TC - well you tell me why AW can extend the length of the cabin to produce a 'new' helicopter but not the height?
If you want a 'family' of helicopters with different but complementary capabilities, then surely that is the way to get more custom rather than less. Just making each one slightly longer so you can wedge a couple more seats in is just lazy (and obviously cheap).
Do all those VIPs want to sit in low-slung seats with minimal headroom or would some of them prefer a better option? 1.4 m cabin height is too small and smacks of a lack of imagination amongst the manufacturers and their designers.
As I said before, AW had the perfect opportunity to create something that would not only satisfy the corporate customer but also become the de facto medium SAR helicopter. all they had to do was make it taller - please don't tell me that is rocket science in the world of helicopter design since others seem to have managed it quite easily.
Perhaps it is because the Italian part of the company won't listen to the UK part where design is concerned.