Letaran government reserves the right to reject ideas, or they might simply fail.
LOBBYING
Depending on how you spend your tokens, you will have 10, 13, or 16 lobbying power. These can also be spent in whole integers, and itâs up to you how you wish to allocate them. You can lobby for or against individual items. Note that the government has their own ideas and direction they want to take, and some items they feel very strongly about due to for example safety reasons. So lobbying outcome is not a guarantee - but your input might influence the government to make certain decisions.
Lobbying items proposed by the Government of Letara include:
- Mandate amber indicator lights on the front and rear corners of the vehicle.
- Mandate side indicator lights.
- Mandate double head lights - one regular light and one high beam.
- Ban center head lights.
- Mandate three brake lights on the rear of the car.
- Implement stricter safety regulations.
- Ban âobnoxiousâ car colours that cause a distraction for other motorists.
- Ban radial tires altogether.
- Implement emissions standards.
- Tighten noise regulations.
- Adjust and tighten speed limits on public roads.
- Make driver and passenger side mirrors mandatory.
- As a cost saving measure ban staggered tires.
- Standardize license plate size (state you preferred size).
- Implement a displacement tax (state what displacement(s) should trigger the tax(es)).
- Implement luxury tax on the most expensive vehicles.
- Implement fuel economy tax (state what l/100km (not MPG, Letara doesnât use imperial units) value would trigger the tax - or taxes if multi-tier).
- For keeping the same or similar road racing format as the Portunis Cannonball Run.
- For an alternate race series, specify:
- Alternate paved route/format.
- Alternate mixed surface/dirt race/rally event.
- Dedicated track racing (specify what kind, e.g. traditional circuit, oval, drag etc.)
- âOtherâ - feel free to propose your own lobbying item. Same restrictions and caveats apply as for the spending tokens.
Those people eligible for spending and lobbying, please DM me your responses in the same thread where you submitted your car. Please do not create a new thread.
Spending and lobbying is open until 23:59 ET on Friday, November 11.
21 Likes
NEWS RELEASE
WOLFE MOTORS
REGINA, SK, CANADA
FOR RELEASE: Sunday papers  Â
REGINA, December 1954: Lewis Wolfe, President of Wolfe Motors, is proud to announce the formation of the âNo Taxes For a Happy Letaraâ lobby with many more car makers.
âLetarans are hurting and it is time we squash any further taxation in Letara to help everyone get back on track in this economy. Letarans should have the final say on what they spend their money on, they are free and proudâ said M. Wolfe.
Their core agenda is fighting any talks of further taxes involved - people need to spend on cars and be happy at the wheel.
âWe believe a free economy is best for everyone. Larger cars and powerful engines are not competing with the smaller cars, but weâve also seen that the utility segment needs some good, dedicated, larger chassis and engines to haul materials around to help rebuild Letara after many years of hardship, and the premium market is hurting. Weâd hate to see the smaller car market struggling as the premium market didâŚâ, said M. Wolfe, not finishing his thought.
The core program is simple: No further taxes in Letara, and everyone joining will be helping, in some capacity, rebuilding roads and expanding the road system further to profit all Letarans. Member will also be encouraged to invest in local assemblies or local education, if they are so willing, to show the government how invested the lobby is in Letara.
âNo child shall be left behind, and they have a right to grow up and buy their dream car. Weâre also willing to fight back aggressively if needed, as we truly believe that free Letarans will be happy Letarans.â said the President of Wolfe Motors in closing.
Right now, a coalition of companies are forming and at least 6 car makers are currently in talks. Please contact Wolfe Motors at the coordinates below if you are interesting in joining or have questions about the âNo Taxes For a Happy Letaraâ lobby.
(ooc: DM me)
7 Likes
Oh hell nah , theyâre banning these things that are for us:
(I am not lobbying)
I may advise the bigger companies to take care of the big changes such as the luxury and displacement tax.
Mid-size companies should take care of the issue against obnoxious colors and radial tires.
Smaller companies should try to advocate against the inability for staggered tires and noise regulations.
I am not lobbying against these legislation, it is to persuade companies to take action for these issues at hand as this is a business letter to all the companies to make sure we all advocate for the betterment of our situation.
The letter:
Dear motor companies,
â The Rhania Motor Companhia would like to make this formal statement for all corporate entities to all come together and make changes to the Letaraian regulations. We all should know that Letara is about to implement some changes that would affect us all such as the addition of a displacement and luxury tax including the obnoxious retraction of our color palette and the inability to use radial tires.
These regulations will make it harder for us to enter the Letaraian market and will drive us crazy (pun not intended)and would stop the production for most of our cars.
Here is where I propose a solution which would benefit us all and in order to do this, we all must work with each other to create a mutualism between each and everyone. If we do not work with each other, we will see chaos erupt from our lawyers to our workers stirring up in a web of regulations
For the bigger motor corporations, they must help to lobby against the displacement and luxury tax as this would lead to a greater issue for the consumer. For instance, if there was a displacement tax then there would be a greater cost for trucks and heavy duty commercial vehicles. Which in turn would create a more expensive with the taxes adding up. The customers of these vehicles need them for hard work and so to implement a displacement tax would hurt our customers greater than ever and would force them to use vehicles that may not be suitable for their needs.
On the other side of the spectrum, the luxury car segment has been growing greater than others based on the observation of my spies in Letara. This increase of luxury car buyers would be more interested in offerings that give them the luxury they require without destroying their mutual funds. This luxury car tax is a slap to the face and would make it harder to sell these types of vehicles to the public. This tax would soon be the death of many companies that I see here, and I would advise to take a stand against this tax.
The bigger companies should understand that they have a responsibility for themselves and the others around them, and it is required that they will assist to lobby against these taxes that would stifle our sales
Another stand that must be made is the advocacy against the unintellectual rules against a colorful palette and the retraction of radial tires. The average sized motor corporations shall take the responsibility to put sense into Letaraian legislation.
A colorful flower on the side of the road should cause equal damage as to a car with an artistically made color with good taste in visual presentation. However that is not the case as the driver is fully aware of his surroundings and a piece of art would cause any accident, as reported by my agents in Letara, most accidents in Letara were caused by external forces such as wild animals and rough roads. This would lead to the reason that an exquisite color shall not cause injuries.
Radial tires are proven to be more effective for both racing and consumer cars. Radials help with traction, fuel efficiency, and overall a faster vehicle overall. Radials allow vehicles to be more effective in their conditions which is what the public needs now as Letara isnât well invested in its infrastructure.
Companies that fit in this category as being in the middle should use their power to lobby against the retraction of radials and the ban on color.
The last group of motor companies that I would like to address are the small companies. To you, you may not believe that you could make an impact on Letara, however there is a way that you can make a difference to help us all. By allowing for staggered tires and eliminating a noise restriction.
Staggered tires allow for grip for where it is needed such as for race cars and cars for commercial prospects. Without this ability to have staggered tires, many companies would not be able to make effective commercial vehicles or race cars that would win races.
The small companies would not be able to make good cars without having to make some noise especially with their performance vehicles and heavy duty vehicles which would hurt the ability for small companies to make good cars at a low price.
I ask for all of you to consider this letter as a reminder to use your power to help pave the way for a better future for all of us, including the people of Letara. Without this organization, we would not be able to succeed in making quality cars for the Letaraians without these efforts.â
Signed sincerely by the Rhania Motor Companhia
VAUGHN REVUE LETARA
The magazine that goes out to all of you Letarans driving a Vaughn, Wraith or VCV
Autumn 1953
"Dream car of the Letarans? That has to be the Wraith Montezuma, during to a study done by an independent institute, interviewing lots of Letarans. The question was, âIf you were able to buy and drive any 1953 model automobile, which one would you choose?â. With over 40% going for a Wraith Montezuma, it beat other favourites like the Benetsch Buhrie SK and Minerva Solarian Elegance by a great margin. Also, the Vaughn Torpedo scored among the top 10 cars.
The reasons for ranking the Wraith Montezuma as #1 (where multiple answers were allowed) was mainly the âlooksâ (over 80% of the answers), followed by the âcomfort and luxuryâ (74% of the answers) and the âpowerful engineâ (69% of the answers).
Even internationally the Wraith Montezuma is held as one of the finest automobiles built, for example in its home country, USA, where the waiting list for the Montezuma has been very long."
3 Likes
SAETA Official Annoucement
We, as a car company, can´t support the absolute nonsense that the âNo Taxes for a Happy Letaraâ coalition is trying to push. This country has recently been hit by several disasters and rebuilding all the affected infraestructure will be a costly affair.
Therefore, we will campaign for a luxury tax on high displacement engines, excluding utility vehicles. Any car company interested in the welfare of Letara should do the same as us, and all of you are invited to join this common effort.
Saving Letara is everybody´s duty
11 Likes
AMCW Official Announcement
(OOC: The use of clipped/broken English is deliberate. This is written from the perspective of aliens who speak a language far less complex than English, and they are not amused.)
October, 1954
Vuri ada ahd nevuri marin.
We have heard rumors and sayings-of-uncertain-truths that some of you are trying to tax engines-of-great-size.
We would kindly advise that this tax is not in your best interests. Yes, you might push some competition out of market. A hound kicked bites hand that feeds, however.
Should you continue on this foolish course, we will be forced to vote in favor of:
- A mandate for top tier safety equipment.
- A ban on all leaded motor spirits.
- A requirement that all motor carriages below 3 meters in length be taxed, as small vehicles are not safe in collisions.
- A mandate for reduction in emissions.
- A ban on any system increasing air pressure in intake.
Do not think we can not do this. We are neither fangless nor clawless.
Di sehuul neruzahi. You have no spirit for war. We are all warriors here, and within each of us, our twin hearts pound the drums of war.
Do not start a battle in which you cannot win.
-Vilzahir Jupard Rhuthan-Selgald
5 Likes
PRESS RELEASE - CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Here at Alira, we take safety very seriously. This is why for 1955, we hope to pass a law mandating a center third headlamp in Letara, making it easier and safer to see at night. As of late there has been lots of discussion surrounding displacement taxes. At this time, we have no position on this issue. As part of our entrance into the Letaran car market, we are also proud to announce that we are launching our first factory in Letara! Located in Storia, we hope to begin production of our soon-to-be-announced new model there. As always, drive Alira- thereâs nothing else like it!
8 Likes