Japanese Cars

Who would have thought that Japan, a relatively small country in the globe, would compete with a much massive and powerful country like the United States of America. But yes, Japan made it to the second spot next to US as the largest automobile manufacturer and exporter country around the world. Japan gave birth to some of the famous automobile brands of today such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Yamaha, Mazda and Subaru. In addition to its monumental automobile industry, Japan is also the home of powersports vehicle manufacturers Kawasaki and Yamaha, and heavy equipment manufacturers Kubota, Hitachi and Komatsu.

Zaibatsu, a Japanese word which literally means business conglomerates, started their venture in the automobile industry in the middle to late 1910s. After almost a decade, Japanese cars are still in the market and doing well. Who knows, a few years from now, Japan might take over the US in the number one spot.

Additional attributes of a Nissan Murano, some of which can only be availed upon request includes the LE grade, include rain-sensing wipers, power rear lift gate, power fold-up rear seats, iPod integration, and a hard-drive based, touch screen navigation system. The S and SL featurea the aluminum interiors, while the LE sports wood-accent trim. Its much like the old model since it has no third row seat either.The 2009 Murano is offered in three levels: the base S, the mid-grade SL, and the top of the line LE. The performance-driven SE model is no longer on the market. The S and SL are offered with standard i-AWD (Intuitive All-Wheel Drive), with FWD as alternatives but the LE trim will be AWD only.

Young professionals are looking for a car that looks great and sporty at the same time something that would fit their budget. Well, I found the right fit in Honda Fit. According to US consumer reports, the Honda Fit is best overall in a new class of fuel-efficient cars. It is not just fun to drive but it haves an impressive amount of interior space and versatility in its compact design. For sure, I would want to get in a car that top scores in reliability, crash protection and satisfaction. At a cost of $14,000 dollars, Fit is really a fit.

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Gasoline prices never seem to have a downward trend. They are always on their highest states, so one may not be surprised if we say that Gasoline prices are on their highest this year. We need a car that can get me from point A to point B the cheapest possible way. Japanese cars offer various models such as the Honda Fit, the Toyota Vios, the Hybrid cars of Honda and the famous green car the Toyota Prius. Often there is a notion that style and comfort are often sacrificed for the sake of fuel efficiency. Honda and Toyota has come up with models that are efficient but stylish.

Image source: www.consumerreports.org

I usually get the notion that European cars are the best. But I believe that Japanese cars indeed have proven its worth to the consumers. Not only do they produce compact fuel efficient cars but they have a response to the luxurious and upscale markets with leading car brands such as Lexus, Infinity and the Acura. The comfort, safety and style of Japanese cars can definitely match up to the American and European cars. The continued domination in consumer reports show that Japanese cars are here to stay. I guess I�m turning Japanese on cars now.

Image source: www.consumerreports.org

The diminishing supply of fossil fuels leads us in finding alternative sources of fueling our vehicles. Now there are hydrogen powered vehicles but at the forefront of the alternative fuel vehicle wave is the gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. In Physics, the law of Conservation of Energy States that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it only takes another form. This is what hybrid cars are about. Taking some engine combustion and charging an electric engine is what it takes. Advantages include an increase in fuel savings and near-zero emissions. Once again, Japanese vehicles takes us into a new world of environmental friendliness and driving pleasure.

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Japanese auto giant Toyota has again come out with a new model for the highly successful Corolla series with the 2010 Toyota Corolla. Its a basically a no-nonsense and straightforward vehicle – not too much frills, adequate power and features. Economy is primary with the new Corolla, as usual standard features like power lock and power windows and remote keyless entry are not present with entry level models; what’s more, the Corolla series boasts of at least a 29 miles per gallon fuel consumption. The price range is also fairly decent, with prices ranging from $15,000 to $21,000 per unit. The Corolla is perfect for the kind of people who just drive to get from place to place – it gives ample performance for both highway driving and maneuvering through city streets. It’s not much of a family car though, as it can get cramped when too many people get in.

The recession hits and even the mighty Japanese auto industry reels from dismal sales and not so favorable forecasts. They are still the most selling brands according to motor trend which shows Japanese auto makers leading the pack in sales above all other brands. With many suffering losses in the billions, they still manage to get a huge percentage of the auto sales in the global market. Toyota Motors, the recently crowned world’s leading auto maker suffered billions of dollars in losses and so have Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and the many other brands but compared to the Europeans and Americans, they have it easy.
Most of these auto makers are fast-tracking the development of their own hybrids to complement their already swelling product lines to boost sales in the US as the economy recovers. Strict laws regarding pollution control and the development of better engines are driving them to do so at a rapid pace. Though they have decided to some trade-offs such as withdrawal from formula one racing and many other flamboyant excesses to turn their focus onto the support of hard hit manufacturing plants across the globe. They are managing to survive without much a talk of the foreclosures and dissolution in the other arenas of the auto industry that may see the end of many long standing brands and models as the economic downturn affects all.

The brand of cars under the Civic Badge has had a long history and today’s model would be the 8th. Generation and promises to continue its rule as one of the best compact/sub-compact Japanese cars. The first generation of the model came out in 1973 and was seen as a typical Japanese car that was very much underpowered for most Western drivers. Vtec was introduced in the fifth generation to cater to US drivers need for speed and has continued to grace most models of the brand as one of the most powerful engines in its class. Vtec technology or Variable Valve Timing and Electronic Lift Control is the first of its kind when it was introduced by Honda that uses an electronic sensor that detects a need for increased load that activates electronically a solenoid allowing an additional boost of power.
This first worked on the intake manifold for the first generations of DOHC engines but the later variants of the engine had the feature incorporated to both intake and exhaust manifolds. Similar systems have since been released by other manufacturers although using different names to differentiate, MIVEC for Mitsubishi, VVL from Nissan, VarioCam Plus from Porsche and VVTL-i from Toyota.

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新型の三菱エボリューションが日本で発表されました。 自動車ファンたちは 従来とは違う2009年モデルのエボリューションを楽しめることでしょう。 インテリアに改良が加えられ、MRラインと共通の新しいGSRプレミアムがあります。 GSRオプションパックには18インチBBSホイール、Bilstenサスペンション、そしてアウトサイドフェンダーが含まれます。 GSRのインテリアは世代を超えて人気のレカロのレザー張りになっており、ロックフォード・フォズゲートのGPSとオーディオを搭載しています。驚くべきはなんと9基ものスピーカーです。 残念なことに、日本での新モデルはまだアメリカで発売されていません。 GSR5速MTの価格は48,000ドル前後になる予定です。