if they just made good cars, then they wouldn't be whining so much and trying to get all kinds of regulations and stuff passed for their advantage.

http://www.auto.com/industry/iwirg7_20020207.htm

 

There is some basis for this charge, the Japanese government has been more involved with the success of their own companies, which IMO is a good thing.

As a side note, I was somewhat disappointed in recent information I saw. Both Toyota and Honda have enjoyed success greatly due to the US market. So why did neither make any contributions for the attacks on September 11th. Both GM and Ford donated millions $$ and many vehicles while Toyota and Honda put sympathy messages on their Websites...

 

maybe it's because honda, toyota and a lot of other companies don't view what happened on September 11th as a marketing opportunity...

but if it makes you feel any better, here's what honda and toyota did:


honda responds

toyota's contributions

both companies seem like responsible corporate citizens to me...

sounds like you need to double check your "information." here's a good site.

 

I knew there might be a problem in trusting information like this from my Parents.

 

lol! I get questionable stuff from my parents and in-laws, too...

they catch me off guard, too, sometimes...

 

mazda, isuzu, nissan, subaru, etc....

i don't see them touting record profits due to a weak yen.

oh, and let's copmlain that the u.s. dollar is too strong.

that's like saying "my schlong is TOO long".

 

GM is in a downward spiral:

Buick and Pontiac are coming out with nothing but FUGLY vehicles.
Chevy just lost the Camaro and it remains to be seen whether or not the C6 Corvette will look appealing or fugly like everything else GM puts out these days.
Olds is gone (good riddance) and Cadillac is redesigning its entire fleet with questionable futurist designs.
There is the slightly chance Pontiac will peek their head out of their sphincter long enough to poop out a Grand Prix GTX with AWD, a V8, and some other goodies, but that's been talked about and hinted at for years, and made a couple appearances at auto shows. I'll believe it when I see it in the showroom with a price sheet.

Ford has a new Mustang Cobra but as PullT (I think it was he) pointed out it's got crappy weight distribution and probably still can't out pull a Corvette for a similar price (and certainly can't out-handle one). As most of us know, $35k it too much money for any Mustang. Besides that and the Lightning they have nothing going for them. At least they no longer have f-body competition to worry about. (Way to go, GM.)

Dodge will have a new, not-quite-as-cool-looking Viper and who knows what else, but mostly trucks as usual, and therefore of little interest to me.

I have a feeling I won't be buying American vehicles at any point in the next ten years or more since I have no interest in SUVs, combo vehicles, or ugliness.

Toyota will hopefully bring out a MKV Supra and most people wouldn't mind at all if it didn't change much from the venerable MKIV, but either way it's still a few years off. Their cars have all been beaten with the ugly stick lately, much like GM, but at least they have a performance division, unlike Honda. WTF, wake up Honda/Acura. You are in professional racing for cryin' out loud and yet you don't even offer aftermarket factory-warranteed mods while Toyota certainly does.
Lexus is finally doing a bit better with the revised IS300, and that car can fit a 2JZ-GTE in it (as several companies currently offer), meaning accessibility to the nearly-limitless aftermarket world of the Supra turbo. Same goes for the SC300 (hi Clint!).

Nissan/Infinity is Doing The Right Thing - new cars with more power. The new Maxima, Altima, G35, and eventually the new Z, all tout power numbers close to (if not better than) our car. And in a few more years, hopefully a GT-R Skyline.

Subaru will be bringing over the WRX STi, although a weaker one than the real one (typical) it at least has the potential to be modded to a level akin to the real one if not higher.

And last but not least, Acura might finally give us a 3.5L V6 in the CL/TL and bump the NSX to the V8 it's needed for years.

My entire childhood was spent in GM cars (with the exception of one early-80s Honda Accord wagon.)
Now after owning a CL-S, I have resigned myself to (money allowing) never own a car with less performance and comfort at any time in the future. It looks like that means Japanese cars for me, and I really don't have a problem with that at all.

 

Guess I killed this thread. :o

 

excellent point

 

Those three paragraphs basically sum up your whole argument.

1. GM is the #1 car manufacturer. They have a lot of new cars coming out soon to ensure they stay that way.

2. Dodge doesnt make money off the Viper(just as Toyota makes very little off supra's, and Nissan with Skylines), it is from those trucks that dont interest you.

3. SUV's make money. Ford, and GM make high selling ones.

American car companies are in no danger of demise. They just need sum changes.

 

How about RWD, HEMI V8 Pushing over 300+ HP, tied to a MB SIX SPD Manual?

 

i got that email too, i'm not surprised that it got around so fast, and i'm totally not surprised that it wasn't true......

as far as American car companies, it's true, they're like roaches that won't go away, but they DO put out excellent trucks and some fun cars......... camaro > mustang anyday.......

anywhoo, cadillac may not be able to pull off this futuristic look, i don't think....... but who knows......

 

Toyota could take the number 3 position by the end of the year. Now Japanese manfactureres have dominated the family sedan market they are aggresively attacking the lucrative SUV/Truck/Minivan market that has been traditionally dominated by the Americans. Honda's Odyssey and Toyota's Sienna have been huge as has Nissan's Frontier and Toyota's Tacoma and Tundra. The MDX is fantastic as is the Highlander and there are high hopes for the Pilot. Lexus is coming out with the GX470 and Nissan is readying the Quest minivan.

Japanese automakers have been consistantly gaining market share for the last few years and the trend is expected to continue as they build more and more plants in the US while the Big Three are cutting jobs.