Automobile Precision Instruments Top News 5 Page  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8    Automotive Industry Current State The World's Number Two Automotive Powerhouse "Amlux Tokyo", the standing exhibition pavilion of Toyota Motor at Ikubukuro, Tokyo    Auto manufacturing is a leading industry in Japan, and the nation is the number two automotive powerhouse of the world. The total value of Japanese motor vehicle shipments in 2002 (including two-wheelers) was 43 trillion 163 billion yen. This accounts for 16 percent of the Japanese manufacturing industry's value of shipments, and 35 percent of the mechanical engineering shipment value. Automotives is one of the important and essential industries that support the Japanese economy.    Globally speaking, Japanese domestic production, which was 10.29 million vehicles in 2003, accounted for 17 percent of worldwide production (60.65 million vehicles). Although Japan has given up its status as global leader - which had continued until 1993 - to the United States, it still maintains its number 2 position in the world.    Of especial note is the international expansion made by Japanese auto manufacturers. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and its subsidiaries, Hino Motors, Ltd. and Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., combined manufactured 6.82 million vehicles in 2003, surpassing, for the first time, the number of vehicles produced by America's Ford Motor Company. This made TMC the world's number 2 auto manufacturer following General Motors Corporation (GM) with its output of 8.24 million vehicles. With the popularity of its sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in America, etc., Honda Motor Co., Ltd. leapt into 7th place - following Ford, Volkswagen AG, DaimlerChrysler AG, and PSA Peugeot Citroen of France - by manufacturing 2.96 million vehicles. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., which was once in financial crisis, succeeded in restructuring the company under the leadership of Carlos Ghosn, formerly of France's Renault S.A. Nissan has recovered its position up to 8th place with 2.97 million vehicles produced.    Now that companies in the Japanese electronics industry - such as the Sony Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., and Hitachi, Ltd. - which once led the world, have fallen behind companies like America's Intel Corporation and Korea's Samsung Electronics, automotives has become one of Japan's few globally leading industries.