Japanese Automakers Beginning To Look More And More Like Detroit

david969- in case you haven't noticed in the last month I have been called a Japanese, Korean, US, and even German hater.

I think we spread it all around and that is part of us showing as many sides as possible.

But more importantly allowing you to respond in a most any manner, we never edit a comment, and rarely delete them. Freedom of speech is what it is all about around here. Only when you step over the line do we smack you down.

Try making half the comments here on another site and you will be banned. The end result is that you are getting what we consider a bias slant at other sites. If you can't express your beliefs then why go there?

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 10:44:51 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -5   

Time for a new slogan 009. Autospies: your source for equal, unbiased hating.

— 91z4me (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 11:39:51 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 13   

009 has already secured his new nickname: YourLocalBmwDealer

— MrBratwurst (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 12:52:27 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 12   

mrbratwurst- FYI- I don't currently own a BMW

— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 2:28:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -5   

009 is right TTAC would have kicked some of you guys would be out of here.

— NItePhire (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 3:20:25 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Why does everyone think the Japanese automakers are too perfect to have troubles. Toyota and Nissan spent alot of money to make full size pickups and S.U.V.s which are not selling very well.

— crslmn (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 4:05:37 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

009, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing some of these people banned. There is a difference between freedom of speech and trolling.

— audispy (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 4:40:51 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

I still can't figure out why people on this site hate Toyota so much. Is is our fault they know how to build good cars that don't require periodic maintenance or will fall apart if you drive over a pothole too quickly?

— Jordanski (View Profile)

Posted on 4/10/2009 1:44:15 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

What's with that lame photo? What is that supposed to convey?

— 204E60 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 10:08:21 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 12   

"If Detroit's sin was its over-reliance on big truck and sport utility vehicle sales, Japan's sin has been its dependence on the U.S. car market. As demand for vehicles collapsed in the United States, so did Japanese exports."

With the failure of the housing market, the money most had to purchase vehicles has dried up. This in turn has devastated the automotive market, and now America is blamed for it.

Our financial problems yes we own them, but no one told the Japanese or China or Gucci, Prada or who ever to solely base their profitability on our market. Now the world is BLAMING the U.S. for its issues. We fart, the world blinks. Going forward, it would be wise to diversify in various markets if I were a company with International reach.

— inspirion7 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 10:14:40 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

HA HA HA look at his effin slippers!!!

— roundwego (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 10:17:55 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -12   

Looks like mamasan kicked his ass out!!!

— roundwego (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 10:18:24 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -9   

009 and his pictures.

— 1UAW (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 11:09:53 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

that looks like chinese writing... but i am no expert.

— zlives (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 11:26:28 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

I know most people coming here (including agents like 009) aren't the most keen observers nor are they financial experts.

But how can people really not understand that this is a global economic problem?

The Asian brands are hurting, the European brands are hurting, and the American brands are obviously in the same boat.

There were some ways each region could have better prepared for this perhaps, but all were equally surprised by the severity and the quickness of the downturn.

To say Japan's automakers were the only ones that planned poorly, or are the ones suffering the most is to represent bias in its purest form.

Why the hell can't autospies just focus on cars and leave the economics and politics junk to people that know what they're talking about???

— answer (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 11:30:48 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 15   

Hear, hear!

— 222max (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 12:03:46 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4   

But at least this time the title is pretty accurate. But you could probably find an equivalent article which discusses Europe's auto woes as well. It's not like they are somehow in a better position.

— 222max (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 12:05:50 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

American, Japanese, and German automakers are all looking the same. So no point in trying to make one worse than the other, just shows how bias you are. Which is pretty pathetic.

— PerformanceGuy (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 1:20:36 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 7   

what are you tryng to say with this silly post??GERMAN CARS ARE DROPING THEIR SALES AND FALLING FACE PLANT!!
listen buddy i live pretty close to germany and the german automakers are not going through their best times...LMFAO
at the german car cheerleaders tryn to diss the number one automakers!!
funny kid, check out this article from one of my buddies in autospies...this was posted a few days ago...get real info fatty boy...
Mercedes Benz Sales Remain In The Dungeon - Down 25% For March

Agent009 submitted on 4/1/2009 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 1:51:42 PM

8 user comments | Category: Auto Sales | Source: www.autospies.com

Daimler AG today reported sales for the Mercedes-Benz Cars division (Mercedes-Benz and smart combined) of 17,348 units in the U.
S. for March 2009. All sales figures in this release are on an unadjusted basis unless otherwise noted.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported March sales of 15,602 vehicles, a decline of 25 percent. The volume leaders for the month were the C, E, and GLK-Class with sales of 5,008, 1,978, and 2,598 respectively. On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 15,602 new vehicles, a decrease of 30 percent over the comparable period last year.

smart USA recorded 1,746 sales in March 2009. This figure represents a 1 percent increase over March 2008, and a 42 percent increase for the first quarter 2009. The enthusiastic response to the smart fortwo indicates that the micro-car segment is a viable transportation option in the U.S. The smart fortwo offers the right balance of power, outstanding fuel efficiency, innovative safety features, environmental friendliness and excellent value. There are currently 75 smart centers operating in 35 states.

Detailed vehicle sales information for MBUSA will be announced later today in a separate press release issued by Mercedes-Benz USA
VOLKSWAGEN SALES DROP...


Volkswagen of America, Inc.
today announced March 2009 sales of 15,720 units, a 19.7 percent decrease over March 2008 sale of 19,587 units.

Volkswagen’s stylish new CC, designed to blend sports car dynamics and dimensions with sedan comfort, posted its best sales month ever with more than 2,300 units sold.

“Volkswagen is encouraged by how well our new products sold in March” said Mark Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “Our stylish CC posted its best sales month ever for the third month in a row, and our seven passenger minivan, Routan, doubled its sales over last month. Our 50-state compliant clean diesel Jetta and Jetta SportWagen continue to sell well. Next month our clean diesel luxury SUV, Touareg TDI, will be available in dealer showrooms across the U.S. We’re also eagerly awaiting the arrival of our all-new Golf later this year, which will also be available with our innovative clean diesel engine,” added Barnes.
BMW Sales Remain Low Down 26.8% - Mini Sales Decline 15.9% In March

Agent009 submitted on 4/1/2009 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 2:

— Roboto (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 3:17:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

BMW (Bleed My Wallet) SALES DROP LIKE ITS HOT...LOL
BMW Sales Remain Low Down 26.8% - Mini Sales Decline 15.9% In March

Agent009 submitted on 4/1/2009 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 2:28:39 PM

17 user comments | Category: Auto Sales | Source: www.autospies.com

The BMW Group in the US reported March sales of 21,125 vehicles, a decrease of 22.
9 percent over the 27,404 vehicles sold in the same month of 2008. For the first quarter, The BMW Group also reported a year-to-date sales volume of 51,244 vehicles, down 25.2 percent, compared to 68,529 vehicles sold in the same period a year ago.

BMW Brand Sales

Sales of BMW brand vehicles decreased 24.2 percent in March for a total of 17,520 vehicles compared to 23,115 vehicles reported in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, BMW brand sales were down 26.8 percent, to 42,731 vehicles compared to 58,365 vehicles sold in the same period of 2008.

"In March, we saw a mixed cocktail of good, bad and ugly signals in the market and for us, I'm happy to say we're starting to see a bit more of the good," said Jim O'Donnell, President of BMW of North America, LLC. "Our sales were stronger than expected back at the beginning of the month and a bit of spring lift puts us in the premium market lead in March and the first quarter as well. No celebrating, however, because further loosening of the credit reins is needed to see even more buying action."

Over the next months, BMW of North America expects sales to be bolstered by new products coming to market. The fifth generation of the BMW 7 Series (http://www.bmwusanews.com/) went on sale in the U.S. in March and the new BMW Z4 will arrive at U.S. dealerships in May.

See additional video commentary by Wayne Orchowski, Vice-President, BMW Sales, BMW of North America, LLC (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egHL2TR2DbQ&feature=channel_page ), regarding BMW's performance in March.

BMW Automobile Sales

BMW's automobile sales are down 23.2 percent in March to 14,767 versus 19,231 in the same month of 2008. Year-to-date sales also decreased 25.8 percent, to 34,240 automobiles compared to 46,153 in the first three months 2008.

BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Sales

Sales of BMW Sports Activity Vehicles decreased 29.1 percent in March to 2,753 vehicles over the 3,884 sold in the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, sales of BMW Sports Activity Vehicles were down 30.5 percent, to 8,491 vehicles compared to 12,212 sold in the same period a year ago.

MINI Brand Sales

MINI USA reported sales of 3,605 automobiles, down 15.9 percent from the 4,289 cars sold in March 2008. For the first quarter, MINI USA also reported sales of 8,513 automobiles, a decrease of 16.2 percent, compared to the 10,164 cars reported in March 2008.

"Like the swallows from Capistrano, we're seeing March bring some life to our segment," said Jim McDowell, Vice-President of MINI USA. "MINI sales are still tracking below last year but the gap has remained stable throughout t

— Roboto (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 3:21:50 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Japanese=1979 Detroit. Koreans=1979 Japan. Its just that simple. Both 2009 and 1979 were horrible economic years, and during that time in 1979 the Japanese sales dropped either slightly or rose. The same is happening with the Koreans in 2009. We know how the subsequent decade turned out for the Japanese. It bodes well for the Koreans doesnt it? Not just Hyundai/KIA, but for the GM/Daewoo/Suzuki outsourced cars as well.

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 4/9/2009 7:11:42 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

HYUNDAI=CHINEESE RECYCLING COMPANY THAT BUILDS CRAPPY CARS FROM SPARE PARTS OF CASINO MACHINES

— Roboto (View Profile)

Posted on 4/10/2009 3:24:02 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1   

This post is extremely retarded considering the sizeable amount of Toyotas and other Japanese manufacturers who build their vehicles in North America. Can't say the same thing about European cars can you? (Yeah, those brands are the ones responsible for burning huge-ass holes in the whole entire world's economy.) *COUGH COUGH AUDI*

— Jordanski (View Profile)

Posted on 4/10/2009 1:40:35 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Hyundai,
Difference is people still want to buy Japanese cars, GM didn't have that luxury back then. Toyota didn't have China waiting to undercut them, Hyundai does. Toyota doesn't compete on price, Hyundai does.
Things are far from being exactly the same. Japan was already a global car company back then (we just got them late), Hyundai is really only established in N.America and Korea.

If Americans really only care about price, in 5-10 years China could just swallow Hyundai up.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/11/2009 2:43:33 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

30 years ago Toyota wasnt even the 10th largest automaker on Earth. Hyundai is the 5th Largest in the World. And it took 10 years less for Hyundai to get to that point than Toyota did in the 1980s. Thats just without a Halo Small Car, Though 6 Million Accents have been sold in 15 Years. Or a Flashy Near Luxury sports car (Until Genesis Coupe). By the way, Hyundai sells 450,000 cars a year in China and 250,000 a year in India, and they have just only scratched the potential market in that Sino-Indian region where, Remember 1.8 billion people who live on $3 a day live at.

Its the United States, not North American Market (Becuase financially smarter Canadians buy Hyundais in higher percentages than we do) where Hyundai needs to really boost sales.

The Chinese and Indians are scooping Hyundai/KIA cars up. It seems as if Hyundai/KIA will be to the Chinese and Indian Market as Lexus/Toyota is to this market. We Americans will be stubborn like the Europeans in taking a much longer time than the rest of the world to accept Japanese cars, with Korean cars.

GM and Toyota only wishes they had the sales in China or India as Hyundai does, and considering the population of those countries obtaining wealth; they now matter more than we Americans do.

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 4/11/2009 3:36:26 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0