Proton to Build "Islamic Cars"
The New Anatolian (Turkey's Only Independent English-language daily) reports that Proton plans to team-up with Iran and Turkey to adapt their products for the Islamic market. We're talking about a built-in compass to determine the direction of Mecca for prayers, compartments specifically designed for storing the Quran and headscarves, and, uh, that's about it. Proton's Managing Director told Turkey's national news agency Bernama that the modifications were part of Iran's thinly-veiled (so to speak) plans to play the spiritual card to attract the region's car buyers. ''What they want to do is to call that an Islamic car,'' Syed Zainal Abidin said. Since it's inception in 1983, the Malaysian automaker has been no stranger to governmental intervention. Proton's domination of its home market was in no small part due to onerous import duties levied against its erstwhile competition. ("Was" in the sense that their share of the Malaysian market has slipped from 60 percent to 23 percent.) Will Iran skew the market in a similar way to favor domestically-built "Islamic" cars, and exclude any automaker who isn't in bed with the ruling regime? Sounds like a plan to me.
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Also, the vehicles will be equipped with radar controlled cruise control. If it senses and infidel driving ahead, it will accelerate and detonate upon impact. Another feature is the effect the Proton has on other cars. Chevys, Fords, and Dodges will all slow down and respect the "peace loving" Proton's lane position and always give the right of way no matter who really has it. At the same time, the Proton's only mission is to destroy all the infidel vehicles it can find.
The D2.801 ought to try this new captive market out, Islam > 1 billion adherents, just add the 2nd scarf/glove compartment ASAP. The expected continued weakness of the dollar would be an asset, although being built by a bunch of infidels might not. Also - who needs in-dash navigation! OnStar guides you to your destination and can point you to Mecca, at least in the United States. My [Muslim] office assistant thinks there's an untapped market for this...
"compartments specifically designed for storing the Quran and headscarves" You mean it'll have a glovebox?....wow!
Don't forget the optional wiring harness that detonates the driver's car bomb when the air bag goes off. :-)