Why are Japanese Manufacturers so conservative ?
Discussion
Let see..
Honda : nothing really fast in the program.. butter and bread cars.
Toyota: the same thing but more dull.
Mazda: the Mps is somehow fast, but the design is so ugly; nothing exciting.
Subaru: STI who havent changed something special in 10 years ? Except more problems with the 2.5 L engine.
And the 4 step automatic gear box in the Forester is prehistoricly outdated.
Mitsubishi: Evo X is heavier and slower than the previous generation, while the competion caught up and passed them.
And then there are Lexus and Nissan, well they have something special on their programm but japanese cars are overall conservative and dull.
Honda : nothing really fast in the program.. butter and bread cars.
Toyota: the same thing but more dull.
Mazda: the Mps is somehow fast, but the design is so ugly; nothing exciting.
Subaru: STI who havent changed something special in 10 years ? Except more problems with the 2.5 L engine.
And the 4 step automatic gear box in the Forester is prehistoricly outdated.
Mitsubishi: Evo X is heavier and slower than the previous generation, while the competion caught up and passed them.
And then there are Lexus and Nissan, well they have something special on their programm but japanese cars are overall conservative and dull.
Conservative in what way? You mean "they're not making anything I find fun and interesting right now" - which is to say inefficient 2-seat sports cars or ballistic turbo-nutter machines, presumably?!?
Well, funnily enough, 4 years ago the global economy tanked and most pundits don't see it recovering that quickly. So 'discretionary spending' by the affluent middle classes (as opposed to the truly rich) has dropped quicker than Vanessa Feltz off Beachy Head...so as a car maker why WOULD you invest heavily in a radical mid-range sports car?!?
That said:-
- Honda are one of the world-leaders in fuel-cells, and have so far made the only road-legal ones, albeit at $1m a pop and lease-only in IIRC California.
- Toyota are releasing a whole family of hybrids, well in advance of all US/EU manufacturers.
- Nissan have released one of the first (and arguably the first sensible) all-electric cars onto the EU market.
...so I'd say they can be very creative and revolutionary!
Well, funnily enough, 4 years ago the global economy tanked and most pundits don't see it recovering that quickly. So 'discretionary spending' by the affluent middle classes (as opposed to the truly rich) has dropped quicker than Vanessa Feltz off Beachy Head...so as a car maker why WOULD you invest heavily in a radical mid-range sports car?!?
That said:-
- Honda are one of the world-leaders in fuel-cells, and have so far made the only road-legal ones, albeit at $1m a pop and lease-only in IIRC California.
- Toyota are releasing a whole family of hybrids, well in advance of all US/EU manufacturers.
- Nissan have released one of the first (and arguably the first sensible) all-electric cars onto the EU market.
...so I'd say they can be very creative and revolutionary!
A bit harsh, they are far less conservative than say Ford Europe or Vauxhall.
Toyota - They are launching the FT-86. Lexus side of the company has the ISF and LFA.
Nissan - 350Z then 370Z. Nissan GTR.
Mazda - MX5 and RX8.
However Honda in a particular seem to have truly lost the plot. No longer make the NSX, S2000 or even a Type R civic.
Toyota - They are launching the FT-86. Lexus side of the company has the ISF and LFA.
Nissan - 350Z then 370Z. Nissan GTR.
Mazda - MX5 and RX8.
However Honda in a particular seem to have truly lost the plot. No longer make the NSX, S2000 or even a Type R civic.
Olivera said:
A bit harsh, they are far less conservative than say Ford Europe or Vauxhall.
Toyota - They are launching the FT-86. Lexus side of the company has the ISF and LFA.
Nissan - 350Z then 370Z. Nissan GTR.
Mazda - MX5 and RX8.
However Honda in a particular seem to have truly lost the plot. No longer make the NSX, S2000 or even a Type R civic.
I agree! Nothing to do with performanceToyota - They are launching the FT-86. Lexus side of the company has the ISF and LFA.
Nissan - 350Z then 370Z. Nissan GTR.
Mazda - MX5 and RX8.
However Honda in a particular seem to have truly lost the plot. No longer make the NSX, S2000 or even a Type R civic.
but the CRZ does look effortlessly cool
diddly69 said:
I agree! Nothing to do with performance
but the CRZ does look effortlessly cool
I'm still trying to decide if I like its looks or not! but the CRZ does look effortlessly cool
But I think the Japs are pulling their weight in terms of exciting motors. Lexus LFA? RX8? Nissan GT-R? 370Z? FT86? I think there's enough there to keep faith in the Far Eastern boys and girls.
I think the financial climate in Japan and in their major export markets has a lot to do with your question. I was surprised to see Nissan release the R35 GTR to be honest, only due to the fact it's so good for the money.
I don't think we'll see cars like the Supra be released in the future for the EU market.
I don't think we'll see cars like the Supra be released in the future for the EU market.
havoc said:
Conservative in what way? You mean "they're not making anything I find fun and interesting right now" - which is to say inefficient 2-seat sports cars or ballistic turbo-nutter machines, presumably?!?
Well, funnily enough, 4 years ago the global economy tanked and most pundits don't see it recovering that quickly. So 'discretionary spending' by the affluent middle classes (as opposed to the truly rich) has dropped quicker than Vanessa Feltz off Beachy Head...so as a car maker why WOULD you invest heavily in a radical mid-range sports car?!?
That said:-
- Honda are one of the world-leaders in fuel-cells, and have so far made the only road-legal ones, albeit at $1m a pop and lease-only in IIRC California.
- Toyota are releasing a whole family of hybrids, well in advance of all US/EU manufacturers.
- Nissan have released one of the first (and arguably the first sensible) all-electric cars onto the EU market.
...so I'd say they can be very creative and revolutionary!
I read his post as referring solely to fast, interesting cars. I could be wrong, but I don't think he's really talking about efficient vehicles.Well, funnily enough, 4 years ago the global economy tanked and most pundits don't see it recovering that quickly. So 'discretionary spending' by the affluent middle classes (as opposed to the truly rich) has dropped quicker than Vanessa Feltz off Beachy Head...so as a car maker why WOULD you invest heavily in a radical mid-range sports car?!?
That said:-
- Honda are one of the world-leaders in fuel-cells, and have so far made the only road-legal ones, albeit at $1m a pop and lease-only in IIRC California.
- Toyota are releasing a whole family of hybrids, well in advance of all US/EU manufacturers.
- Nissan have released one of the first (and arguably the first sensible) all-electric cars onto the EU market.
...so I'd say they can be very creative and revolutionary!
iphonedyou said:
I read his post as referring solely to fast, interesting cars. I could be wrong, but I don't think he's really talking about efficient vehicles.
And I was trying to point out that his original premise was flawed by being too narrow in focus.They're car COMPANIES - they're in it to make a profit, not to make 'halo' cars. The Japanese manufacturers, in the main, have decided that the best returns lie in pursuing the 'efficiency' market, not the sports-car market.
...and sadly I happen to agree with them.
By contrast, let's look at VW/Audi, at Fiat/Alfa, at PSA, at Vauxhall/Opel and at Ford (which are the larger 'mainstream' car makers as far as the European market goes. How many truly 'interesting' cars are they making at the moment:-
- R8
- The upcoming 4C
- RCZ is borderline interesting but is still a 200bhp car at best.
- ...and, erm...
You can't compare Honda with Porsche, or Toyota with BMW - they're very different types of company.
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