Japan automakers are back, a year after disaster

Yes they are back for business, but what price they payed for that coming back ??? Look at the quality. Otherwise, I expect another big blow to their business, the gas price. Who can afford a car today, the young doesn't buy at all.

Not just the disaster, gas prices (while the yen is record high), mandatory insurance, voluntary insurance, tax, mandatory parking lot, service prices, (they overcharge wherever they can), "shaken", mandatory vehicle inspection, selling 500 000 yen extras in every cars, expensive highway toll, only to waste gas and time driving at a neck-breaking 80-100 Km/h speed on bumpy highways, paying the customary fine twice a year during the police "safety weeks" ticketing campaign, and spending long hours in traffic jam.

There is not really too much to do with the disaster. They are back now, but car business will deep-dive again here, even if the makers have tricked their ways out temporarily, by changing subcontractors to cheaper ones and saving business with degrading quality. It will backfire soon.

A long time ago I wrote the automakers for help in getting the car parking fees at my place reduced to a point where I could consider buying one of their cars. Incredibly, no reply from any of them.

It's good news that Japanese car makers are back. Since there're a lot of components suppliers in Japan, the growing sales will definitely help them making profit. However, a lot of hurdles may be ahead. For example, Japan market is almost so saturated that no big Jump of the sales in Japan is expected. On top of that, rivals like Hyundai motor is cracking into China market where you can expect increased number of car sales. Without any strategy for developing market that requires low-cost, no Japanese car makers can survive.

Hahaha, Japan automakers now know how being on the other end of the dollar-yen exchange rate feels like. Eats away profits, can't afford to lower prices too much.

Good luck and good health to those brave workers at Nissan's Iwaki plant. I hope Nissan's management takes good care of them.