Report predicts delay in Japan EC campaign
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• No Japanese truck maker is likely to enter the European market before the next century, says a new report.
Of the four big Japanese producers Nissan is the most likely to make an impact, according to research company Euromotor Reports.
It would probably base its attack on its 44.5% stake in Motor Iberica in Spain, which has an ageing product range. Euromotor says long-term decline in the European 7.5-16-tonne sector is the main reason for the Japanese staying away: buying Daf would be the only way to break into Europe quickly, says the report: Such a move might provoke a price-bidding war between the European truck makers in order to keep the Japanese out," it warns.
Euromotor's findings contradict a report by Cardiff Business School (CM 9-15 Jan) which predicted a Japanese onslaught in the light to medium GVW sector next year when pan-European Type Approval comes on stream.