Don’t imagine that just because there’s Trouble at T’Detroit Mill, the rival Japanese car makers are laughing. They’re not. So here at the Detroit Show, there have been a lot of expressions of solaridarity from the Japanese.
That’s because the industry is so interconnected. If GM, say, suddenly went down owing billions of dollars to the companies that produce its components, some of those suppliers would also go bust. And they’re mostly the same suppliers who feed parts to the US factories of Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
Let’s say an air-conditioning maker goes under. If that’s a supplier to Toyota too, Toyota can’t keep sending Camrys to dealers with a ruddy great hole in the dashboard where the AC ought to be. So it has to stop the production line. Which will cost it millions.
Here’s a quote from a speech made at the Detroit Show by Irv Miller, a senior executive at Toyota’s American subsidiary. ‘We’re committed to this show, to the city of Detroit and to the success of our industry.’
Besides which, Toyota has said that this year it will lose money for the first time since it was founded in 1949. Not a good position from which to crow at its American rivals’ expense.
i think theres a lot of air pollution in japan so the air con is really important although iam sure any parts needed can still come from out of japan .
any updates on the new 5.0literaj-v8 gen 111r 625 nm
jaguar xkr
well,Japan has been excreting terrible cars for the last 10 years,New Iq for example.I live next to the factory here in Aichi,and I tell you,no one is touching these obviously cackhanded rushjob cut and shut Yarises with 10 foot chopsticks……they have been following the American example,large underpowered,grey bricks….serve `em right.
Sorry seemed to contradict meself there.IQ seems like a large car cos it isn`t a kei here,no tax or road toll reductions,no space for more than 2.5 passengers,therefore no point.Mitsubushi i a far wiser idea,especially lectric one which doesn`t really work proper.Oh dear.And it`s over to the Chinese…..
I’m not sure I agree with jagjames about air pollution, they have pretty strict emissions rules, like the U-LEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) thingy. Or capping the horsepower of all their cars at 276bhp – not anymore tho – and limiting them to 180km/h to keep emissions low (and accidentally stop most of their sports cars from keeping up with the Euros – apart from the almighty (Skyline) GT-R of course).
And I actually like Japanese design, it’s just more interesting. I mean sure, Mitsuoka and Subaru can make some real uggos, but look at the Evo X, the GT-R, even the current Civic. All sharp edges and the sort of lines that make them distinctly Japanese. Plus some people love the cutesy city cars (although kei cars look a very odd shape in England when compared to our stuff).
It’s just a shame everyone’s running out of money. Nissan was supposed to unveil the GT-R V-Spec @ Detroit, alongside the 370Z, the new Cube (now a global car), some US stuff and maybe a Skyline sedan (Infiniti G) hybrid and other Infiniti stuff. But they did not. Mitsubishi also decided to save the money and wait for Tokyo, and Suzuki, well, they complained it was too small inside Cobo Hall, but they might not want to be asked about WRC either.
I hope Chinese cars don’t catch on, though. They’re either ghastly or knock-offs, generally speaking, however if there are any good Chinese cars, I’d like to see them (there aren’t any @ TG for some reson).
DEAR HAMMOND,
I HOPE YOU CAN CATCH DRIFT SHOW IN MALAYSIA AND TELL EVERYTHING DRIFT IN ARAB.
If chinese cars follow the same line as chinese bikes then they’ll be making 1980′s Honda Civics and selling them at a third of the cost of competitors, largely due to low wage bills and lower parts quality. The japanese manufacturers really aren’t enjoying things though, Swindon have stopped production until June, Sunderland and Derby can’t be too far behind. Bad news for the workers but better than losing the whole factory permanently I guess.
Interesting comments about Chinese konckoffs.Japanese cars were essentially Austin,Ford,Hillman Minx copies until the 70s,then….suddenly,reliab le,economical,cheap “Original”cars appeared.By the way,Uk Civic design still hasn`t been released here in Japan.Bahhh!
josh whot are the settings on my spyssic
i thought they were chrisevans
every timg is going wrong and where is th support u eing such ad take a look @wt u strted now u now i be the berst bull hand py theb papper worh ad akkk wiebr4 soted noghesr x-bow t jhos u betr k sort t out
We life for Subaru.
Not for Mustang.
NO DRIFT NO LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jaguarjames I’m forced to ask: do you type with your head?
i need a first car
not second hand but it has to be a good car but not very pricey
what do you think i should get
jonny
ps
i still wanna show off with it thow
how we’re weathing the financial storm
the unforeseen jolts us like never before -because of the one big unforeseen crash that has turned our world topsy-turvy.we’ve seen whot can happen,and its scary.
Jonny, what kind of budget? Could u afford a 500 Abarth?
Wow, I’d have thought that the new civic would be lapped up in Japan, being as they could just change the lettering and pop it on a container ship. Does that mean you can still buy the old (and arguably better) type R out there? Still, I think Pauls’ article in Top Gear may be on the money, independant contractors manufacturing cars would have lessened the blow of this financial crisis (a word I don’t use lightly). That said, I’m not sure I agree with you on the engine front, there’s no reason they couldn’t be manufactured by third parties but a standard off the shelf affair could really stifle development. Still, I think some lessons may be learnt from all of this and the surviving companies will have to implement some major changes to try and insulate themselves from similar risks in future.
dear jc why do’nt you have race with highly modid car vs hyper car e.g 1000 bhp surpas , m3 turbos 900 bhp ect.
i don’t what it is with all you idiots disliking toyota. i’m not going to lie about the fact that toyota make boring cars, but you’ve got to appretiate the thought that goes into the car how apropriat the car is for its class. if any of you can think of another car manufacturer that has been ranked no.1 at JD Power survey for over 13 consecutive years please do.
Hello i said (16). I didn’t say I don’t like Toyota. I very much admire them as a corporation – clear-thinking, quality-focussed, very humane. They make some pretty boring cars, but most people want a boring car. Good for them. I wrote this blog to show that their position re Detroit is both honourable and pragmatic. Which, some to think of it, is how they behave on most matters.
You can’t buy the EUROPEAN civic in Japan because it is not for this country, we only get the sedan version.
However honda have started to import the Euro civic type R to Japan for those who like the style.
We do however have the JDM type R which is based on the sedan and is faster and better.
Regarding Japan’s words of solidarity at the american show i can further add that Japan has a perhaps irrational fear that if the big american manufacturers go up the shoot then the american public will instigate a back lash against foreign makers and as the largest of those are Japanese, they might have some trouble.
perhaps old thinking these days especially with the recent disdain that americans have shown to their automotive industry but very much a concern on toyota and honda’s etc mind.
119 come in 119
think about it. the american dollar, along with most other currency, if falling fast. the Japanese ceo’s sitting on the island have lost money before the sun comes up that day.
and on the subject of car quality. and i hope top gear actually answers this, not some prick at a screen jerking off. When was the last time ANY company made nothing but good cars? as far as i can tell, never, but i’d like a proper answer with someone closer to the heart of the auto industry. Seems to me there’s always just one or two really great cars. and then a whole lot of scrap metal on wheels. honestly, we wouldnt buy cars if they didnt break. and no one’s supprised that people make massive money off that thought.
@21 same everywhere. When was the last time the Top40 contained 40 good songs? Ans: Never. To quote Zappa: they’re only in it for the money. Cars that don’t break down don’t earn.
No-one big is in the business because they love their products. They’re just balancing between making consumer products good enough to be credible and bad enough to be profitable. Wake up and smell the cackey.
Hmmm, loosing money for the first time since 1949. That’s a great achievement. I like Toyota, and other Japanese car companies because they make very good affordable cars for people with low budgets. I will be heart pressed to see them gone after all these years of being around. I might buy a next Japanese car, but it must have a good amount of horse power and torque on the lower rev range. Well, I hope this recession will end some time in the near future. Good Luck Toyota.
Hi guys, whether Japan is smiling or not I’m looking for some help. I currently drive a 3lt Toyota Hilux Surf and tow a horse box (loaded weight of just over 2,100 kgs. I want to replace my Hilux but am struggling to find one with a boot canopy (for the dogs), in automatic transmission and post 2006 (I understand there were some design problems with the 2.5 lt engine prior to this date.)
I live in Waterford, Ireland and we cover some extreme terrain with our jeep and box but have never had a difficulty with this wonderful machine.
She’s very elderly (14) hence the nescessity to replace her. Any thoughts or suggestions on another go anywhere do anything 4 wheel drive that can safely tow a fairly hefty weight? Indeed have the lads on Top Gear considered this as a challenge?
Many thanks, Chris
sorry – OT
can someone please sort the css on TG site? all the font sizes are messed up in safari v3.0!