3 years on, are the Japanese still lost in the dark?

Back in the Eighties, Toyota was making stuff like this iconic AE86. Thankfully the GT 86 might bring back the glory of yesteryear, but what about the rest of Japan?

Back in 2009, The Truth About Cars editor Jack Baruth wrote an article on how the Japanese auto industry is losing its heritage to the point where its products are a shell of what they used to be. He talked about how Honda had lost its roots as a maker of cars with flair and engineering excellence, and how Nissan and Toyota were becoming too close to one another on retail lots.  He reposted it on their website (thetruthaboutcars.com) and I found it to still be relevant today.  But, in these three years, a few things have changed in the market.  My question is this:  Does Baruth’s argument still hold water, and is there any more evidence to support his side of this debate?  I took a look into what the market is like today, and there are arguments for both sides. Read the rest of this entry »