Honda: Supercar Sour Grapes?
By Edward NiedermeyerOctober 21, 2009
After months of teases and race-car previewing, Toyota is publicly unveiling its production-spec LF-A supercar at the Tokyo Auto Show [via Automotive News [sub]]. And it’s a legitimate front-engine supercar, with a 4.8 liter V10 motivating it to 60 MPH in 3.7 seconds. It even has a true supercar pricetag: $375,000. But how does this car square with Toyota’s appliance-and-environment-driven image? “It’s our mission as automakers to offer cars that possess the ‘fun’ spirit that should be at the base of any car,” explains Akio Toyoda, who sees the supercar as a way to gain attention in developing markets. But having axed its own front-engine V-10 supercar, Honda is reacting to the LF-A by retreating into greener-than-thou sniping. “Sure, there are folks who like that ‘vroom’ of the engine out of nostalgia,” snickers Honda prez Takanobu Ito. “The era of V10 engines is gone.” And you’ll never guess what vehicle Ito offers up as Honda’s counterpoint to the LF-A.
Posted in Future Vehicles | Green | Japan | News Blog | 49 comments 
Toyota Mark X Marks The Spot
By Edward NiedermeyerOctober 19, 2009
Since it’s shaping up to be Luxury Sedan Day here at TTAC (actually, it’s water-heater explosion day here at TTAC West, but that’s another, less-interesting story) we thought we’d show you Toyota’s Mark X [via Autocar], a sedan it figures could be a budget competitor to the BMW 5 series. But rather than getting hung up on what Toyota wants this car to be, let’s take a look at what it actually is: a Toyotaized version of the GS-series Lexus. This is the same strategy Toyota has taken with its HS250h, offering a JDM-only Toyota version of a Lexus product, although the Mark X’s differences go beyond a cheaper interior. Detuned versions of the 2.5 and 3.5 liter V6s found in the IS-series are offered as engine choices, in hopes of not intruding too much on the GS’s territory. And though none of this is likely to impact the US market, it’s worth noting that this is a questionable strategy at best. Lexus has succeeded in this country because of Toyota’s diligence in differentiating them from pedestrian T-branded offerings. If Toyota ever gets the brilliant idea of offering quick-and-dirty, down-economy rebadges of Lexus vehicles, it will find itself in a GM-sized branding nightmare before it can say “Buick.” And don’t think for a second that nobody at Toyota is thinking of making this the next Toyota Avalon. Just say no!
Posted in Branding | Japan | News Blog | 31 comments
Mitsubishi And Peugeot/Citroen Sitting In A Tree?
By Edward NiedermeyerOctober 13, 2009
A touching story of auto-industry love may be developing between Mitsubishi and PSA, reports All Cars Electric, citing Wards [sub] and French newspaper reports. It seems the French concern was deeply smitten with Mitsubishi’s $45k MiEV electric car and pursued the option for Citroen and Peugeot-branded versions. And apparently, the more PSA learned about the Japanese company, the more they liked. Did hands brush awkwardly over battery capacity charts, causing a thrilling moment of heart-fluttering eye contact? Executives did share the stage at the announcement of the EV-sharing deal, and now sources close to the deal say the new-found relationship could be snowballing towards a full-on R&D cost-sharing alliance.
Posted in Electric Vehicles | Europe | Industry | Japan | News Blog | 8 comments
Pick Your Scion Lineup
By Edward NiedermeyerOctober 9, 2009
As the latest sales show (and have been showing for some time now) Scion is one hot mess. And though the best advice we can give is for Toyota to start selling its JDM confections as Toyotas, somehow we don’t think the big T wants to hear it. Instead, why not pick a new lineup from the latest batch of Daihatsu concepts shown at the Tokyo show [courtesy:AutoBild]? Or better yet, post a link to other Toyota/Daihatsu products that could pep up the least youthful “youth brand’s” sales. After all, anything would be better than leaving Scion as-is.
Posted in Branding | Japan | News Blog | 45 comments
Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Toyobaru Coupe
By Edward NiedermeyerOctober 6, 2009
The FT-86 concept, based on an RWD variant of the Subaru Impreza chassis, has been revealed at the Tokyo Auto Show. And behold, the Toyobaru coupe of internet legend appears to be in near-production trim. With a 2.0 boxer four, a six-speed manual and a forecast base price of under $30k, the FT-86 hopes to live up to the promise of its AE86 reference point. If nothing else, it signals the possible end of a long winter for Toyota’s enthusiast lineup, which effectively went into hibernation when the MR-2 Spyder was canned in 2007. But don’t get too excited. The FT-86 production model won’t go on sale in Japan until “late 2011,” so it’s anyone’s guess when it will become available in the States.
Posted in Future Vehicles | Japan | News Blog | 44 comments
Quote Of The Day: Meet The New Upstart Edition
By Edward NiedermeyerOctober 3, 2009
Hyundai is awesome. They are undoubtedly a threat because their products are cheap, and the quality is improving
Honda CEO Takanobu Ito in the Canadian Press. “Hyundai is the biggest threat for the Japanese automakers,” adds Nissan senior VP Shiro Nakamura. “We have to offer the equivalents of sushi, tempura and kaiseki to compete against Korean barbecue.” Now imagine the reaction these quotes would have received ten years ago.
Posted in Japan | Korea | News Blog | Quote of the Day | 76 comments
Akio Toyoda: My Company Is “Grasping For Salvation”
By Edward NiedermeyerOctober 2, 2009
Akio Toyoda faces the music at the Japan Press Club [Video available via Bloomberg]
Posted in Industry | Japan | News Blog | 37 comments
What’s Wrong With This Picture: Rebadging The Rebadge Edition
By Edward NiedermeyerOctober 1, 2009
We thought the Lexus HS250h would be a cynical rebadge of the Prius with a little more power. We were wrong. The HS was marginally unique enough, but then ToMoCo went and cynically reabdged it as a Toyota and called it the Sai. Sigh. It hasn’t been confirmed for the US yet, but if it is, there’s not much breathing room between the $22k Prius and the $26k Camry Hybrid. Nor would there be much reason left to buy an HS.
Posted in 3WTP | Hybrid | Japan | News Blog | 29 comments
Auto Motor und Sport Celebrates Sixty Years of Kei Cars
By Edward NiedermeyerAugust 24, 2009
We’ve missed the actual anniversary- Japan’s first “kei car” specifications were first announced on July 8 1949- but Japan’s city cars still deserve a party. Auto Motor und Sport has a 51-image gallery of Kei-cars throughout the years that is sure to delight fans of tiny, sub-liter whips. For those unfamiliar with the Kei class, can get an update at wikicars, but here are the broad strokes. Original Kei-cars were limited to 2.8 meters in length, 1 meter width and 2 meters in height, and could have no more than 150cc of displacement. The latest rule changes (in 1998) limited Keis to 3.39m in length, 1.48 meters in width and 2 meters height. Displacement is now limited to a heady 660cc, and thanks to Japanese OEM mastery of tiny engines, horsepower must now be limited to 64 hp. Otherwise, the tiny rides come in a staggering array of flavors, from work trucks to baby exotics. Though they’ll never be a viable option on American roads, let’s thank the gods of automotive diversity that these weird whips have flourished with such vigor.
Posted in Japan | News Blog | 14 comments
Suzuki, Mitsubishi: Japanese Surrender?
By Bertel SchmittJuly 11, 2009
The worst recession in half a century will be prolonged as consumers see their jobs go away and their home prices head south, economists Nouriel Roubini and Robert Shiller warn on Bloomberg. The University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment fell by more than forecast to 64.6 from 70.8 in the prior month. And it may be time for some foreign automakers to evacuate crumbling Cartago, their countrymen caution.
Suzuki reported a precipitous 78 percent drop in US unit sales in June. Their first-half decline was 60 percent, the market’s worst. Mitsubishi is down 51 percent this year. Faltering since 2003, Mitsubishi doesn’t have far to fall. Mitsubishi “doesn’t make cars that are hot-sellers in the U.S.,” said CSM Worldwide analyst Masatoshi Nishimoto with polite Nipponese understatement. Sayonara?
Posted in Industry | Japan | News Blog | 47 comments
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