ABSTRACT
Further, and as noted in a recent article by Sreshthaputra (2001), Asian consumers tend to be highly appearance-conscious as a result. It is therefore somehow logical that even as the region recovers from the recent crisis, brands or models attached to a level of prestige are still doing well and recovering slightly faster than the “average” makes (despite crushing import duties of up to 200 percent). Hence, whereas most manufacturers in the West are striving to offer cheap vehicles at an increasingly cheaper price, the ASEAN bloc seems to be witnessing a steady price escalation. Cars in the region are first and foremost status symbols, the ultimate expression of one’s terrestrial rank. But in a sense they are also quasi-homes within the gridlocked city thoroughfares of
Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, and so on, with local managers spending far greater chunks of time within their personal cars than their counterparts in the West – or anywhere else. This is why it is almost natural that their cars feel so important, with comfort, noise and climate being deciding factors to be added to brand strength.
