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Japan auto industry body welcomes Apple's possible entry: Toyoda

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Lol Japan producing so much Carbon being a major player in killing planet earth, says Apple must be responsible. Oh the irony

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

@bo: According to Visual Capitalist, Japan is the 12th greenest country in the world. Unlike Apple, Japan does not force people to work in concentration camps.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

"If a tech firm joins our industry

Isn't Tesla one?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The life span of a car is 30-40 years? Try Five. After that you're strongly encouraged to get rid of it and buy another. Got to keep Japan Inc ticking over. And they talk about sustainability. Now if it actually was 30-40 years......

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

The life span of a car is 30-40 years? Try Five. After that you're strongly encouraged to get rid of it and buy another. Got to keep Japan Inc ticking over. And they talk about sustainability. Now if it actually was 30-40 years......

My cars are 33 and 27 years old. I probably could have justified selling either years car ago but new ones are far more costly and frustrating to live with as their electronics make maintenance on them ridiculous. The mechanical parts of cars lasts 500,000 km. Most people just lose interest and want something cooler or fancier long before their car is worn out. I had the older of my two cars restored for about 2/3 the price of a new one and it is now like new.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Desert TortoiseToday  12:49 pm JST

The life span of a car is 30-40 years? Try Five. After that you're strongly encouraged to get rid of it and buy another. Got to keep Japan Inc ticking over. And they talk about sustainability. Now if it actually was 30-40 years......

My cars are 33 and 27 years old. I probably could have justified selling either years car ago but new ones are far more costly and frustrating to live with as their electronics make maintenance on them ridiculous. The mechanical parts of cars lasts 500,000 km. Most people just lose interest and want something cooler or fancier long before their car is worn out. I had the older of my two cars restored for about 2/3 the price of a new one and it is now like new.

My car is 7 years old. I just got my main and auxiliary batteries replaced after taking a long (overdue) vacation in 2019. It has 55000 miles on it and all the percs I need. Since many new models don't even come with CD players I plan to keep mine for as long as I can. Radio in the USA and Canada SUCKS. I demand my freedom of choice when I'm driving.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Sorry, Desert TortoiseToday I should have been clearer.

Of course, I know a car will last for 30-40 years, or even longer, if you take care of it. What I meant was that we are encouraged to get rid of them by 5 in Japan, through trade-in incentives, higher taxes, etc. Toyota or any other manufacturer for that matter, certainly doesn't want you holding onto your car. The industry is run like a fine oiled.... errrr, I will leave it there.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Toyoda regrets his dumb statements on Tesla. It is merely a matter of time that we will see Toyota ending up like Kodak and Nokia.

Apple and Tesla will drive the future.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Would you happily welcome a new rival, probably costing you some orders, profits and making your own business models and staff more endangered? No? But he does....lol

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Of course, I know a car will last for 30-40 years, or even longer, if you take care of it. What I meant was that we are encouraged to get rid of them by 5 in Japan, through trade-in incentives, higher taxes, etc. 

I have a question for you on this subject. In the US there are companies such as K. Watanabe Used Engines in Lynwood California that sell used Japanese auto engines imported from Japan. Most have right around 100,000 km on them, which is nothing, maybe 20% of their expected life if that. Does Japan have some national policy or tax that makes it more costly keep a car past 100,000 km?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Apple and Tesla will drive the future.

I would not be too certain about that. Hydrogen powered vehicles will likely find a market among users who need to drive long distances with multiple refuelings. Trucking for example where you can't have the trucks sitting 45 minutes every few hours to recharge. Most long haul trucks have enough fuel to drive 2200 km before needing to refuel, and it only takes maybe five minutes to refill their dual 100 gallon (378 liter) fuel tanks. Other candidates are rural transit and school bus fleets, tour buses, or people who live in the boondocks like I do (more of us than you might think in the western US where distances between urban areas are often vast) and need to drive 300-500 km on a regular basis for shopping and medical appointments. In places with cold winters like we have here, a Tesla can consume half of a charge just keeping the batteries warm when the car is parked. Urban dwellers do not often realize the challenges associated with living in a lot of the western US where we have to drive very long distances often in either snowy cold winter weather or screaming hot summer weather.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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