MyJCar.com- News and Reviews of Japanese Motors in the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM)

In our PR efforts to getting the word about MyJCar.com we actually sponsored a charity event in Nagoya called “Border Crossing”. Unfortunately, the site wasn’t live at the time of the party so we weren’t sure how successful was going out of our way and putting out money.

I guess you have a couple Americans and a couple of Canadians who are planning on first joining the Adventurists Mongol Rally which is a Charity Rally from London to Ulan Bataar, Mongolia, running in a small 660cc Super Charged Subaru Sambar. According to their blog the event that we help fund was a total success and raised about 80% of their goal for fundraising September.

After Mongolia they’ll continue on the Japan Car Exports World Rally, which continues their trip to Vladvostok, Russia, through Japan and then accross the Americas (Canada and US). It looks like our logo might be catching a ride on their rally van around the world, exciting stuff.

Help cheer on and Support Team Smaller is Better on their Wordpress Blog.

Let’s face it. Oil’s running out, and with oil at topping 145 USD per barrel, gas isn’t getting any cheaper.

Here in Japan this month alone gas has raised ¥10 which is an equivalent to around 0.10USD per Liter (NOT GALLON) which more or less translates to more or less $6.40/gal. While stuff is closer here in Japan, there’s been an increase in bicycle sales (around the world) to beat the pump in response to gas prices.

I personally was considering buying a nice sedan, but now I’m actually considering options and maybe getting a Mini-Car or Micro-Van through an exporter that specializes in low gas mileage vehicles.

How are you guys beating the pump this summer (outside of not using your car).

[HDRJapan.com] [Japan Times][Financial Post]

Image PhotoChopped by Elmer, Source [MotoFoto on Flickr]

Henry Winkler, also known as the “Fonz” of Happy Days is in support to the British Government’s National Year of Reading, and is currently touring schools through the UK in a Lexus RX400h (”h” for Hybrid).

While people know the Fonz for his jukebox hit-fixing ways, being the almost bizzaro world version of the James Dean leather jacket motorcycle rebel, and the  “eey”s found now popular in Hip-Hop Music, Henry Winkler’s claim to fame now is being a a best-selling children’s novelist.

Winkler’s Series -Hank Zipster: The World’s Greatest Underachiever is partly autobiographical in the sense that Hank Zipster’s character is based off Winkler’s experiences with growing up with dyslexia.

[CarScoop.com] via [Jalopnik.com]

[Hank Zipster on Amazon.com]

Nissan GT-R (R35) built a monster of a vehicle, but have a killjoy of an ECU (Engine Control Unit) which limited the power of the beast to a mere 180km/H (112MPH).

Even though it states in the R35 Manual that after market tune isn’t allowed on the vehicle, most of it was due to the supposedly uncrackable ECU, well uncrackable until now.

According to COBB Tuning in Salt Lake City, Utah, they’ve cracked the JDM R35 ECU more or less tapping into the full potential of the beast.

[COBB Tuning Blog]

Photochop by Elmer from [Godzilla vs Destoryer (1995)] [Japanese Movie Poster] from [MonsterZero.us]

J@pan Inc and JapanEconomyNews.com occassionally put together some facts and figures to highlight certain facts. Most of this is compiled by Ken Worsley of JapanEconomyNews.com (although we can’t seem to find the same information on their blog this was in the May|June 2008 Edition of J@pan-Inc Print Magazine.

Automotive:

• Number of new cars, trucks and buses sold in Japan in February 2008: 322,613
• Change from a year eariler: +0.1%
• Maker showing the strongest growth: Subaru, +13.0%
• Number of new min-cars sold in February 2008: 180.004
• Toyota’s projected production for 2008: 9.95 million units
• Change from a year eariler: -1.5%
• Honda motorcycle sales in India in 2007: 4,091,000 units
• Honda motorcycle sales in China in 2007: 1,162,000 units
• Projected cost of new Toyta plant in Miyagi Prefecture: ¥20-30 billion
• Estimated annual production capacity at the new plant: 200,000 units
• Projected cost of new Honda plant for mini-cars in Mie Prefecture: ¥50 billion

Sources: Bank of Japan, Cabinet Office, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japanese National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry, Japan Wind Development, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Japan Automobile Dealers’ Association, Japan Mini Vehicles Assocation.

While a lot of these are just highlights and numbers across the board, Honda seems to be definately cashing in the Chinese and Indian motorcycle market. I just wonder how the other competitors stand.

Although its not made clear, if the figure for February Sales on Mini-cars is for Japan alone, that would mean that over half of all non motorcycle vehicles sold in Japan were of Kei/Mini Class.

Check Out J@pan-Inc-Business, People, Technology:Measure for Measure

Suzuki now along with Porsche have decided not to be participants in next year’s Detroit International Auto Show due to lack of required space for their planned exposition booths.

Cobo Hall (the event space which the Detroit Auto Show is held) has been under scrutiny for lack of space for several years, and the NAIAS (North American International Auto Show-Association which helps run the event) already threatened to leave because of this issue.

Honestly, if you have a German Company (Porsche) and a Japanese Company (Suzuki) complaining about space in the United States, you got a problem. I know that downtown’s difficult to build and expand, but I’d hate for Detroit to lose one of the best annual events in the Motor City.

Detroit News (Suzuki to skip show, Time Running out in Michigan Auto Show)

Images thanks to (Cobo Center, South Park Studios)

Thanks to Josh for the image reference!

Importing any vehicle into Alaska from mainland US or Canada already costs an arm and a leg with the rising price of gasoline, Alaskans look to the affordable price point and gas economy of mini trucks from the asian auto market, especially from Japan.

Accounting for a normal truck’s weight into shipping logistics, in long run comparing the cost of shipping a mini truck (also known as ATV Trucks in Alaska) from Japan ends up being cheaper.

Images are from Cook Inlet Mini Trucks [http://cookinletminitrucks.com]