History of Automobile

In 1904, Torao Yamaha produced the first domestically manufactured bus, which was powered by a steam engine. In 1907, Komanosuke Uchiyama produced the Takuri, the first entirely Japanese-made gasoline engine car. The Kunisue Automobile Works built the Kunisue in 1910, and the following year manufactured the Tokyo in cooperation with Tokyo Motor Vehicles Ltd. In 1911, Kwaishinsha Motorcar Works was established and later began manufacturing a car called the DAT. In 1920, Jitsuyo Jidosha Seizo Co., founded by William R. Gorham, began building the Gorham and later the Lila. The company merged with Kwaishinsha in 1926 to form the DAT Automobile Manufacturing Co. (later to evolve into Nissan Motors). From 1924 to 1927, Hakuyosha Ironworks Ltd. built the Otomo. Toyota, a textile manufacturer, began building cars in 1936.[2] Most early vehicles, however, were trucks produced under military subsidy. 

Cars built in Japan before World War II tended to be based on European or American models. The 1917 Mitsubishi Model A was based on the Fiat A3-3 design. (This model was considered to be the first mass-produced car in Japan, with 22 units produced.) In the 1930s, Nissan Motors' cars were based on the Austin 7 and Graham-Paige designs, while the Toyota AA model was based on the Chrysler Airflow. Ohta built cars in the 1930s based on Ford models, while Chiyoda built a car resembling a 1935 Pontiac, and Sumida built a car similar to a LaSalle.

The Ford Motor Company of Japan was established in 1925 and a production plant was set up in Yokohama. General Motors established operations in Osaka in 1927. Chrysler also came to Japan and set up Kyoritsu Motors. Between 1925 and 1936, the United States Big Three automakers' Japanese subsidiaries produced a total of 208,967 vehicles, compared to the domestic producers total of 12,127 vehicles. In 1936, the Japanese government passed the Automobile Manufacturing Industry Law, which was intended to promote the domestic auto industry and reduce foreign competition; ironically, this stopped the groundbreaking of an integrated Ford plant in Yokohama, modeled on Dagenham in England and intended to serve the Asian market, that would have established Japan as a major exporter[citation needed]. Instead by 1939, the foreign manufacturers had been forced out of Japan. Vehicle production was shifted in the late 1930s to truck production due to the Second Sino-Japanese War.

For the first decade after World War II, auto production was limited, and until 1966 most production consisted of trucks (including 3-wheel vehicles). Thereafter passenger cars dominated the market. Japanese car designs also continued to imitate or be derived from European and American designs.

SOURCE:
Alain Japan

Japanese Automakers

During the 1960s, Japanese automakers launched a bevy of new kei cars in their domestic market; scooters and motorcycles remained dominant, with sales of 1.47 million in 1960 versus a mere 36,000 kei cars. These tiny automobiles usually featured very small engines (under 360cc, but were sometimes fitted with engines of up to 600cc for export) to keep taxes much lower than larger cars. The average person in Japan was now able to afford an automobile, which boosted sales dramatically and jumpstarted the auto industry toward becoming what it is today. The first of this new era, actually launched in 1958, was the Subaru 360. It was known as the "Lady Beetle", comparing its significance to the Volkswagen Beetle in Germany. Other significant models were the Suzuki Fronte, Mitsubishi Minica, Mazda Carol, and the Honda N360. 

 

The keis were very minimalist motoring, however, much too small for most family car usage. The most popular economy car segment in the sixties was the 700-800 cc class, embodied by the Toyota Publica, Mitsubishi Colt 800, and the original Mazda Familia. By the end of the sixties, however, these (often two-stroke) cars were being replaced by full one-litre cars with four-stroke engines, a move which was spearheaded by Nissan's 1966 Sunny. All other manufacturers quickly followed suit, except for Toyota who equipped their Corolla with a 1.1 litre engine - the extra 100 cc were heavily touted in period advertising. These small family cars took a bigger and bigger share of an already expanding market.

Rapidly increasing domestic demand and the expansion of Japanese car companies into foreign markets in the 1970s further accelerated growth. Passenger car exports rose from 100,000 in 1965 to 1,827,000 in 1975. Automobile production in Japan continued to increase rapidly after the 1970s, as Mitsubishi (as Dodge vehicles) and Honda began selling their vehicles in the US. Even more brands came to America and abroad during the 1970s, and by the 1980s, the Japanese manufacturers were gaining a major foothold in the US and world markets.

With Japanese manufacturers producing very affordable, reliable, and popular cars throughout the 1990s, Japan became the largest car producing nation in the world in 2000. However, its market share has decreased slightly in recent years, particularly due to old and new competition from South Korea, China and India. Nevertheless, Japan's car industry continues to flourish, its market share has risen again, and in the first quarter of 2008 Toyota surpassed American General Motors to become the world's largest car manufacturer. Today, Japan is the third largest automobile market and, until China recently overtook them, was the largest car producer in the world. Still, automobile export remains one of the country's most profitable exports and is a cornerstone of recovery plan for the latest economic crisis

SOURCE:
Alain Japan

Are you in the market for a fuel-efficient used car?

Are you in the market for a fuel-efficient used car? Then you probably have competition—not just from other drivers, but from car dealerships.

The auto industry had a strong year of new-auto sales in 2012, and another huge year for car purchases is expected for 2013. Forecasts call for more than 15 million new-car purchases in the JAPAN. this year, up slightly from 2012 and a sharp rise compared to the 10.5 million new vehicles sold in 2009.

Rising new-car sales generally mean an increased inventory of used cars, thanks to trade-ins. Yet as the Wall Street Journal reported recently, there don’t seem to be nearly enough “gently used” cars around to keep up with marketplace demand. Dealerships have resorted to stalking Craigslist for owners interested in unloading used cars—especially those that are just a few years old. Used-car lot managers are paying good money for these secondhand wheels due to confidence that they’ll still be able to flip them quickly at a profit.

There are many reasons why there’s something of a shortage of used cars right now. Owners are hanging onto cars longer than ever not only because it’s obviously cheaper than upgrading to a new model, but because automobiles purchased over the last decade or so were built to last for at least 100,000 miles, and often upwards of 200K miles. Because the number of new-car sales dipped during the recession years, there are fewer vehicles than usual that are two or four years old right now. The government’s Cash for Clunkers program also took many used vehicles off the road a few years back.

While new vehicle sales get a lot of attention because of their connection to auto makers, the used vehicle market is far larger. Last year, JAPAN. used vehicle sales rose 5% to 40.5 million.

Add all of that up and we’ve got a situation with a high demand and low supply of used cars, at least for the time being. Bizarrely, the situation is also one in which, as Kelley Blue Book noted, new and used versions of the same car model sometimes cost about the same, once dealership incentives for new vehicles are factored in. “Buying a one-year-old used Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic will only save consumers about $20 per month,” the experts at KBB estimate. Meanwhile, “Buyers interested in the Toyota RAV4 or Chevrolet Equinox will find just a $20 gap between new- and used-vehicle payments, while a brand-new Ford Escape commands a more sizable $60 per month premium from the slightly used variant.”

Compact Crossovers are on the Rise

Are They Our Answer to Europe's Small Hatchbacks?

  SOURCE:

ALAIN JAPAN

Americans don't buy hatchbacks (except for Minis), and Europeans don't understand why not. Western Europe's most popular model is the Volkswagen Golf, with hatchback versions of the Ford Focus, Opel Astra, and Renault Megan among best-sellers. Meanwhile, in the U.S. auto market, the compact crossover/utility vehicle is emerging as midsize family-sedan alternative. "When they're looking for a car, they start in either the C/D-segment (midsize) or in the compact utilities segment," says Samantha Hoyt, marketing manager for the new Ford Fusion. "We're calling this the super segment, because people cross-shop these so much. It'll be Camry-Escape, Camry-Fusion, Escape-Accord, that whole CR-V-Escape, they're all shopping each other."   The segment has been around for a long time, with the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Ford Escape the dominant models. Bigger families looking for minivan alternatives need three-row crossovers like the Honda Pilot and Chevy Traverse. But the success of the latest Chevy Equinox, for one, has put more attention on the compact CUV. Meanwhile, as it tries to clear dealer lots to make room for its all-new '13 Escape, converged with the European Kuga, Ford has been selling boatloads of the old model. Through last November, it sold 228,719 Escapes to 226,445 Fusions (11-month Focus sales totaled 161,436, a combo of '11 and '12 models). Is the compact CUV becoming our answer to Europe's compact hatchbacks? While suggested retail prices of the Escape, CR-V, RAV4, and Equinox are higher than their midsize sedan counterparts, like the European hatchbacks, they offer the kind of flexibility for cargo space the sedans cannot match, and FWD versions generally outsell the more-expensive, less fuel-efficient AWD-equipped CUVs. In our new age of frugality and tight credit, American consumers are finding the same kind of one-vehicle-does-all economy in a CUV that Europeans find in a four-door hatchback. The VW Golf remains Europe's most popular model, with 413,156 sold through October, one month short of the figures above. As these specs show, however, the compact CUV is still large American economy sized next to a compact Euro hatchback.

	2013 Ford Escape	2012 Volkswagen Golf
Wheelbase	105.9 in	101.5 in
LxWxH	178.1 x 72.4 x 66.3 in	165.4 x 70.3 x 58.2 in
Pass vol	98.1 cu ft	92.9 cu ft
Cargo vol	34.3 cu ft*	15.2 cu ft*

Japanese Used Car

Al-Ain Japan (pvt) Ltd. is a leading Japanese used car exporter in japan. We shipped the used cars to all over the world.Al-Ain japan gives customer support to all over the world. We purchase car from auction house and from authorized used car dealers.

Al-Ain Japan (pvt) Ltd is a member of all leading auction houses in Japan. We offer good price and quick shipment to our customers. We have multilingual staff to communicate in English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Singhalese and Tamil for supporting the Al-Ain customers.

Al-Ain Japan (pvt) Ltd, the Japanese used car exporter has a very good relationship with all the shipping expert companies. We give continuous support to our customer for their needs and deliveries.We Supply standard quality used vehicle. We deliver to the customer only after the inspection. We check our used Vehicle with our vehicle experts.

We are one of the leading online used car dealers in japan. We have all models of used Japanese cars, Japanese used cars are exported to all around the region. You can book Used vehicle through our Website.
We have Japanese used car models that are listed in Al-Ain website with its used car name, stock number, specification, FOB price and complete in our site. We have, Japanese used vehicles, Japanese used bus and Japanese used trucks with different categories like Japanese used SUV, Japanese used sedan, Japanese used wagon, Japanese used hatch pack, Japanese used coupe. Al-Ain Japan also has several Japanese used car maker like used car Toyota, used car Nissan, used car Subaru, used car Isuzu, used car Suzuki, Mazda used Vehicle. 

To buy a Japanese used Vehicle in japan is very easy through Our Site website by clicking the stock you can select the model, maker, color,category, body style, transmission, fuel, steering.search the required Vehicle with your expected price range of the used car in the price range, it shows the list of Japanese used car list and the status available or booked, you can view the photo, stock number of the used car, year, cc, and Km of the Japan used cars. Al-Ain japan is the largest Toyota used car exporters in japan. 

Payment can be done in USD or YEN. Al-Ain japan (pvt) Ltd., Japanese used cars exporter bank with MITSUBISHI TOKYO UFJ BANK in the branch at SHIN-YOKOHOMA to the following address mentioned in our website. Online payment can be done in our site by credit payments. All major credit cards are accepted, 4% has taken for every online payment along with invoice.Select your source and destination port to ship your used Vehicle to your destination. 

Al-Ain japan the leading car exporters gives a full support to the customer. We contact for any special offers. We may contact by post, mail, telephone for further business proposals. We have certain terms and conditions and privacy policies. Advance payment must be paid before shipment, full amount to be settled once the Vehicle reached your destination. All the vehicle related documents are sent through courier to customer's once full payment done.

 Source: 
Alain Japan

new 370Z

Nissan has given the 370Z a shot in the arm for its fourth year on sale, cutting the price of the entry-level model by £3,005, and adding a new range-topper: the upgraded 370Z Nismo.

So just how cheap is a new 370Z now?

You can get a base-spec coupe for £26,995, which comes with the facelifted front end (new bumper and LED running lights) plus new 18in alloys. That puts the base model right in Toyota GT86/Subaru BRZ price territory, but with over over 100bhp more on offer. The higher-spec GT model gets sat-nav, 19in wheels and an upgraded stereo, but the price is cranked up too: to £31,995.

Enough price lists: what's this hotted up 370Z Nismo?

Fettled by the same in-house tuners who worked wonders with the fast Juke CAR drove recently, the 370Z Nismo adds an extra 16bhp to the standard car's output, taking the 3.7-litre V6 up to 339bhp and 276lb ft. The 370Z Nismo is rear-wheel drive, and gets a six-speed manual gearbox only: the seven-speed auto itsn't even a cost option. The stick-shift does perform automatic throttle blipping when downshifting though, for perfect gearchanges if you're not a heel-and-toe master. Inside the Nismo's cabin, you get a rev counter and suede-wrapped steering wheel. The car rides on 19in forged alloys wearing sticky Bridgestone Potenza rubber.

Like the Juke Nismo, the 'Nissan Motorsport' 370Z also packs stiffened suspension, tougher brakes, and an unmissablebodykit akin to a Fast and Furious movie stunt car. Given how well the Juke took to its Nismo tweaks, the ultimate 370Z could be quite an enticing prospect – it's a handy £10,000 cheaper than a 320bhp Porsche Cayman S.

Question is, would you rather opt for a far less powerful but possibly more entertaining Toyota GT86, score two extra seats and save another £10k? Let us know your thoughts on the tweaked Nissan 370Z range in the article comments below...

Source:

Alain Japan

Used Japanese Cars

 

Why Buy Used Cars from Japan?

As per the latest auto news, a research undertaken by Warranty Direct ・an insurance expert and by What Car? ・the motoring magazine ・indicates that Japanese cars are the most reliable in the used car category. A reliability survey also showed that the top seven places in ten were taken by Japan痴 car manufacturers while European used cars are from among the ten least reliable

Have you wondered why the Japanese used cars are so popular in global markets?

There are 3 main reasons.

1. Cars manufactured in Japan are well-known to be very reliable.

2. There's a very strict car check demanded by the authorities every two years (every year for commercially used cars) in order to keep the high standard of safety and car condition. Unless the car pass es this regular car check, it cannot run on the public road. Therefore, no matter how old the car gets, all the Japanese cars including used cars are checked every two years at least and keeping its condition.

3. Japanese people treat their car not only as transportation tool, but more like their special personal item. In other words, they take very good care of their car, and Japanese people don't neglect maintenance of the car at all time, because they regard cars as a part of their property.

Under these circumstances, it's naturally believed the Japanese used cars are more reliable than any other used cars running around the world.

Source
Alain Japan