ABSTRACT
The automotive industry is another sector in which Japanese companies have been catching up with the global competition.62 In terms of trade performance alone, the Japanese have moved ahead of the pack. However, their auto companies have yet to achieve the kind of dominance that has been attained in consumer electronics (where the Japanese have become product innovators). In fact, in some areas of the automotive sector, particularly luxury cars, Japan is having to struggle hard to catch up. Its competitiveness in the sector as a whole has rested heavily on production efficiency, relative currency relationships and marketing expertise.
