Japanese Cars

America has spoken, and the most popular Japanese car for 2011 so far and in the past three years is the Toyota Camry. However, not far behind are the Honda Accord and Honda Civic. The Camry and the Accord are luxurious cars compared to the practical Civic, so it’s unfair to compare the two models with the Civic. The Toyota Camry has been designated by car aficionados as the “most American Japanese car” because of its popularity and numbers.

This is a surprising result because of the early March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Many expected the demand for Japanese cars to wane on the basis of lack of supply. However, many consumers were willing to wait or buy used Japanese cars.

This is remarkable testimony to Japanese engineering and how it has managed to encourage awareness in fuel consumption and engine efficiency. The reality most Americans have realized is that you rarely see a stalled Japanese car on the road, and the cost in repairing a Japanese car is far more affordable than with a European or American-made car.

Whether we like it or not, spending frugally on cars has become a necessity. And it does not even matter whether we have a regular, steady income or not. The world has developed into a place of uncertainty, and this has lead to severe caution in buying high priced items like cars.

Right now, around the world Toyota has managed to maintain its lead as the biggest auto carmaker in spite of a drastic slowdown in their output. Now, with the looming threat of floods in Bangkok, Japanese car companies have decided to slow down on their Bangkok operations until the flooding stops.

In the case of the Toyota Camry, the feedback among American consumers is that it is value for money with good fuel efficiency without compromising comfort. The Toyota Camry also utilizes domestic parts or parts made in the US by as much as 80%. The Honda Accord also uses 80% domestic parts and this encourages Americans to think of these two cars as half and half, or American/Japanese cars.