Japanese carmakers see big US gains after 2011 disaster
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
DETROIT, Michigan, Jan 10 (AFP): Japanese carmakers are looking forward to big US sales gains after introducing a slew of new vehicles at the Detroit auto show, but will face stiff competition from a resurgent Detroit and ambitious Koreans and Germans.
Toyota and Honda saw sales tumble in 2011 after supplies were shattered by the devastating March earthquake-tsunami-nuclear disaster in Japan.
It came at a particularly bad time for Toyota, which was finally recovering from a reputation-shattering series of mass safety recalls.
The supply shortages also provided an opportunity for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to capture new customers after years of painful restructuring resulted in radical revamps of their product offerings.
Toyota and Honda saw sales tumble in 2011 after supplies were shattered by the devastating March earthquake-tsunami-nuclear disaster in Japan.
It came at a particularly bad time for Toyota, which was finally recovering from a reputation-shattering series of mass safety recalls.
The supply shortages also provided an opportunity for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler to capture new customers after years of painful restructuring resulted in radical revamps of their product offerings.