Is Japan facing a post-car society?
Could the country that gave us the NSX, Godzilla -- and the other Godzilla -- and The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift be on the verge of giving up cars for good? With car buying down by close to 33-percent since 1990, Japan is claimed to be in the grips of kuruma banare, which, for Japanese carmakers, is the polar opposite of hakuna matata.It's being labeled the "demotorization" process, and it involves large numbers of people in Japan's urban centers not buying cars. Surveys have revealed a variety of reasons, from the cost of purchase and ownership, to vehicles simply not being status symbols anymore, to cars being passé -- as in "so 20th century." The greatest worry is that young folks are simply not into cars, preferring cell phones and gadgets to Cubes and keis. Losing their audience before the love affair has even begun is no doubt causing JDM manufacturers to lose sleep.
And the even worse news is that the trend is expected to continue, with another 1.2-percent drop in sales predicted this year. Japanese carmakers are fighting the perception that cars aren't cool or worth the price by expanding their marketing and sales efforts in an attempt to form emotional bonds in other ways. It is certain, however, that they aren't the only ones interested in the outcome: Japan's kuruma banare is expected to befall Europe as well. Thanks for the tip, catgirlshyla!
[Source: Newsweek, Photo: Shenghung Lin | CC 2.0]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
IK47 7:46AM (5/23/2008)
hollywood gave us tokyo drift - not Japan
Japan gave us Shuto Kousoku!!
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catgirlshyla 5:16AM (5/24/2008)
And Initial D and Drifting and Super GT and Tsuchiya...
Seanross 7:55AM (5/23/2008)
Supa Dorifto!
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RG 7:57AM (5/23/2008)
I'm not too suprised by this- this seems to be a combination of a densly populated area that is supported by a top notch mass transit system. Japan and Europe both fall under these criteria.
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Unknown 7:59AM (5/23/2008)
You hit the nail right on the head.
Chris 8:01AM (5/23/2008)
Well considering new car registrations in the EU are going up I don't see the connection. More people are experiencing improvement in their lifestyles as even the smaller of the former eastern soviet states are now seeing economies expand and people with more money.
If anything car growth in the EU is going to go up.
AC 5:16PM (5/23/2008)
@Chris
...as you said, that's largely because what constitutes the EU has changed. If you looked at the 'older' EU states that have already had their cultural developemnt in terms of car ownership, i think the same pattern might emerge over the next decade.
mikomi 9:30AM (5/23/2008)
When the EU formed, came the unified currency and easier passage into other nations within the EU, it opened up the borders within Europe. So that might be a cause for higher vehicle registrations.
But I would suspect that in their dense urban areas, mass transit is the preferred mode of transportation.
yacoub 8:04AM (5/23/2008)
Well let's see:
A: Their economy has been a mess since 1990, so a 33% drop in cars is likely in large part due to their often lousy economic conditions in the interim 18 years.
B: They have better public transportation systems than a lot of other countries do.
C: They often live so over-crowded that those who move into the city for work often couldn't own cars anyway.
D: I saw Tokyo Drift recently and wow was it bad. It made me hate Japan and Texas. The first F&F movie was a laugh-riot for car enthusiasts, with a share of groans and some endearing moments. The second one I thought was a bit more fun. Tokyo Drift, though, really just sucked the whole way through.
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Nick 10:10AM (5/23/2008)
If anyone's opinion of Japan or Texas is developed by watching Tokyo Drift, I fear for our world.
Azael 11:00AM (5/23/2008)
Hey! Im from Texas and I love that movie and my state!
Yacoub, I challenge you to a duel or a drift off, lady's choice.
But beware, my BMW is a force to be reckoned with.
LeRobert 3:46PM (5/23/2008)
@ azael
BMWs are meant for better things than drifting.
mkM3 8:12AM (5/23/2008)
Luckily they have China, India and other asian countries to pick up the slack. No, It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.
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Avinash machado 8:30AM (5/23/2008)
China + India = Potential 2 billion customers.
RG 8:44AM (5/23/2008)
China and India do not equal 2 billion customers. Everybody keeps trying to relate the potential customer base of these countries on their total populations, which just is not true. A large majority of the people in China and India could not afford a car because they can't afford it. Even with the Tata Nano you will not see every eligible driver in these countries having a car, they are just too poor.
Now is there an untapped and expanding marketplace in these countries? Absolutely, but I would put that number somewhere at 600-700 million people. Substantial? Yes, but also a long way away from 2 billion.
mikomi 9:32AM (5/23/2008)
Is it even possible to squeeze in more cars on the road in India? Mumbai is one huge 24/7 traffic jam.
ddweb 11:10AM (5/23/2008)
I think it's cooler to go lowriding on a moped in Japan than drive a car.
Trideep Gogoi 12:01PM (5/23/2008)
Maybe not exactly 2 billion customers but China is already the 2nd largest market for cars(I think) behind the United States and India cat ownership is getting double digit growths.
An Interesting point about India though is most people dont drive more than a few miles. a day Inter City Commute within a urban area (Such as My commute from Fremont to San Jose, a 30 mile one way trip) is unheard of In India and Id suspect its the same In China so even higher gas prices might not deter them.
taipeileviathan 12:26PM (5/23/2008)
"India cat ownership is getting double digit growths"
cat ownership? what about all the dogs in that part of the world? hmm... china, missing dogs...
... i kid! i kid! ethnically chinese myself, haha...
Avinash machado 8:29AM (5/23/2008)
Also there has been a falling birth rate for some time now. Which could mean not enough new people to buy cars.
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