Tokyo, Japan
The year is 2023. For decades, the country has been grappling with an ever-worsening demographic crisis. Fewer and fewer people are born each year, while more and more are getting old and dying. If this trend continues, bad things are bound to happen to the economy and the people that depend on it.
As such, the Japanese government has been finding ways to encourage its population to settle down a little and prevent a demographic meltdown from occuring. They have tried subsidized daycare programmes, generous paternal leave, and cash grants given for having children. While it may take some time for these efforts to bear any fruit, the Japanese government has yet another weapon up their sleeve. One that should hopefully open the eyes of the public to the joys of family life.
And that “weapon” is…
TMCC36 - The PM Lives On!
Go Go Drive! (Japanese: ゴ・ゴ・ドライブ！) is an automotive video magazine founded in 1984. The program is focused on car reviews and consumer advice, along with vehicle maintenance, coverage of automotive events, and the beloved races around Tsukuba Circuit which form a part of the car reviews. Go Go Drive! is produced by Open Media Corp. and is distributed solely on YouTube because nobody buys DVDs or tapes anymore.
This time, in partnership with the Japanese government, Go Go Drive! has decided to gather and review 7-seater luxury vehicles in order to show its viewers the joys and prestige of family life for a segment in their Children’s Day Special, which is due to be released in April 2024. Anything goes here, from SUVs to MPVs and even wagons, as long as it can acommodate 7 people in comfort. Cars will be judged based on its ability as a family car, as well as its abilities as a luxury vehicle. After all, a big, happy family needs a big, happy (and comfortable and reliable) car to move around in!
Inspirations
SUV
BMW X7
BMW X5
Mercedes-Benz GLS
Audi Q7
Toyota Land Cruiser
Mazda CX-90
Range Rover
Cadillac Escalade
Lincoln Navigator
Volvo XC90
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Infiniti QX60
Acura MDX
MPV
Toyota Alphard
Toyota Vellfire
Lexus LM
Nissan Elgrand
Kia Carnival
Buick GL8 Century
Volkswagen Viloran
Hongqi H9
Trumpchi E8
Denza D9
Wey Gaoshan
Rules
Techpool
- Minimum starting TP: +6 in all categories (0 in aspiration for naturally espirated engines)
- Total TP cost: $180M
Main Rules
- Model/Family year: ≤2020
- Trim/Variant year: 2020
- Body: MPV, SUV or wagon
- Max price: $45,000
- Interior: Must have 7 seats, with “+” sized third row seats
- Tyre width must end in 5 (e.g. 195)
- Minimum emissions requirement: WES11
- Engine must have a catalytic converter and at least one muffler
- Fuel: unleaded 95 RON
- Interior: not required but highly encouraged (it will be showcased in the final reviews)
- Advanced trim settings: Free, as long as the adjustments are reasonable.
- An ad is required to be posted in this thread
Naming Convention
- Model/family name: TMCC33 - (your forum username)
- Trim name: name of your car
- Variant name: name of your engine
Priorities
Design/Looks/Prestige
Luxury vehicle buyers want their vehicles to represent superior craftmanship, advanced technology, and unparalleled quality. They want their vehicles to project their presence onto the road and give them a driving/ownership experience that far surpasses that of inferior cars. Of course, those words mean different things to different and as the Children’s Day special is expected to be shown to a very wide audience, there is no single correct formula for the ultimate luxury, family-hauling 7-seater.
The exterior and interior (if applicable) design should therefore reflect the needs and desires of the expected target demographic.
The prestige stat won’t be judged heavily here, but having a cylinder or two more than your competitors could serve as a bragging right for potential owners.
Realism
If you are unsure about your engineering choices, do some research or ask around for some advice. Otherwise, unrealistic engineering choices will be binned or heavily penalized as usual.
Drivability and Performance
0-100km/h times are not important for these cars. Owners of these vehicles want a car than can not only keep up with traffic, but also take them up to highway speeds with relative ease and comfort.
The drivability stat will be important for this, as well as some performance metrics.
Comfort
Customers are paying top dollar for these cars so they expect the car to feel good inside and out. Interior volume will also be used to measure comfort in addition to the comfort stat.
Safety
Don’t pull a Daihatsu on us.
Reliability
As it will be used for as a family’s primary mode of transportation, the car needs to consistently start and run without any issues for as long as possible.
Practicality
Again, as a family’s primary mode of transport (especially in rural or suburban areas), the car needs to hold all the people the family expects to ferry and carry all the goods the family is expected to carry, with room for more for certain situations like road trips.
Fuel Economy
Fuel costs are quite high these days, so even families with deep pockets may be conscious about how much time and money they spend at the pump.
Value for Money
As with all products, there needs to be a balance between cost and features, especially since brand loyalty does not exist in the Automationverse and companies cannot get away with selling crap to consumers as easily.
Service costs
The lower the cost, the better
Offroad
Submissions
-
Submissions will open on Wednesday, 22nd February at 0.00 UTC+8. The rules will be open to deliberation and subject to change until then.
-
Submissions will close on Sunday, 20th March at 23.59 UTC+8.
-
Please submit your car file to me via DMs and post an ad in the thread, otherwise your entry will not be considered. Resubmissions will not be allowed.
Changelog
- Reshuffled the priority list
