Americans Believe Japanese Competition Pressures U.S. Automakers to Offer Fuel Efficient Cars

WASHINGTON - November 5, 2007: Americans credit competition with Japanese automakers for “greener” automobile options, according to a national poll released today.

Japanese automakers were first to make environmentally friendly automobiles widely available in the U.S. market, and 82 percent of Americans now agree that competition from the Japanese is pushing the Big 3 to offer hybrid technologies and more fuel-efficient cars, according to the data provided by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).

“Today more than 90 percent of hybrid vehicles sold in America are Japanese brands. Not satisfied, Japanese manufacturers are focused on even newer technologies that will further reduce the impact of vehicles on the environment,” said William C. Duncan, General Director, JAMA USA.

The survey revealed that 63 percent of Americans say that fuel efficiency will be even more important than in the past when choosing their next car. “Using technology to bring consumers what they want is good for our companies, good for America, and good for the world environment we all share,” Duncan said.

More than 425,000 Americans design, build, and sell Japanese-brand automobiles. Today 63 percent of the Japanese-brand vehicles sold in the U.S. are produced in North America. “Our success in this market comes from living and working here,” Duncan said. “JAMA companies know the American consumer.”

Eighty-six percent of Americans surveyed believe these U.S. jobs represent a significant contribution to the American economy, while 70 percent agree that a car made in America by Americans is a U.S. product regardless of the make of the car.

The survey of 1,013 Americans, conducted in September 2007 by Opinion Research Corporation, is included in the new JAMA publication Japanese Automobile Manufacturers: Cars and Trucks for a Vibrant America and a Better World.

The brochure reviews current and historical Japanese automaker investment in America, and demonstrates how JAMA member companies are meeting the demand for energy-efficient, environmentally friendly vehicles in the U.S. market.

The brochure also reports that:

* JAMA members have cumulatively invested $31 billion in 29 U.S. vehicle, engine, and parts manufacturing facilities.

* JAMA members purchased a record-high amount of $48.8 billion in auto parts from U.S. companies between April 2006 and March 2007 (Japan’s fiscal year).

* JAMA members employ 60,000 Americans in manufacturing, nearly 3,600 in research and development, and more than 363,000 in dealerships and distribution.

* JAMA members’ U.S. plants produced more than 275,000 cars and trucks for export overseas, accounting for more than 19 percent of total U.S. car and truck exports.

This publication is available on the JAMA web site, www.jama.org. JAMA, located in Tokyo, has offices in Washington, D.C., Brussels, Beijing and Singapore.