Japan auto sales plunge 27.9% in January

Motor combustion pollution cars sales drop 28 percent, no worries. People can still travel via various transports systems other than own transport.

The air will 28 percent cleaner in japan. Japan need to change its over dependance on motor combustion pollution cars.

Motor combustion pollution cars sales drop 28 percent, no worries. People can still travel via various transports systems other than own transport. The air will 28 percent cleaner in japan. Japan need to change its over dependance on motor combustion pollution cars.

Oh please! do you actually believe this crap?

The air will 28 percent cleaner in japan. Japan need to change its over dependance on motor combustion pollution cars.

For now people are just not buying new cars and sticking with their old cars. the government needs to rethink its extortion policies- sha-kin, expensive highway tolls, and various taxes if it wants to save its golden goose. then again, who cares, eventually having less cars on the road is a good thing.

I hear a bunch Of Toyota employees are buying Toyotas to help out their company.

I can't afford a new car at the moment, so to help out I'll just buy a couple of new wheels.

You should try a motorcycle then. In the meantime the economy is going to get worse long before it gets better.

So where are the numbers ? Just how far down is Toyota ? Nissan ? Honda ? JT posted more detailed numbers concerning the US market... why not here in Japan ? What I really want to know is how far have Chrysler, Ford, and GM fallen here in Japan. I'm willing to bet not one iota ! See, those companys have had extremely limited access to Japans markets for years ! When sales are nearly zero, it's hard to fall much further.

"What I really want to know is how far have Chrysler, Ford, and GM fallen here in Japan. I'm willing to bet not one iota ! See, those companys have had extremely limited access to Japans markets for years ! When sales are nearly zero, it's hard to fall much further"

Oh dear, this is a bit of a throwback to the nineties. The reason the US makers sales havent grown is because of poor image and quality issues.

I know Chrysler in Japan very well (from before the merger with MB) and since dropping the Honda supply route for Jeep, sales have fallen steadily. The reasons? Lack of showroom capacity, that all important image (gas guzzling and poor quality control) and dated technology.

I remember Honda used to put their Jeeps through a rigourous and very expensive pre delivery inspection. Chrysler cant afford the same level of support and with a range that is technically as old as the hills its impossible to compete with local and European product on the same level.

dontpanic, puleeze ! Speaking of a throwback to the 90's ??? Try the late 70's and early 80's.

"The reason the US makers sales havent grown is because of poor image and quality issues."

Not sure what you are talking about. Fact is American auto companys have grown quite nicely thank you since day one. GM has remained the #1 auto maker on the planet for more than 70 years. As for quality, seems you still buy into the Japanese myth of superiority. Sorry, the recall numbers, total defects, and eventual hidden inventory belong mostly to Japanese auto manufacturers. The only lead the J's have had in this category were "written" replies from so-called owners. But even that nonsense has taken a beating with the large scale recalls these past years. So much so that major auto magazines and consumer report groups have stopped giving Toyota the automatic seal of approval. Of course I always wondered how Toyota garnered that right in the first place. Fact is American cars today consistently outnumber all others in terms of top 3 quality makes in every category imaginable, they don't always win #1 but you can't argue that second and third best aint nothin to brag about.

Now the truth in your post lies in this:

"Lack of showroom capacity"

How many times have we heard the round and round merry go round of the Japanese businessman.

J- Japanese people don't want to buy American cars. Q- How do you know, they've never had the opportunity to test drive on or see one on the showroom floor. J-You haven't seen one on the showroom floor ? Thats because Japanese people don't want to buy American cars.

Huh ??? I've seen and heard this scenerio played out dozens of times here in Japan. Of course Japanese don't want to buy something they can't "see or touch" !!! Ahh, if only America practiced the same form of protectionism. As for this...

"that all important image (gas guzzling and poor quality control) and dated technology."

Nonsense ! American cars are, and have been, just as competitive as it's Japanese counterparts. As far as technology is concerned... yer waaaay off base ! The cars my buddies drive back home look like airplane cockpits ! Japanese cars here in Japan have no where near the gadgets afforded adecked out Ford explorer.

On a final note, why don't we discuss safety issues. Anyone else notice the recent report on yearly automobile accidents here in Japan. It seems that these cars are so poorly constructed that you have a 50-50 chance of survival even if, get this, you are wearing a safety belt ! And that in a country where the average speed is around 30-40 kmh !!! Tin can death traps... buy American, live longer !

"GM has remained the #1 auto maker on the planet for more than 70 years"

And has lost ground consistently until that number one status is threatened by a younger fitter Toyota providing vehicles people in and outside the US want to buy.

"As for quality, seems you still buy into the Japanese myth of superiority. Sorry, the recall numbers, total defects, and eventual hidden inventory belong mostly to Japanese auto manufacturers."

Its not to the Japanese manufacturers credit that they covered up recalls for a very long time. That said they didnt and couldnt abroad. Japanese cars consistently figure as the lowest warranty cost vehicles, with the highest levels of customer satisfaction. When US brands appear in the charts they're usually European designed and built.

"Fact is American cars today consistently outnumber all others in terms of top 3 quality makes in every category imaginable, they don't always win #1 but you can't argue that second and third best aint nothin to brag about."

Never seen it. You must read different magazines and trade papers to me.

"Nonsense ! American cars are, and have been, just as competitive as it's Japanese counterparts. As far as technology is concerned... yer waaaay off base!"

Well, here youre simply wrong. I speak with over 20 years experience in the business and while I agree US cars may be loaded with toys, that is not what I meant by technology. The engines are backward, too large and simply waste fuel with very poor management software. Suspension systems are for the most part the same design as an old covered wagon. In general dashboards seem like theyre made of old toffee wrappers. Driveline, panelfit, paint and trim are all substandard. Without huge manufacturer support these cars and trucks wouldnt shift at home let alone abroad. This is proven by the state of sales in the US market now loans are no longer available to those that cant pay.

"I've seen and heard this scenerio played out dozens of times here in Japan. Of course Japanese don't want to buy something they can't "see or touch" !!! Ahh, if only America practiced the same form of protectionism."

Its true you cant buy a car if you cant see it. Thats not a fault with the Japanese though. US makers dont like to invest in infrastructure, preferring to have local businesses take the risk. If it werent for Yanase GM would have had a much greater difficulty breaking into the Japanese marketplace and even then could only sell European product in numbers. Those local businesses that do invest are rewarded with marginal sales and poor technical and logistical support. In the current climate many are likely to fold.

One thing I can say from personal knowledge is that the barriers in the way of US product are not placed there by the Japanese but by the US makers themselves. If they were to invest in showrooms and infrastructure they would still have to convince the Japanese people, who will continue to shop for the best product that suits their needs.

"It seems that these cars are so poorly constructed that you have a 50-50 chance of survival even if, get this, you are wearing a safety belt"

This is just nonsense. In terms of safety, all manufacturers have to meet stringent standards to sell in developed markets. Witness the continuous fall in RTA deaths.

The inroads foreign manufacturers have made into the US market and the lack of penetration outside the US attest to the quality and suitability of US produced product. In order to survive, US manufacturers must wake up and invest in the future, rather than milking the past. I hope they do. The world will be a lesser place without the creativity that can, on occasion, be displayed by US makers.

The percentage of imported vehicles in Japan is low in comparison to the market overall, thats down to price, not import barriers. It costs a lot of money to bring a car to Japan. It costs a lot to make sure its fit for sale, then it costs a lot to move vehicles around and then dealer margin in Japan is huge. Looking deeper, US vehicles are a tiny percentage of the imports, why, not because the Japanese think American workers are lazy, but because the cars dont suit them.

I've spent 11 of the last 22 years in Japan and I've never heard the Japanese (authorities or people) describe US workers in that way. In my time working for a US manufacturer in Japan almost all the issues came from a lack of understanding of the market, totally unsuitable product and frustration at the way the Japanese do business. There was no anti Americanism, no import barriers, no punitive tariffs, just a desire to have a importers bring in safe, reliable vehicles with a decent standard of support.

Why would a US automaker want to invest in factories in Japan building their current inventory? It would be madness. My point on investment is that US makers need to invest in quality and technology for their vehicles and put money into more than a token few of their own dealerships in Japan. That is the only way they will gain a reasonable number of sales in a mature market.

Oh and by the way, VW declared 1,872 vehicles sold year to date 2009 ie last months sales. In Total foreign vehicle sales in Japan are now a around 220,000. In common with the rest of the market sales are currently down 30% year on year.

dontpanic, once again you avoid some obvious points... Korea is just across the sea, why isn't Japan flooded with Kias and Hyundais like in, which is a much further trip to sell mind you, the USA ???

As for Americans not understanding the market ??? Whats to understand ? Given a fair playing field Americans do quite nicely... Nike, McDonalds, Costco, Coach Bags etc !

Sorry, the only part of your posts making sense are the fact that Americans don't invest in Japan... and thats because market access is constantly being infringed upon ! This is not rue in the USA for Japanese cars... Obama will put a stop to this I believe... He's a midwest guy backed with millions of Detroit money. Japan is in for a seriously rude awakening... Yes, welcome "Change" !

"Bandacleo": how about if the Koreans built more RHD cars? Conversely look at the numbers of Japanese cars sold in Korea, tit for tat. Fair playing field the American cars which are LHD do pretty well, but the fact is American automakers have tried too sell LHD cars to a RHD market. Arrogance or ignorance? "don'tpanic": Customer satisfaction numbers from US consumers put Japanese cars consistently at the top followed by European cars. Now that the "big 3" have got their QC sorted out their reputations for trouble and poor economy have made buyers reluctant to take the risk in buying American auto maker's cars. Majority of Toyotas Nissans and Hondas sold in the US are made in the US so what is a Japanese car? Are Mazdas American cars? They are owned by Ford. Nissan are a French company. The lines are very fuzzy.

Spudman puleeze stop the silliness... "All" major auto manufacturers buidl both right nad left hand drives ... have for years. Best post in months, this one found right here at Japantoday

"Are you freakin serious ???" More evidence that Japan's markets remain closed to any sort of fair competition. For fiscal 2006 VW's North American sales for the year were 235,140 vehicles !!! Here in Japan a pathetic 1,872 cars in January ! That amounts to 20,000 a year... VW in the states does that in a month !!!Uhh, lemme guess, no right side drive ? Poor quality image ? Too big ? Wrong-wrong-wrong !!! The most succesful foreign auto makers to Japan were merely tossed a bone... this while Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi continue to flood other countries markets with their products. Is there no shame ??? It's this one way trade philosophy that has helped lead to the current global economic crisis. Japan continues to put other nation's people out of work with their selfish protected domestic markets. Wake the he77 up world... stop the Japanese from destroying your economy and way of life. Sorry, but I'm sure the Germans, French and Americans don't want to work for free like the Japanese will. Arghh !

Excellent and straight on !

Go back and see the last time Volkswagon made a profit in the US. Big freakin deal they can sell heaps of cars for a loss. If the Japanese were doing that you'd call it dumping. Total sales of the top Japanese car maker( Toyota) to Germany were 10th overall. After all the German makers. Face facts People like buying what are perceived as "made by us" except in the US when that image spells gas guzzling and more trouble than other brands. Go check out the Ford japan website and see if you can see which models are LHD or RHD. If you can find a Mustang in RHD please let me know. Chevrolet is the same. Chrysler do better with more RHD models but the fact is the Americans are still trying to sell LHD to RHD markets. Look at French owned Nissan. Total sales of over 580,000 units a year with a growing market share.

Spudman, seems the topic is market access, not whether or not a company makes a profit. And Yes Chevrolet makes a miniwagon that is RHD, they have for years... where have you been ? However, you may be onto something with your last sentence... maybe the Americans could kill two birds with one stone, simply take over some foreign auto makers that have set up shop in Japan and hand them over to GM, Ford, Chrysler. Thus eliminating some competition while keeping Americans at work.

"understanding the market ??? Whats to understand ?" I've lost count of how many senior execs have gone ignominiously after uttering that one.