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0 pointsrswail4mo ago0 comments

Japan was making tin toys in the 60s, by the 80s, they were one of the largest car manufacturing nations and were buying out US factories.

They boomed through the 80s/90s, but then lost their edge as China moved itself up the car manufacturing hierarchy, particularly in EVs.

Same with competing with South Korea, but Japan are coasting a bit.

China is at the start of that curve.

They'll end up diversifying into the rest of the world, but the 21st century will belong to China.

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modo_mario4mo ago

>but then lost their edge as China moved itself up the car manufacturing hierarchy

Didn't they lose their edge earlier and because the US togheter with some european nations forced their arm after a trade war to limit their exports, enforce an unfavourable currency regime, etc?

worik4mo ago

In the 1980s the cars were not good.

They were not built to last so became unreliable after ~5 years.

That was because in the Japanese market five years as a long time to run a car. Not so in the west

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