Honda HR-V vs Mazda CX-3 vs Suzuki Vitara
There has been a lot of attention to the health of Detroit automakers, but probably the biggest victims of the automobile of the Great Recession are smaller Japanese manufacturers Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Mazda each fight to stay relevant on US auto market in part because the yen, limited US production and marketing.
The recession came close to killing some of the US automakers now in a slow recovery, US businesses are better Japanese car manufacturers - some of them - are struggling; in particular, some of the smaller Japanese automakers are facing problems NPR Sonari Glinton looks at the fortunes of the so-called small three.
Sonari Glinton, BYLINE I'm standing on the corner of Liberty and Main in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan, where they're setting up for the Rolling Sculpture car show and I came here in the heart of the country the car to ask a very simple question.
Can you name for me all Japanese automakers.
KATHY KENNEDY OK Um - Toyota, Honda - uh - that's all that comes to mind.
JAMES HAMILTON Oh, almost Yeah Toyota, Hyundai - uh - Miata, Mazda - um - Lexus.
EILEEN KNEIPER Toyota, Nissan, Honda Oh, I do not know - I think it s.
Glinton It was Kathy Kennedy, James Hamilton and Eileen Kneiper Almost no one could name all Japanese automakers, and is here for those of you who don t make your life talking about cars it's Toyota, Honda, Nissan , Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki.
Jessica Caldwell is with her claims that automakers are lower on the list, the worst for them.
JESSICA CALDWELL You should be at a point where at least people know that you are in the business I mean, they may not be able to recognize your car or understand what you mean But if people do not even know you sell cars, I think it is a big problem.
Glinton Subaru was in the lower floor, but their sales have increased by about a third in four years that leaves Mazda, Suzuki and Mitsubishi Caldwell says name recognition is only the beginning of problems for small businesses.
CALDWELL You do not have the vast resources to do a lot of research and development that large businesses can sometimes your technologies can be up to date You do not have the economies of scale that large companies you are definitely at a disadvantage when are a small business, especially when the market is so competitive on the market.
Glinton is really competitive, not all imports that come to U S to Yugo Remember OK, that Isuzu Well, the best thing about them was probably their advertisements Remember Joe Isuzu.
DAVID LEISURE Joe Isuzu I just sold an Isuzu I-Mark.
LEISURE like Joe Isuzu to Queen It is spacious enough for a king or queen, if that's all you got.
Glinton Ah, the 80 Isuzu stopped selling passenger car in the U S in January 2009 This is a real danger these automakers that remain face, they could be squeezed out of the US car market, the most important.
AARON BRAGMAN I mean, it is the product of the problem; it is an exchange rate problem; and there is a manufacturing problem.
Glinton Aaron Bragman with IHS Automotive is the strong yen is bad all Japanese businesses, but especially small businesses that make smaller cars.
Bragman And the exchange rate of yen to dollar right now very unprofitable, particularly for small cars To make money on it, they have the highest prices and when the price of a small car too high, no one will buy it.
Glinton Suzuki is the one automaker among the Japanese who didnt build in the US As a result, Suzuki 0 2 percent - not 2 percent - 0 2 percent of the market Mitsubishi has a plant in Illinois, but they 0 only 6 percent Mazda, which was once a thriving partnership with Ford is struggling to maintain production in the US again, Aaron Bragman post-broadcast CLARIFICATION Bragman comments were limited to Mitsubishi and Suzuki.
Bragman They have a problem with the marketing budget they haven t really given a lot of marketing dollars to one of them so now they're not advertising in a high capacity There is no lot of money, you know, launches rowdy products.
Glinton As US automakers start to build more and better small cars, we can talk about losing car brands - just not those of Detroit.
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