Used cars from Japan are popular due to their stylish looks, better design, quality, reliability and because they require lesser maintenance. If you are planning to buy a Japanese Used Car, you need to first decide which is the most popular and reliable Japanese Used Car. You also need to verify the reasons before you finally choose to purchase a particular car. Usually some select Japanese used car brands are well known in different countries due to the suitability, usability, land type and weather of the country.

A few Japanese Used Cars may be well known in one country but not so popular in some other country. For instance in Sri Lanka Toyota Hiace, Toyota Prius, Toyota Vitz, Toyota Corrola Axio and Toyota Allion are few of the famous vehicles. On the contrary people in Australia prefer to buy Nissan Skyline, Nissan Elgrand, Nissan Silvia, Mazda RX7, Supra, Subaru Forester etc. So the preferences of people in each nation vary but all usually like the Japanese Car Brands.

Most Popular Used Cars from Japan exported to different parts of the world are listed here:

Toyota Hiace Van:

The Toyota Hiace Vans top the list of in-demand Japanese Used Cars. It is mainly preferred due to its multi-usability. It can be used as a goods van, passenger vehicle, News Reporter’s van, Ambulance, school vans, delivery vans and also as mobile libraries.

Toyota Coaster:

Toyota Coaster is highly in demand in the global market. Even Used Toyota Coasters are in demand as they can be converted to wheel homes.

Toyota Corolla:

The Toyota Corolla is usually preferred as a family vehicle. It is spacious and comfortable and at the same time is elegant and compact.

Toyota Vitz:
The Toyota Vitz is also a very popular vehicle. It is preferred due to its quality, looks, fuel efficiency, durability and above all Toyota’s trust.

Mitsubishi Canter:
The Mitsubishi Canter happens to be the most well known lightweight commercial vehicle. Usually it is in demand among farm owners, small businesses, maintenance organizations and construction companies.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado:

Toyota Prado falls in the category of SUVs. It provides good comfort to the riders even during the worst weather conditions.

Toyota Corolla Spacio:
The Corolla Spacio is a compact minivan. It also has a unique removable third row of seats. The vehicle has some great safety features too like dual airbags, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution as well as SRS belts.

Mazda Demio:
This vehicle is very comfortable and fuel efficient too.

Nissan Terrano:

The Nissan Terrano is a great family transport vehicle. It is a 5-door car. It offers great load flexibility. It also features a potential seven seater accommodation.

Toyota Allion:

The vehicle has enough space for people to sit on the backseat. It has smart and youthful looks. It mainly targets the younger and more vibrant customers.

The above mentioned list specifies the names of the most popular Japanese models which are in great demand in the global market. The Japanese automakers always come up with convenient vehicles for its customers.

With the ever increasing gasoline prices, the expenses of possessing and maintaining a vehicle is escalating speedily every single year.  In the year 2011, gas prices were already strongly over $3 per gallon and experts are forecasting prices to go above $4 per gallon by summer.  For several years the automobile world has been striving to come up with the finest remedy for the issue of fuel efficiency. And, Japanese auto makers are leading in the race to deliver cars with high fuel economy.

Fuel prices are continually increasing heading through the roof worldwide.  As gas and oil are limited resources, they have even had an influence on the frame of mind of the auto world as they don’t want such resources to get used up.  So which automobiles deliver the maximum from your fuel?  Which are the most fuel efficient cars of 2011?

As per research, motorists are transforming their driving habits to deal with rising costs.  The tactic employed by automobile manufacturers during the 1980′s and 1990′s had been to decrease the engine capacity and size so the cars don’t take in a great deal of fuel.  The current trend is different.  In the recent times and focus moved towards employing electric power.  Either ways, people are laying more attention on saving fuel as these resources are limited.

Hybrid Cars from Japan

Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid

Japanese cars such as the Toyota Prius had got all the attention in the year 2011.  For vehicles like these, efficiency of such engines turned out to be very amazing and regular models began coming out with hybrid engine versions also.  The Toyota Prius is really a preferred family car.  The vehicle features a ‘smooth drive train and a spacious cabin.’  The fuel economy and emissions make these cars rule the family car segment.  The minimum Carbon Dioxide emission one of its models emits is 59g/km while even the model producing greatest emissions produces just 92g/km which really is remarkable.  Toyota Prius gets in the range 70.6 and 72.4 mpg. The brand new vehicle prices start from £20,265.

Honda Civic Hybrid is yet another fuel efficient hybrid car the year 2011 has gifted us. When compared with Toyota Prius and other competitors of its class, the Honda Civic Hybrid may seem too expensive.

Fully Electric Cars from Japan

In addition to the Hybrid Cars, the newest technology has witnessed development of completely electric cars from Japan, such as the Nissan Leaf. Contrary to hybrids, this car runs just on an electric motor and batteries. You won’t have to spend on fuels and the emissions don’t exist. This technology continues to be quite recent but is attaining plenty of attention and interest in consumer markets. The sole disadvantage which has been linked to this car is that it features limited travel range. Nissan has even assured to enhance this model in future.

The hybrid cars from Nissan, Toyota and Honda have set cutting edge standards in fuel efficiency, best of the entire breakthrough that Nissan has provided with its most recent all-electric car.  In 2011, the most fuel efficient cars have all had Japanese origins.  All the hybrid cars are promising and offer great performance.

Mitsubishi Motors might be the next automaker to join the budding small car market.  Mitsubishi is considering a  brand new model called ‘Mirage’  for the Thailand and Indian market.  The ECOCAR Mirage will go on sale next month in Thailand, powered by a 1.2-litre engine.  Mitsubishi is currently targeting the global Small Car Market in countries like Thailand and India.

Mitsubishi will launch the small car Mirage in Thailand this month and later on in India.  Mitsubishi might set up a presence within the Indian market by itself and may launch the small car in India also all by itself.  The company has clarified that it might seek alternative partners or might even head out solo.

Mitsubishi Motors Manufacturing Hub in India

Mitsubishi Motors is thinking about establishing additional facilities in India and Southeast Asia.  The firm is also considering introducing smaller sedans.  Mitsubishi Motors  intends to join compatriots Suzuki Motor Corporation and Nissan Motor Limited in generating a worldwide hub to manufacture small cars in India.  It is studying the chance of doing business in India by itself and starting off by producing ECOCAR Mirage, its 1.2-litre small car.   The firm has even set up yet another plant to fabricate the same car.  The company will begin commercial manufacturing in April this year.

In the price-sensitive $4100 to $12300 (approximately) small car segment, that accounts for 60 % of the cars sold in the country, a newcomer will have to strive for room with over 25 models from around 12 leading automakers. Volkswagen, Nissan, Toyota and Honda are companies that have joined incumbents Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki just lately for a share of the business.

About Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) is the sixth largest automaker from Japan.  Mitsubishi which already has many small cars in other markets of the world is planning to launch small cars in India.  The company has got 7 manufacturing facilities throughout Japan, the Netherlands (Europe), North America, Philippines and Thailand at present.  They have 11 tie-ups for manufacturing autos in yet another 10 nations.

Mitsubishi doesn’t have presence within the small car market that makes up about 70 % of auto sales in India. Its absence in the small car segment has affected Mitsubishi’s business in India greatly. It has always been a small player, having a market share of lower than 1 %. Suzuki has 40 % and Toyota 6%. Both of them have small cars in India. Now with its small car, Mitsubishi intends to be a key player in the Indian Market as well.

Hino Trucks has joined WebTech Wireless to introduce  Hino Insight, a web based, wireless fleet management telematics solution which offers various tools required for fleet management. It is really an amazing fleet management telematics solution that gives the tools necessary to reduce overall operating costs and also enhances client satisfaction.

Since the communication and vehicle technologies are developing at a real fast rate, users expect a more secure, safe and entertaining telematics solution.  Hino intends to provide precisely this with its new INSIGHT.

Hino Truck Insight named among Heavy Duty Trucking’s Top 20 new products

Hino Trucks’ INSIGHT which is essentially the most highly developed web-based location and telematics solution within the medium duty commercial truck industry, is named one of the Heavy Duty Trucking’s Top 20 new products of 2011.

This announcement is actually a significant achievement for Hino Trucks, since countless other products were viewed and graded by editors from Heavy Duty Trucking 2011 Truck Fleet Innovators, and a group of experienced fleet maintenance professionals belonging to the ATA’s Technology and Maintenance Council. Hino Trucks has joined hands with WebTech Wireless in a shared mission to make this world a better place to reside by assisting people as well as goods reach where they have to go – economically, safely and along with environmental responsibility – while staying focused on sustainable development.

Features of Hino Truck Insight

Insight is not just a basic telematics package, it is a comprehensive solution which includes a mix of premium as well as Hino exclusive services including geofencing, advanced vehicle administration, planned maintenance management and route tracking. With the help of Hino INSIGHT, fleet managers will know precisely where each truck is, exactly what it is doing and just how it is functioning.

INSIGHT provides data in the form of a fleet-wide dashboard and detailed vehicle drill-down reports, that allow you to swiftly adjust to changing situations, identify exactly where you may improve functional efficiencies and plan for higher long-term advantages. Insight Dashboard permits fleet managers to simultaneously access truck and driver-related data, which includes key metrics. INSIGHT can also help fleet managers monitor and minimize operating costs in several ways, from uncomplicated tasks like minimizing excessive idling on an everyday basis to long-term ideal practices like driver training and scheduled maintenance. You will achieve a lot more with the data INSIGHT provides.

Standard Features of Hino Truck Insight

Door unlock telemetry feature, real-time vehicle critical alerts, custom fleet manager dashboard with scheduled email option, User, group and vehicle administration, monthly emailed report comparing your fleet’s, truck DEF level monitoring, vehicle maintenance centre, geofence parameter and landmark features, activity detail and summary reports are some of the key standard features in Hino’s Insight.

Optional Features you may have in Hino Truck Insight

Voice Command Recognition, In-truck navigation with integrated Gamin, Electronic driver logs, In-truck mobile data terminal, Fully customized fleet management solutions, INSIGHT Professional reports package, Add-on sensors, controls and alerts like In-truck panic alert button, truck body door open alert system, refrigerator body temperature control, Tire pressure monitoring system, seatbelt sensors, truck axle payload weight sensors, waste management fleet solution, snow plow and spreader sensors, spot video monitoring are some of the key additional features possible on a Hino INSIGHT.

This March 11 marks one year after the tragic calamity at Japan. One year after the tsunami and earthquake that ruined northeastern Japan, the nation’s auto manufacturers seem to be back and in full form after the disaster. It is taking benefit of the rebound within the American auto industry and also at other locations. All great automakers of Japan like Nissan, Toyota and Honda are now back in form performing as good as before. If the US automobile industry has learnt anything from the tsunami in Japan, it’s this one lesson: be prepared. Yet it is not all smooth cruising for Japan Inc. and its car manufacturers. Even now there are huge risks from evergreen problems like the strong yen.

At Nissan, the quake had crushed auto fabrication to a complete halt, left massive cracks on a prime factory location and murdered five workers and 17 of their relatives. It is a tale of astonishing recovery of all Japanese automakers, but specifically Nissan. The producer of the March subcompact and also Infiniti luxury models enjoyed a record sales year of 4.67 million autos in the year 2011. This was up 14 % from the past year. By May last year, Nissan Motor Co.’s Iwaki plant in Fukushima Prefecture, ravaged by the tragedy which killed over 19,000 people, had been nearly fully restored to complete operations. This definitely is a remarkable recovery.

Japanese Car Makers a Year after Quake – Lessons learned

Toyota Motor Corp., yet another key player in the Japanese auto industry initially had anticipated losing production of two million autos due to the March 11 calamity that harmed key suppliers in northeastern Japan, like Renesas Electronics Corp., a computer-chip maker. Yet when all was over, Japan’s No. 1 car maker had lost production of 370,000 vehicles, 220,000 of these in the very first month following the disaster. Production at Toyota, that makes best selling Camry sedan as well as Prius hybrid, had returned to almost normal levels by September 2011. The production issues knocked Toyota from its top place in worldwide vehicle sales to the fourth position. General Motors got back its crown as being the planet’s No. 1 car maker. The General Motors had lost this rank to Toyota back in 2008. Toyota is focusing on a strategy to have production normal again in 2 weeks in case yet another disaster must strike.

Honda actually faced the most difficult problems. Honda was actually doubly affected by the calamities. It was struck by the floods in Thailand later last year that also upset production in addition to the devastation in northeastern Japan due to tsunami and quake earlier in the year. In spite of all this, Honda’s global production is currently returned to pre-disaster levels once again everywhere except Thailand.

The American market share of Japanese car makers dropped from 38.5 % to 30.1 % in between 2011 February and June. They got back 38 % share in February, even though still not reached the 40 % share they had 3 years back, before Toyota’s huge safety recalls. They covered up for the majority of the rest within the initial few months of the year by means of adding capacity and overtime. Honda and Toyota sales growth is tremendous, nearly at double or even marking 100 % growth which is remarkable.

The Korean leading automakers, Hyundai Motor Company, is preparing to once again enter the Japanese auto industry through a new trailer rig.  The company has got focused plans for the year 2012, attempting at establishing a position for itself in the Japanese truck market by introducing a trailer rig.  Later, Hyundai has plans to introduce many other heavy duty trucks in Japan in future.  Hyundai discontinued selling passenger automobiles in Japan in 2009 after it suffered poor sales for 8 consecutive years.  Hyundai has now realized that the truck industry could be a far more worthwhile and profitable venture.  The company plans to add more heavy duty trucks to its Japanese portfolio in the near future.

Hyundai hopes to sell hundreds of units each year, as it managed to sell 50 coach buses last year. Such huge vehicles will be brought in into Japan from Hyundai’s Korean home base. This will ensure better and much more competitive costs. This will also help to offer after sales service through the local subcontractors.

In the Japanese automobile market, Hyundai is going to make the debut of their four-ton trucks, and also other big-sized trucks manufactured in Korea. Hyundai wants to sell roughly 100 to 200 units of these huge trucks in Japan every year and wants to establish itself in the Japanese auto industry.

In 2009 Hyundai decided to pull away from the Japanese auto industry. The company decided not to sell brand new passenger cars in Japan, because it thought it was much better to focus on several developing auto markets like USA, India and China where there were great demand for Hyundai vehicles. This option had been a smart move at that point of time, since Japan is among the largest Asian automobile markets.

Yet Hyundai reassessed its position, bettered its strategies and also learned from earlier mistakes. It is now is prepared to strike the Japanese auto market by its trucks, beating the local truck manufacturers of Japan who have ruled the scene until now. Hyundai had even created a Task Force (TF) team for its Japanese auto market not long ago. They have engineered market strategies meant for the Japanese passenger car market and also the large-truck market. The report made by the TF has a plan to tap the local passenger vehicle market.

Japanese Truck Market and Hyundai

Japan is proving itself to be one of the leading automobile markets in Asia which has compelled Hyundai Motor Company to attempt truck sales, which until date was entirely ruled by local Japanese vehicle manufacturers.

As Japan is among world’s leading auto makers, Hyundai is embarking on a tough mission. If Hyundai establishes itself in Japan’s big truck segment beating the local manufacturer’s who have been ruling till now, they are sure to amass huge profits as well as create a mark for themselves in the auto industry.

In Asia, Japan is among the most significant automobile markets. Hyundai Motor is thus venturing into the big-truck sector that was entirely dominated by local truck manufacturers of Japan until now.

Seen in virtually all except the cheap cars, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is a basic anti-lock technique which allows drivers the ability to steer away from danger even during hard braking by avoiding the locking up of wheels.  An ABS is a basic safety system which enables the driver to stop a vehicle quickly and effectively on slippery roads without losing control or traction on the surface of roads.  Anti lock brakes avoid the wheels from ceasing rotation or locking up and thus prevent skidding.

The present day advancement of the ABS has now led to it getting merged with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), a technology that may vary the quantity of braking force used on each individual wheel.  Let’s see how the anti-lock brakes work and protect the car from skidding.

Four major components to the ABS System

Valves

Each brake’s brake line operated by the ABS incorporates a valve. On a few systems, the valve is seen in three positions:
• In first position, the valve stays open; pressure through the master cylinder gets transferred right through towards the brake.
• In second position, the valve obstructs the line, separating that brake from master cylinder. This stops the pressure from increasing further in case the driver pushes the brake pedal with greater force.
• In third position, the valve releases a portion of the pressure exerted on the brake.

Speed Sensors

The ABS requires some way of comprehending when exactly a wheel is going to lock up.  Speed sensors that are positioned at each wheel, or sometimes in the differential offer this data.

Controller

This component is actually a computer within the car. It keeps a watch on the speed sensors as well as controls the valves.

Pump

As the valve has the ability to release pressure on the brakes, there needs to be some method to set that pressure again. It is exactly the role the pump plays; whenever a valve decreases the pressure in a line, the pressure backup is given by the pump.

How does ABS work?

Controller looks for decelerations within the wheel which are unusual.  It keeps a watch on the speed sensors constantly. Just before the wheel locks up, it might encounter an instant deceleration.  If left uncontrolled, the wheel might cease a lot more rapidly than any car should.  It could take a car just about 5 seconds to halt from 60 mph in perfect conditions; however a wheel which locks up might cease spinning in just about a second.
Since a swift deceleration is not possible, the ABS cuts down on the pressure to the brake till it observes acceleration.  After that it raises the pressure till it observes the deceleration once again.  It might do this rapidly, before the tire may actually considerably alter speed.  As a result the tire decelerates at the same pace as the vehicle, with the brakes maintaining the tires very close to where they may begin to lock up.  Thus, the system achieves highest braking power.

Types of Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)

One channel, one sensor ABS

This arrangement is frequently seen on pickup trucks having rear-wheel ABS. This includes one valve, which deals with both rear wheels, and a speed sensor, based in the rear axle.  The back wheels are usually monitored collectively and they have to begin to lock up before the ABS takes over. In this process it is also likely that any one of the back wheels may lock, decreasing brake effectiveness.

Three-channel, three-sensor ABS

This system, frequently seen on pickup trucks having four-wheel ABS, features a speed sensor along with a valve for each one of the front wheels, together with one valve and a sensor for the two rear wheels.  Speed sensor used for the back wheels is situated in the back axle.

This system offers individual control over the front wheels, to allow them to both attain optimum braking force. The back wheels, however, tend to be monitored together; both of them need to begin to lock up before the ABS activates on the rear. Using this system, it is quite possible that any one of the back wheels might lock during the stop, lowering brake effectiveness.

Four-channel, four-sensor ABS

This is actually the best system. It is equipped with a speed sensor on each of the four wheels along with an independent valve for those four wheels. Using this arrangement, the controller monitors every wheel independently to ensure it is attaining optimum braking force.

With the approach of 2012 already, Toyota features a new big surprise awaiting the bio-lovers, it is definitely the 2012 TOYOTA Prius Plug-in Hybrid, a brand new zero emission Prius guaranteeing fuel efficiency as good as 61.0 km/liter.

Toyota – after many years of doggedly proclaiming that the hybrid system of Prius wasn’t suitable for a plug-in system, and consistently cautioning that lithium-battery-driven plug-in hybrid cars had been very expensive and the technology is still unproven, will introduce the Prius Plug-in Hybrid in the market in coming March. Simply the most identified hybrid car on the US roads, the brand new Prius with-a-plug redefines ideal marksmanship. Here is a short review of the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid.

Toyota Prius 2012 Plug-in Hybrid – What to expect?

Since the hybrid leader and pioneer, it seems sensible that Toyota might be the leaders in the subsequent affordable gasoline-electric technology.  The prime advantage of using a plug-in hybrid is not that it may be driven solely on electricity for numerous miles, but the fact that it removes range anxiety.  Once the battery runs out, the Prius Plug-in just turns into a traditional hybrid and can be again refueled with gasoline fuel when required and provides fuel economy which exceeds gasoline-powered automobiles.

Generally, Toyota’s stand is that plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles having smaller and cheaper battery packs – as opposed to pure electric powered cars having larger and extremely costly packs – offer the maximum versatility and value for customers overall.  Whilst the car by itself is sure to catch your attention, the debate is whether the Prius Plug-in too heavily priced?

Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid 2012 Features

Looks:

When Toyota Prius initially arrived, it did not gain significant appreciation for its looks. The Prius has been always an extremely simple and straightforward car with no-excessive styling. Nevertheless, this simplicity is exactly what grew to be its hallmark. In the past couple of years, we have come across numerous hybrids replicating exactly identical outlook. The forthcoming Prius doesn’t look different – apart from the PHEV decals.

The 2012 Toyota Prius hybrid is going to be made available in 2 trim levels – basic as well as advanced. If you choose the advanced one you’ll get a much better looking car having unique features and styling which includes automatic LED headlights.

The actual change is underneath the hood of the forthcoming Prius. It’s going to use Hybrid Synergy Drive. The engine is 1.8 liter 4 cylinder VVT-i gasoline engine which can generate 98 hp at 5200 rpm. This engine works in conjunction with 2 high-output electric motors. One of the two motors generates 56 hp or 42 kw and functions as a gasoline engine’s starter. The second motor churns out 56 hp or 60kw to power primary components. This makes the entire 2012 Prius’ output to be approximately 134 bhp.

Lithium-ion Batteries

As it is a plug-in hybrid, it will even be utilizing a lithium-ion battery placed directly under the rear cargo floor. It could store as much as 5.2 kWh of charge. Three diverse batteries are utilized in Toyota Prius PHEV. Until the first pair of battery packs gets depleted the car will function in all-electric mode. Whenever the Prius is working on the third battery, Prius Car will function as a standard hybrid vehicle.

Capacity, Performance and Economy

During the road test drive, Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid accelerated from 0 to 60 in only 10.7 seconds whereas it achieved the highest speed of 112 mph. While in entirely electric mode, it may possibly not surpass the maximum limit of 62mph. To acquire the satisfying performance, consumers can select from 3 diverse modes; the all electric mode, Power Mode (hybrid) and Eco mode (hybrid).

It will probably be in a position to provide fuel efficiency of 61.0 km/L. It was also verified from road tests that the forthcoming plug in Prius should be able to provide an excellent 49 mpg on the highway and amazingly the battery power by itself is sufficient for fifteen miles. The car battery may take barely about 3 hours to be totally charged.

Safety Features

The TOYOTA Prius Plug-in Hybrid 2012 is really a safer car compared to all of the earlier Prius. It is going to come packed with several security features on standard Prius. Features like traction control and antilock stability, disc brakes, front side airbags, full length side curtain airbags, a driver knee airbag and hill start assist have all been provided with the base trim, the advanced version will also provide an alternative of pre-collision warning system. The forthcoming Prius in addition manages to obtain a complete 5 star crash test rating.