Youth in Asia: Japanese sales plunge as young people abandon cars

Filed under: Car Buying, Japan, Lifestyle

Japan's car sales are declining, just like they are in most countries. But unlike other markets, auto sales in Japan won't be recovering anytime soon. The sales outlook is so bleak, in fact, that the Japanese automakers even have a word for it: "kuruma banare," or "demotorization." While it may sound more like "kuruma bizarre" to us car-obsessed types, kids in Japan are much more interested in the latest electronic gadgetry than they are with cars, and many have no intention on ever owning an automobile. Early predictions are that 4.86 million new cars will be sold in Japan in 2009, which would mark the first time in three decades that sales have sunk below five million.

To help keep traffic flowing inside showrooms, dealerships have taken up rather interesting tactics. For instance, one Honda dealership is now catering towards dog owners, since public transportation options are limited for large animals. We make the following suggestion: Less Hello Kitty, more Godzilla. But whatever works, ya know? Thanks for the tip, Sami!

[Source: Detroit News]

Youth in Asia: Japanese sales plunge as young people abandon cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read |  |  | 

Related posts:

• Shoppers of Nissan GT-R to face Dealer Mark-ups as High as $60,000 over MSRP
• Sacramento Plymouth Arrow May Well Be Governor Schwarzenegger's Incognito Ride [Down On The Street Bonus Edition]
• 2009 Porsche 911 Turbo Gets a Facelift and 500 Horsepower
• As part of the LA Auto Show , the 2008 LA Design Challenge competition ...
• Mitsubishi Concept-RA Unveiled...Does this Give a Hint of the Next Eclipse?

Related posts:

• Goodwood Gathers New Cars
• The GT-R’s pricing appears to be mainly relative to the two types of brakes ...
• Best and Worst of Re-Badging: GM Sinks, VW and Chrysler Soar
• Honda Boosts the Number of 2009 Fits Headed to the US
• The 2009 Honda Fit and the New American Way