Shiotsu Autotrade Japan – President’s Blog

Mercury News recently reported that Toyota Corollas are the bestselling cars ever in the American market. The Japanese automaker has sold more than 31 million Corollas since 1966. Yes, Toyota Corolla may not have those sexy looks which will turn heads while driving around town, but it is a reliable workhorse and that makes it a hotseller based on its performance, affordability, quality and fuel economy. Corolla has appeal both as a new and used vehicle.  It’s many people’s first new car, and it is considered valuable even by its third or fourth users.

This year Corolla celebrates its 40th anniversary – the first Corolla was sold in Japan in 1966. It was introduced in the United States two years later. At present Corolla is assembled in USA, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela, Turkey, the United Kingdom, South Africa, China, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam – apart from Japan.

Why Corolla has maintained its popularity over the years?  It’s a car that meets the needs of most consumers on an everyday basis.  It is one of the 10 most fuel-efficient passenger cars, according to the US government’s most recent list. The Corolla gets 32 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 41 mpg on the highway with manual transmission, or 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg with an automatic transmission. It simply does not have any flaws, and that is the reason it never comes up in any controversial reports. Toyota has consistently maintained the quality over the years, and this was possible only because of Toyota’s concept of Kaizen – or continuos improvement in quality.

The Corolla has changed over the years, which is not a surprise for a 40-year-old product. The first Corolla car launched in 1966, the KE1x series was small, with a 90 in (2286 mm) wheelbase, and used a 4-speed manual transmission or 2 speed automatic transmission, with rear wheel drive. It has grown from a subcompact to a compact model. It’s currently sold as a four-door, five-passenger sedan in most countries, but it has been a coupe, a hatchback and a wagon at various times in its life. Around the world, Toyota sells Fielder, Runx, Spacio and Verso versions of the Corolla. Toyota’s evolution will continue.  For 2008, Toyota will introduce a hybrid gasoline electric Corolla.

Technorati Tags: Japanese, Toyota, Corolla, used vehicle, new car, Japan, Kaizen, car, hybrid

Today I read a very nice article titled ‘How the Japanese learned to compete‘ in Asia Times Magazine. It captures the growth of Japanese car makers in the world market which was essentially based on quality and reliability.

The article says that there was virtually no competition for American cars after World War II.  US car makers then competed with one another on the basis of style, not reliability. It was only around 1980 Americans got awakened because of the competition they started facing from the Japanese in various sectors including automobiles.

Dr. Deming (1900-93) was a key contributor to the Japanese economic recovery after the world war II. It was with his help Japan learned to become competitive. His teachings were centered around the following principles

• Improving quality and reducing costs
• Total responsibility of the management for quality
• Kaizen – planning for continuous improvement
• Using market research to create products matching customer’s needs

Any industry or country that follows these basic principles will become competitive in the global economy and begin to gain market share in their respective business areas. Without long-term consistent leadership on quality from management, Japan would not have become competitive as it is today.

Technorati Tags: quality, reliability, American, cars, Japanese, Kaizen, economy, market, Japan

We have recently started our new proprietary online used car auction service that hand picks high quality Japanese used cars and other vehicles from over 50 used car auction halls all over Japan. Most of the Japanese auto auctions have websites only in Japanese language. The user-friendly interface for our auto auction service is provided in English language to overcome the language barrier for our worldwide customers.

With this new service, our customers, used car importers around the world will now able to buy used cars directly from Japanese used car auctions, thus saving significant amount of money.  All major Japanese auto auctions including USS, Bay AUC, LAA, HAA, HAA Kobe, TAA, Isuzu U-Max, CAA, JAA, Honda are supported in our auction system.  Every week over 120,000 cars available in this online auctions and there is some auction every day. So we request our customers to take advantage of this facility.

We also have started our own service for Japanese heavy truck auctions. These services will be free.  However, we only need serious buyers,  so we may limit membership to only those who send a deposit for bidding in these auctions.

For more details about the Japanese car and truck auctions, please check our auction page.

Technorati Tags: used car, auction, Japanese, vehicles, Japan, auto, importers, USS, heavy truck

For many car lovers the ultimate dream is to make a pilgrimage to Chiba – near Tokyo, Japan to attend the annual Tokyo Auto Salon. This show is held for last 23 years and provides the Japanese car fans with all the latest in Japanese automotive tuning. The show takes place at the Makuhari Messe (Nippon Convention Center) in the month of January. Whether it’s auto manufacturers displays, featured vehicles, or the infamous Japanese Race Queens you’re after, Tokyo Auto Salon is one of the best opportunity to soothe your eyes.

Unlike the Tokyo Motor Show is an environmentally conscious event catered towards about hybrids and understated styling, the annual Tokyo Auto Salon is an rebellious, nonconformist event catered for car lovers who love power and over-the-top cosmetic surgery. This 3-day show, which attracts around 250,000 fans each year, is a journey into the lunatic extremes of what is possible in the world of tuners and customizers.

And car loves who visit this event also take pride to display their crazy mods. So you should not miss having a look at the parking lot too. You can see more pictures of crazy car mods here.

Three more months for the next Tokyo Auto Salon event. If you are willing to visit Japan in January to buy any used vehicle, I can organize a tour for you to attend the Tokyo Auto Salon event too.

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Technorati Tags: car, Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo Auto Salon, Japanese car, automotive tuning, auto, Japanese, Race Queens, Tokyo Motor Show, crazy mods

Mitsubishi Motors was one of the first automakers to start research into and development of the electric vehicle as an alternative fuel vehicle. Mitsubishi has built a new electric car, the Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (MiEV) for a next-generation EV development project. This car is to be introduced at an international alternative vehicle symposium in Yokohama, Japan from Oct 23 to Oct 28, 2006.

The electric vehicle (EV) which is still in its research phase, will be used for joint research programmes with power companies that have been working on the promotion of EVs.  Data collected during daily real-world use will be used to assess the commercial prospects of battery-powered electric cars.

Mitsubishi says the electric car has a top speed of 80 mph and can travel 80 to 100 miles on a single charge – which is good enough for most consumers who use vehicles for short trips every day. i MiEV is the third EV of MMC’s MiEV series. Based on the i minicar platform, i MiEV replaces the conventional engine and fuel tank with a lithium-ion battery system, motor, inverter and other EV components in the rear-midship layout.

If I get a chance to go to Yokohama next week, I’d certainly love to see this futuristic car a the symposium.

Technorati Tags: Mitsubishi Motors, Mitsubishi, electric car, MiEV, car, Japan

Toyota and Honda ranked top in the US government’s annual top-10 fuel economical cars list this year.  With 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 mpg on the highway, The 2007 hybrid-electric Toyota Prius ranked first while the Honda Civic Hybrid was second with 49 mpg in the city and 51 mpg on the highway. Out of the top 10 vehicles, 7 were from Honda and Toyota. The new Toyota Camry Hybrid raked at No. 3, with 40 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway. The most fuel-efficient sport utility vehicle was from Ford Motor Co.; Escape Hybrid front-wheel drive, which was fourth with 36 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

Six gas-only vehicles made the top 10: the manual version of the Honda Fit, the manual Toyota Corolla, manual and automatic versions of the Toyota Yaris, and manual versions of the Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent.

Luxury cars were among the least fuel-efficient cars in this survey. The worst performer was Lamborghini L-147/148 Murcielago with 9 mpg in the city and 14 mpg on the highway.

The US government compiles the list based on information from manufacturers. Every year millions of Americans buy new and used cars.  These consumers can make more educated decision in buying the cas based on this fuel economy information compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy of US government.

Technorati Tags: Toyota, Honda, car, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, Hybrid, Corolla, fuel economy

Honda Aircraft company – a wing of Honda Motor company announced the sales of  Honda Jet, its new compact business jet equipped with Honda-developed HF118 jet engines. This light jet is scheduled to go into production in the U.S. in 2010, pricing is set at $3.65 million in its standard configuration.

Honda began research into compact business jets in 1986, using engines provided by other manufacturers.  The HF118 Turbofan Engine-equipped Honda Jet is the first Honda-developed aircraft to be outfitted with a Honda engine, a significant milestone for the company and the industry.

Update: At a convention in Orlando, Florida this week, Honda announced it has already bagged more than 100 orders for the new Honda Jet. The demand is much higher than Honda had expected for three days of sales.
Source : Honda Aircraft Co. Website

Technorati Tags: Honda, Aircraft, Motor, Honda Jet, jet

In Japan we can find many strange looking customized cars. Mitsuoka Motors is famous for creating such unusual cars with their slogan ‘A small factory with a big dream’. Mitsuoka Orochi is one of them which is named after a Japanese mythological eight headed snake. Orochi is Japan’s only super car. This model was first created in 2001 and recently updated for 2007. Mitsuoka will start manufacturing this super car next year. The eight headed monster on wheels will be priced at around 88,450 US dollars !!

Mitsuoka motors is also famous for its mini-cars and micro-cars. Recently Mitsuoka displayed its 180 Kg. Micro-car in one of the auto events in Japan. This car is powered by 50cc two-stroke engine. Total length of this micro car is only 2490 mm with width at just 1290 mm. With its weight of only 180kg, the Micro can achieve a top speed of 50 km/h while returning an average fuel efficiency of 30km per liter.

This car is targeted at motorists in crowded inner city areas where parking can be a major issue.  The Micro is still in its final testing stage and is awaiting safety approvals from Japan’s traffic ministry. Mitsuoka plans to supply the cars in kit as well as completed form.

Technorati Tags: Mitsuoka, Motors, unusual cars, Orochi, super car, mini-car, Micro-car

There are many things which we take for granted and we realize that only when we go to some other country.  Vending machines are an important part of the modern Japanese culture and are one of those things that I miss when I travel abroad.

Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita, with almost one machine for every 23 people.  In Japanese we call these machines ‘jidohanbaiki‘. These machines are so popular in Japan that they can be found all over the cities, smaller towns and even in the countryside.  One reason for their high usage is the low rate of crime and vandalism. Japanese people tend to go for shopping on foot or bicycle and find these vending machines very convenient.

Though mostly Japanese vending machines are used for selling canned and bottled drinks, snacks, and cigarettes, you can also see here vending machines that sell newspapers, flowers, printing photos, rice, french fries, cup noodles, ice creams, telephone cards, charging cellular phones and even pornographic books, condoms and fortune telling !

You can see some interesting vending machines here. If you wish to visit Osaka to attend auto auctions here, I can show you some special types of vending machines here.

Technorati Tags: Vending machines, Japanese culture, Japan, Japanese, jidohanbaiki, porno

The Japanese Car Maker, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., has recently started reorganizing its domestic sales model. Nissan reduced its domestic car models from 34 to around 30 models at present which are sold through all the sales channels of the domestic automaker. NISSAN combined the sales divisions called  ‘Blue Stage’ and ‘Red Stage’, in April last year into a single sales channel.  This new strategy is aimed to the improve Nissan’s sale efficiency in Japanese car Market.

Nissan also plans to move some of its manufacturing operations from North America to Japan as part of its efforts to improve profitability. Nissan sold 40,000 Quest Minivans and 15,000 of the Infiniti QX56 SUV in North America in 2005.  Nissan believes that it would be able to cut costs by producing them in Japan for export because domestic plants can switch between models and build them more quickly as the sales volume for these vehicles is not high.

Nissan also started of sales of its all-new mini car ‘Otti‘, in Japan nationwide from this month.  The new Otti has an innovative design marked by its simple boxy style that lend the car an distinctive appeal, combined with a modern and roomy cabin. Nissan plans to sell about 2600 Ottis per month – with a price tag of between 1 to 1.5 million yen.

Technorati Tags: Nissan Motor, NISSAN, Japanese car, Otti