Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnMan
I don't disagree. But my point was that the Japanese non-premium brands were able to establish well in HK historically, so there was little reason why the American brands could'nt do the same, except for a lack of market interest. Or perhaps an admission that the US vehicles just aren't competitive internationally until quite recently.
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There are several reasons:
1.) lack of suitable products during the growth phase of the HK market. just look at wht GM offered during the 70's/80's/90's.
2.) lack of rhd products. together with point 1.), that's the reason behind Ford selling UK/German cars in hk.
3.) market positioning & pricing. jap brands are very clear, mass market products that are cheaper than the equivalent Ford/VW/Opel/Fiat etc.
4.) quality & reliability. can they match the japanese??
5.) marketing clout. Crown Motors handled Toyota since 1966 in HK, & their parent Inchcape is the largest car distributor in the world (as well as for Toyota themselves).
u've already answered the question, GM/Ford/Chrysler/AMC Jeep etc. were concentrating wholly on their domestic market (it was enough to feed them) & became complacent due to their dominance. their woes extend up to a few yrs ago when they were forced to change.
if u talk abt competitiveness of US cars then they are uncompetitive since the muscle car era, & their new found competitiveness are in a very large part due to engineering talent from their European & Asian arms.
for the HK market, many brands (inlcuding US brands) have come & gone, those that are standing today were here in the 60's & 70's.