Though the U.S. is a very demanding and very competitive market for automakers, some would argue that perhaps the most difficult market to compete in the world is in the Land of the Rising Sun. Japan tends to treat its automotive market as a members-only club, and if you’re an automaker that isn’t HQ’ed within its vista-laden borders, chances are you don’t see much success. For instance, General Motors sells an average of just 2,000 vehicles per year in the home of Dragonball Z and Gundam (two TV shows this writer poisoned his brains on as a child… was gonna go with Pokémon, but that’s too easy). It’s no wonder why The General decides year in and year out not to bother with the Tokyo Motor Show, which is set for December of this year.
Source: Automotive News
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If Japan has’nt changed in the last 30 years, there will be local Hot Roders and Customizers, allong with importers and tuners with Bad Ass Cadillacs and Camaros and Corvettes to look at, There are even GM fans in Japan that cheer whenever it rains on a world sedan championship race and the Cruzes pass the 3series BWM’s and Mazda RX’s and win. It’s just that Americana is such a small niech in Japanise culture it would be a lousy investment for GM to go there, exept maybee as a show of strength for the US car enthusiasts, but frankely the war was lost long ago, Americans by and large still consiter GM and Ford second rate, but worth buying with insentives, All is not lost howerver, remember in the 60’s and 70’s how Mercedies Benz was the BEST, and how BWM took that crown by just keeping on doing a good job while Merciedies quality took a sharp decline. Well As seen with the not so long ago Toyota recalls, and with incresingly overwight and unimaginitive desighns by Honda, it is theoreticaly posible that GM, Ford, or even Fiat could be the BEST someday soon just by keeping on showing up for work and making less mistakes.
Could happen
Annywy I wonder If Fiat will be in Tokyo, in the 50’s and 60’s Fiat was the big bad import that almost sunk Japans industry. I bet If Fiat brings a Challanger there will be Cosply Cowallski’s all over the place.
They love STEAMPUNK in Japan, I think they may have invented it.
So GM has no strength in Japan. And how exactly are they ever supposed to gain strength without exposure? I think a small showing at the Auto Show would not be a waste of time. With all the woes that have plagued Toyota I think is is exactly the time to show the world what GM has to offer. This sounds like a closed market that has potential. Still, I would understand if it was a safety issue.