Do you think American cars will ever be able to compete with Japanese cars again? (rental, luxury car)
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In terms of dependability and overall popularity, Japanese cars have outranked American cars for decades now.
Back in the 80s, the Honda Accord used to be the popular car. Then it became the Toyota Camry. Lexus has done very well in the luxury car market for a long time now as well.
Do you think American cars will be able to catch up and compete with Japanese cars again?
I'm very happy with my used Tesla Model S, haven't had an issue with it yet and folks seem to love it.
To me, you never want to be the number 1 selling car manufacturer. GM was during the 90s and well they went nearly bankrupt...and then they did in 2009. Then Toyota overtook around 2004 and those were some awful uninspired cars (XV30)...then Toyota-gate happened. For a brief period Volkswagen (VAG) was the top seller...then Dieselgate was exposed.
The push to be number one seems to lead to short-cuts, cost-cutting, and crappy cars (mostly fleet/rental vehicles)...the car enthusiast and consumer suffers. However, publicly-traded car companies are focused on business concerns, not making good cars.
It's not just about perceived quality, it's about designing what people want at a price they are willing to pay. Take Nissan for example...they haven't built stellar quality vehicles in two decades but are still able to move a ton of them because they generally have appealing designs and are a bit less expensive than their rivals.
In terms of dependability and overall popularity, Japanese cars have outranked American cars for decades now.
Nope. Of the top ten best selling vehicles in the US last year, 4 were domestics. In aggregate, those 4 outsold the remaining 6 imports. Interestingly, none of the top 10 sellers are particularly good vehicles - which sort of proves something most of us know already - "popular" is not analogous to "better".
Dependability - Depends on the year. Honda, widely considered one of the most reliable brands in the world, has had some bad years for certain models, as has Toyota. I've personally owned multiple new Hondas and Toyotas, as well as many domestics and frankly, there's not much difference. Most modern cars are pretty good and reliability isn't a major factor in my purchase decisions these days. Now, if you're buying a 10 year old clunker, that's a different story, but reliability tends to be model specific, not country of origin specific.
Last edited by YourWakeUpCall; 03-22-2019 at 09:33 AM..
I don't think there's any chance because the current trend, the US companies are getting worse.
Ford/GM not making cars and concentrating on trucks/SUV only. Cars is a very important market because majority of those that still buys cars will eventually buy another vehicle such as SUV or Truck and they will most likely buy the same brand due to loyalty.
The attention to details and market research done by Japanese companies surpasses US auto. Honda consistently key segments shows they listen and are more likely to put out higher tech than US auto.
Of all the SUVs on the market, US Auto has the worst technology such as safety, AWD drivetrain, suspension tech, and driving dynamics overall. Both Europe and Japan mfg leads while US Auto only concentrate on ICE, cargo, HP, and cup holders.
Then there is risk reward, US auto are no longer willing to take risks. US car designs are usually safe, boring, or plain ugly. Not one US car I can actually put on my wallpaper on my phone or PC.
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Originally Posted by kwong7
I'm very happy with my used Tesla Model S, haven't had an issue with it yet and folks seem to love it.
To me, you never want to be the number 1 selling car manufacturer. GM was during the 90s and well they went nearly bankrupt...and then they did in 2009. Then Toyota overtook around 2004 and those were some awful uninspired cars (XV30)...then Toyota-gate happened. For a brief period Volkswagen (VAG) was the top seller...then Dieselgate was exposed.
The push to be number one seems to lead to short-cuts, cost-cutting, and crappy cars (mostly fleet/rental vehicles)...the car enthusiast and consumer suffers. However, publicly-traded car companies are focused on business concerns, not making good cars.
Our trucks sure are. Look at sales figures for Ford, GM and Ram vs Toyota and Nissan. Japan simply cannot compete in the half ton segment. When I go to buy my next truck I won't even waste my time looking at Toyota or Nissan. Neither will most American truck buyers.
Tesla is just as American as a big three. So yes I do believe American automakers have what it takes.
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