Thursday May 24, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

GM reclaims world's biggest carmaker title as Toyota skids

Business Jan. 20, 2012 - 01:12AM JST ( 20 )

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General Motors reported global vehicle sales of more than nine million last year

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20 Comments

1

some14someJan. 20, 2012 - 07:38AM JST

Toyota falling from top to 3rd but always upbeat in business forecast !
-1

NetNinjaJan. 20, 2012 - 10:36AM JST

oh HAPPY DAY!!!

Who's your daddy? Last year, some bloggers, no names, had the audacity to talk some trash about American Cars. Where are they now? Only 2 comments? Japanese cars are sad. Lawnmowers for engines and boring design.
2

nihoncriticJan. 20, 2012 - 11:11AM JST

@Netninja, I find editorials like consumer reports far more credible when they consistently rate Japanese autos as the best in class for quality. If you think Japanese autos are done, I think you are very much mistaken. However, I am happy to see that fortunes are starting to reverse for GM. GM's latest models are quite stylish and they are hungry to redeem their honor. While much like JAL and government owned, these two companies are taking desperate measures in desperate times to come back. I will not be surprised if these two organizations have shed the defunct areas of the past and are fighting hard to plow ahead. I am happy GM managed kept their chin up while half the country screamed for GM to hit the gallows back in 2008. Finally, I am quite impressed with Akio Toyoda's hands on management as of today. Until the recall, no one knew who this person was for the most part, but now he has dedicated himself in revitalizing Toyota's boring image. The Lexus GS is one example and we will definitely see Toyota vehicles dedicated to better styling and fun driving.
2

ExportExpertJan. 20, 2012 - 11:26AM JST

Toyota to make a come back and come back hard and fast , watch this space ! If it wasnt for the disasterous situations Japanese auto makers have had to endure GM would still be in the doldrums.

Goverment Motors may have taken the lead but its only temporary.
2

JeffLeeJan. 20, 2012 - 12:23PM JST

@ExportExpert: Wrong. GM is a fresh and enormously popular brand in China and elsewhere in Asia, and its market strength there continues to grow. When I visit Asia, I’m astounded that some of the most eye-catching vehicles on the roads carry the GM badge. US automakers suffer on home turf largely because the southern states have allowed foreign competitors to undercut Detroit through lower wages, benefits and restricted collective bargaining.
0

Al StewartJan. 20, 2012 - 01:59PM JST

Yeah toyoto had a really bad couple of years. I'm shocked at GM stepping up like that. But i wonder if that would have happend if Toyota didnt have that recall. It sounds rather convenient lol GM sells 9mil while Toyota had to recall 9mil
-3

ExportExpertJan. 20, 2012 - 03:01PM JST

Jefflee you think GM is the only one who sells cars in China, toyota also sell cars in china. Wait till toyota get over the disasters and see where your beloved GM is .
0

Bebert61Jan. 20, 2012 - 03:05PM JST

Anyone who thinks GM has "turned the corner" doesn't know GM or the U.S. auto business. It is easy to turn a company around if it is infused with $50+ billion in government cash, is allowed to wipe $27 billion in debt off its books (screw the bondholders), eliminate a third of its dealers, jettison its environmental and legal obligations and dump its non-productive plants as "toxic" assets into a shell company. I'm sure Kodak and every other failing corporation would love that deal.

All GM management and the unions have learned from this is they are too big to fail. The government will bail them out again the next time management takes on unmanageable debt and the unions push their wages, pensions and benefits to unsustainable levels. Neither GM management or its UAW workers have changed their mindset.

US automakers suffer on home turf largely because the southern states have allowed foreign competitors to undercut Detroit through lower wages, benefits and restricted collective bargaining.

Well, I've seen a breakdown of the labor costs between the Big 3 and the foreign companies. The difference in labor costs per hour is almost entirely due to "legacy" costs. Which means pensions and benefits paid to retirees, some of whom haven't turned a wrench in 25 years. A Toyota line worker is actually making more than his UAW dolt competitors, which is one reason no foreign plant has ever been unionized.
-3

tmarieJan. 20, 2012 - 04:05PM JST

Net, I'm thinking this has more to do with the yen, not the quality. Never again will I own an American car. Crap, crap, crap.
-3

tmarieJan. 20, 2012 - 04:06PM JST

GM also needs to say a big thank you to the taxpayer of the US for this. Free cars for everyone?
0

YuriOtaniJan. 21, 2012 - 12:39AM JST

Just wait for these "sodai-gomi" cars and trucks to get a year or two old. Then they will show their true natures and from the dealer "sorry, that is not covered by warranty". Today's GM is not much different than the GM of the 1960,s. True the body is a bit better but the electrical is still brutal. My 86.5 Supra is more advance than a new corvette. Compare the features and tell me I am wrong. One item "lifting rods", my guy has twin overhead cams and 24 valves vs 16. Oh the rods have a habit of going through the engine block when pressed too hard or when old. The only reason the general public "baka" are buying the GM sodai-gomi is propaganda. Tell me one improvement since the bailout.
-1

sfjp330Jan. 21, 2012 - 05:03AM JST

YuriOtaniJan. 21, 2012 - 12:39AM JST. Today's GM is not much different than the GM of the 1960,s. True the body is a bit better but the electrical is still brutal. My 86.5 Supra is more advance than a new corvette. Compare the features and tell me I am wrong. One item "lifting rods", my guy has twin overhead cams and 24 valves vs 16.

If Supra was so good, Toyota would've continue to make this today. It's a sloppy handling car with a numb steering. What does Toyota have to compete with Corvette today? Nothing. Toyota discountinued the expensive inline 6 cylinder engine design that only produce around 200hp in non-turbo form because nobody wanted to buy Supra. BMW has the same inline 6 design for decades and demand is still strong. The Supra had only half the horsepower of todays Corvette. How can you compare with todays Corvette? The small block chevy engine in a standard Corvette produces 430hp at $45K. They are the best bargain in performance cars. They handle better than anything Toyota produces for the money. Besides, the parts are cheap and the small block chevy engine can go 250K miles without problems. Put your Supra in the track comparison with a new Corvette and see how outdated your Supra is.
0

YuriOtaniJan. 21, 2012 - 06:29AM JST

sfip330, you miss my point. The corvette engine is almost twice the size. Now add solid axles, my guy has movable axles. The only reason the Corvette is still produced is the corvette otaku. My point is GM is not an intervened auto company. It is producing the same old cars and trucks year after year. About the 45k Corvette? You must be joking, it is more like 85k and the stupid thing did not even have a navi.
-1

sfjp330Jan. 21, 2012 - 06:37AM JST

YuriOtaniJan. 21, 2012 - 06:29AM JST. you miss my point. The corvette engine is almost twice the size. Now add solid axles, my guy has movable axles. The only reason the Corvette is still produced is the corvette otaku. My point is GM is not an intervened auto company. It is producing the same old cars and trucks year after year. About the 45k Corvette? You must be joking, it is more like 85k and the stupid thing did not even have a navi.

What is your point. Corvette does not have solid axles, they have independent suspension. Also, MSRP for standard Corvette is $49,525. You can add Navi for $2K more. Even though Corvette looks the same, they made it 7/8 of the size five years ago. it's a great sports car with great motor for under $50K.
-2

sfjp330Jan. 21, 2012 - 08:05AM JST

Toyota like tell you that their cars have engines with the ultimate in new high technology while American cars are "low tech". This is not true. All the things that Toyota lovers think of as "high tech" and "modern" actually are designs that have been used in cars since the 1930's. In fact, the inline 4 cylinder is actually an older design than the V-8. Things like DOHC and 4 valves per cylinder were used on cars in the '20s and '30s. American cars had them, too, in Auburns and Dusenbergs, just to name two. In the '70s, Americans could buy a compact car with an all-aluminum 16 valve DOHC, EFI engine that could turn 8,000 RPM. Sound's like an Integra of today, doesn't it? Surprise! it was the Chevy Cosworth Vega.

Toyota lovers are constantly critizing American performance cars such as the Camaro and Corvette for having pushrod operated valves instead of SOHC or DOHC. The truth is, the LS1 engine used in these cars makes HORSEPOWER & TORQUE. Much more than any Toyota or Honda engine, and this engine is available in an $30K car, not just the top of the line flagship. Pushrod engines work very well and make power,but since SOHC and DOHC are latest fad these days, all the American manufacturers make them.
0

ExportExpertJan. 21, 2012 - 06:11PM JST

What does Toyota have to compete with Corvette today? Nothing

Lexus LF-A blows the corvette to the weeds. And expect more sports cars from toyota soon.
0

sfjp330Jan. 22, 2012 - 04:14AM JST

ExportExpertJan. 21, 2012 - 06:11PM JST. Lexus LF-A blows the corvette to the weeds. And expect more sports cars from toyota soon.

How many of your friends or associates have this car? None? Why? Is this the best you can do to compare hand built Lexus LF-A that cost $375K to a $49K standard Corvette? If you want to compare, you can get a Lingenfelter Twin Turbo Corvette, 1100hp, 0-60 1.97seconds, 220mph top speed at 1/3 of the cost for your slow Lexus. Even Z06 at $75K can perform equal to your $375K Lexus. Toyota has nothing in performance cars.
0

anglootakuJan. 23, 2012 - 12:27AM JST

China is the key care market as they are the largest car market now, most car companies make the majority of their profits within China.GM should be focusing on hybrid cars and new technologies if they want to supersede, Japanese cars also should continue to introduce new technologies. As now Chinese branded cars are slowly entering Japan and the US.
0

anglootakuJan. 23, 2012 - 12:27AM JST

*car market
0

anglootakuJan. 23, 2012 - 12:28AM JST

Need to reinvent itself also, Kodak has failed due to not reinventing itself and getting with the times..