U.S. Chamber pressures Japan over clunker plan

[Bozita]

Source: Detroit Free Press

POSTED: 4:20 P.M. JAN. 5, 2010
U.S. Chamber pressures Japan over clunker plan
BY JUSTIN HYDE
FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF


WASHINGTON – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today urged Japan to allow Detroit’s automakers into its version of a cash-for-clunkers program, noting that Japanese automakers claimed nearly half the sales from the $3-billion U.S. clunker plan.

The comments by the staunchly free trade Chamber bolster Detroit’s political arguments against the Japanese government, which has contended its program was open to all automakers who meet its environmental standards. Last month, the Obama administration lodged a complaint with Japanese trade officials over the program.

In a letter to Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan’s ambassador to the United States, U.S. Chamber president Thomas Donohue said the Chamber had opposed efforts to impose “buy American” rules on economic stimulus plans, and fought to open the U.S. version of cash for clunkers to all manufacturers. Early drafts of the program would have limited incentives for new vehicles to those built in U.S. or North American factories.

Of the 677,017 vehicles sold under U.S. cash for clunkers last year, Japanese automakers accounted for 319,342, according to federal data, with Toyota selling more vehicles than any other automaker. Of those Japanese-branded vehicles, about 115,400 were imports from Japan; the rest were built in North America.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20100105/BUSINESS01/100105062/1320/U.S.-Chamber-pressures-Japan-over-clunker-plan

[demosincebirth]

1. When the U.S. started the cash for clunkers...

they should have just had it for American cars. Japanese have never played fair as far as trade is concerned. Its a closed market.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

3. The Japanese seem happy enough to buy European cars

Especially Audi's and VW's. BMW's are also very popular. Why fault them for not buying American cars we don't want either?

And I will let the good folks of Marysville Ohio they aren't American enough for you,

[dipsydoodle]

4. You should allow for the fact

that European cars are also manufactured in right hand drive to suit the UK and the Japanese also drive on the left. Are American cars manufactured in RHD ?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. for RHD markets they are,

that would seem very low on the list of challenges, I have driven RWD Ford Focuses in several countries.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Yes but

I doubt that those Focuses were made in the USA and the 2010 models will only be manufactured in Europe.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

7. I didn't check their VIN number,

I have no idea where they were made,

[demosincebirth]

10. That easy enough to do. We've been doing it for years. GM just this past

years sold thousands and thousasnd of cars in China. They have RHD. No problem.

[dipsydoodle]

12. Were they manufactured in the USA ?

:shrug:

[Art_from_Ark]

8. Here's another thing-- GM and Chrysler don't make small cars

There are some GMs on the road here in Japan, and a larger number of Fords, but I don't think Chrysler even has a presence here.

Japanese roads are often very narrow and difficult to travel in a standard-size US automobile. Subcompacts are very common over here, but GM just doesn't make small cars like that. But even then, for most Japanese there is no compelling reason to buy a foreign car, when the domestic cars are good enough and there are service networks for all domestic makes throughout the country.

By the way, my neighbor just bought a Cadillac. For some reason Cadillacs over here have the image of being the car of choice for some of the worst elements of Japanese society.

[dipsydoodle]

9. Have you got

the small diesel engines we use in Europe too ?

[Art_from_Ark]

14. There are small diesel engines in Japan, but

not, apparently, for automobiles. A few years ago, the Japanese government implemented a law that prohibits the sale of small diesel-engine automobiles because of particulate matter contained in the exhaust gases.

Here's a discussion about that, in Japanese, that's about 3 years old.

http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1311136408

[dipsydoodle]

16. I think

the now current EU standard 5 which includes use of DPF / diesel particulant filters covers that. BMW had already changed over to EU5 in September despite the fact it didn't come into force until 1st Jan. '10.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

11. hell, I got called a homosexual on a Ford lot when I said I wanted a small car

By some douche salesman pushing the Ford Edge SUV, great salesmanship there Salvatore.

[Art_from_Ark]

15. They get bigger commissions (theoretically) with bigger cars

but showing that kind of attitude toward a potential customer is crazy

[Owl]

13. Agreed.

[Tempest]

2. Yet another way Detroit cut its own throat

"which has contended its program was open to all automakers who meet its environmental standards"

Japan's standards are tougher than here. The government would have change the standard to let Detroit in, something they won't get support to do.