Japanese Car Makers Fortunes Continue To Sink At Home

While Detroit's Big Three - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler - struggle to hold market share against popular Asian rivals and luxury European brands, overall US demand remains healthier than in Japan.

The market for new cars and trucks in the world's second-largest economy has contracted 7.6 per cent so far this year to 4.13 million vehicles. Sales are heading for a third straight year of falls and are a far cry from an annual peak of 7.78 million in 1990.

"I'm not very optimistic about the domestic market," Honda Motor Chief Executive Takeo Fukui said last month.


Read Article

jl3787 - 10/16/2007 1:51:11 PM

+2 Boost

Its a culture thing!

Owning a car in north america is a must because the vast area the countrys covers. Parking is fairly easy to find even in dowtown area.

Its easy to own a car in Canada and United-States.

In big citys like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, London, Mexico or Sao Paulo its a really big challenge to find parking and especilaly if citys are not well plan.

Rupert - 10/16/2007 3:30:07 PM

+2 Boost

Not having a grid system makes things rather complicated, and having to pay 4 dollars an hour for parking in most places in London (in the centre up to 6) really puts you off. I don't drive into central London ever, I catch the bus or tube, which takes like 20-30 mins or less. It takes about 40 by car.

XYZZ - 10/17/2007 3:18:13 AM

+1 Boost

as i recall, car buyers in the major japanese cities have to prove they have an off street parking space, before being allowed to buy a car.

overall, the traffic density is such that there is not as much a "driver's culture" as in the u.s. or other places with a lot of open countryside.