Are Japanese Cars More American Than American Cars?
By Calvin Lewis
The Japanese auto industry is on a roll. With everything from fuel-sipping family cars to tire-shredding, all-wheel-drive rockets, Japan is bombarding the world’s auto markets. If you assume I’m mad to pose the question above, consider that whenever there’s a niche to fill, the Japanese auto market has an answer. In this post I’ll just focus on the hybrid and $18,000-and-under categories.
In the United States, the much-loved and respected Toyota Prius is the pride and joy of the hybrid community. That’s not to say that American companies haven’t stepped up in recent years, with Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Dodge, and Mercury producing a total of eight hybrids, of which six are trucks or SUVs. But in comparison, Toyota, Honda, Lexus, and Nissan have churned out ten hybrids in the last ten years, and they’ve all been cars rather than trucks. (At least the US makes more hybrids than the Europeans, who haven’t produced any, focussing instead on diesel-fueled vehicles.)
If you can’t afford a hybrid or just want to keep it under $18,000, then again those plucky Japanese offer more choices than the US companies. The combined offerings from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Suzuki, Scion, and Subaru come to 18 models. Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, Pontiac, and Saturn total only ten. They just barely beat the combined output of Korea and Europe, with Hyundai and KIA putting out seven budget rides, and Smart and Volkswagen coming in last with two.
So, with their cars flowing into the states in abundance, it seems reasonable to buy Japanese, right? But then the Koreans offer huge power train warranties — or should I spend the extra cash for a European-flavored set of wheels? All of these options tempt me.
However, as much as I admire a foreign car’s reliability, long warranty, or classy feel, I really want American carmakers to get competitive in these areas — and not just with pickups and SUVs. I drive a ‘99 Pontiac Grand Am GT, which was good — but with my crummy mileage (20 mpg) and parts falling off left and right, I wonder how long it’ll be before I get bit by the Japanese bug.
