Cars and Japan

Brian and I love our cars. We both drive Mitsubishis - Brian has a Pajero (marketed as the Montero in North America) and I have a Pajero Mini (not sold in N.A.!). We both enjoy driving, and I think neither of us can imagine living without wheels (apologies to all the enviro-freaks).

This is my car:


And this is Brian's:


Import cars in Japan are a status symbol, but we'd never buy anything but Japanese as long as we're here. The cars are well-made and durable (our cars are more than ten years old), and made for Japan's narrow roads. They're also affordable.

The auto industry fairly drives Japan's economy. And, as we know, the American auto industry drives that economy, too.

We've been following news on the Big Three quite avidly, especially as our main client happens to be an auto parts manufacturer. The crisis in America has had a huge effect on the world economy - the European markets as well as even the Japan markets are suffering. And yet - I had to post this humourous image that we found via Digg (click image for a larger version):

(original image from http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/auto-industry-buy-our-shitty-cars.php)