Driving from Japan: Japanese Cars in AmericaThis study chronicles the success of the Japanese car in America. Starting with Japan's first gasoline-powered car, the Takuri, it examines early Japanese inventors and automotive conditions in Japan; the arrival of Japanese cars in California in the late 1950s; consumer and media reactions to Japanese manufacturers; what obstacles they faced; initial sales; and how the cars gained popularity through shrewd marketing. Toyota, Honda, Datsun (Nissan), Mazda, Subaru, Isuzu, and Mitsubishi are profiled individually from their origins through the present. An examination follows of the forced cooperation between American and Japanese manufacturers, the present state of the industry in America, and the possible future of this union, most importantly in the race for a more environmentally-sound vehicle. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 5 | |
2 Americas WideOpen Market | 16 |
3 The Rise of Japan | 25 |
4 ToyotaFirst on Shore | 37 |
5 A Legend in Its TimeToyotas Rise to the Top | 54 |
6 Datsuns DebutLos Angeles 1958 | 72 |
7 Lost and FoundFrom Datsun to Nissan | 86 |
12 Isuzu and MitsubishiCaptive No More | 178 |
13 Advantage JapanEnvironment Embargo and Excellence | 195 |
14 This Yacht Is SinkingDetroit Flounders | 208 |
15 If You Cant Beat Em JapaneseAmerican Tieins | 220 |
16 The New American Automotive Community | 232 |
17 American LaborJapaneseStyle | 242 |
18 The Return of the Unequal TreatiesUSJapan Trade | 254 |
19 The Road AheadFrom Conquest to Concept | 265 |