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Half of Chinese car buyers won't shop Japanese over hard feelings

The hard feelings between China and Japan is no real secret. Besides modern-day disputes, the two countries have had a long-running enmity that dates back to well before the atrocities of World War II. All things considered, then, it shouldn't be a shock that half of Chinese car buyers wouldn't consider a Japanese car. This survey, conducted by Bernstein Research, found that 51 percent of 40,000 Chinese consumers wouldn't even consider a Japanese car – which, again, isn't really surprising, when you consider stories like this. According to Bernstein, the most troubling thing is the location of these sentiments – smaller, growing cities where the population is going to need sets of wheels. We imagine it wouldn't be as big of an issue in traffic-clogged Shanghai or Beijing, but these small cities are going to become a major focus for automakers. "Nationalistic feelings are an impediment. [Japanese] premium brands will struggle," analyst Max Warburton wrote in a research note, according to The Wall Street Journal. Things will improve for Japanese makes, although China will remain a challenge, with Warburton writing, "the one thing that comes out most clearly is that most Chinese really want a German car. While we expect Japanese brands to continue to recover market share this year, ultimately the market will belong to the Germans." There are a few other insights from the study. According to WSJ, Japanese brands are viewed better than Korean brands, and they're seen as more comfortable than the offerings from Germany or the US, despite the fact that everyone in China apparently wants a German car. This is a tough position for the Japanese makes to be in, as there's really not a lot they can do to win favor with Chinese buyers. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, particularly as the importance of the PRC continues to increase year after year. News Source: The Wall Street Journal - sub. req.Image Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP / Getty Images Honda Mazda Nissan Toyota Car Buying

Thieves still love older Hondas and pickups most, says NICB [w/video]

No one wants to have their car stolen, but a new study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau has some bad news for older Honda owners and pickup drivers. Fortunately, it has better news for drivers overall. The group is reporting that according to preliminary data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, thefts were down 3.2 percent in 2013 (versus 2012) to fewer than 700,000 cars. That's the lowest figure since 1967. That's also less than half of the peak of over 1.66 million thefts in 1991. "The drop in thefts is good news for all of us," says NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. "But it still amounts to a vehicle being stolen every 45 seconds and losses of over $4 billion a year."
Honda drivers might not find it such good news with older Accord and Civic models topping this year's theft study. Toyota and Dodge can't really celebrate, either, with two models each on the list, as well. Overall, this year's list was split evenly between foreign and domestic models, which were mostly pickups.
The 10 most likely vehicles to be stolen in 2013 were:

Honda issues 'do not drive' order for older cars with recalled Takata airbags

Honda and Acura instructed owners of more than 8,000 cars built from 2001-2003 to park them until they can have their Takata airbags replaced as part of the ongoing global campaign to eliminate millions of deadly inflators. Honda says the "Alpha" generation Takata inflators can fail at rates as high as 50%, causing potentially fatal injuries from flying shrapnel in the event of a collision.  Honda and Acura models with the "Alpha" generation Takata airbags include:  2001-2002 Honda Accord  2001-2002 Honda Civic  2002 Honda CR-V  2002 Honda Odyssey  2003 Honda Pilot  2002-2003 Acura 3.2 TL  2003 Acura 3.2CL "Approximately 8,200 Honda and Acura vehicles with the most dangerous airbags are still being driven today. Honda has replaced or accounted for more than 99% of Alpha inflators, but it is absolutely critical that these remaining vehicle owners act now to protect themselves and their loved ones," Honda's announcement said. "These vehicles are 20 to 22 years old now, and the risk to vehicle occupants is dire. Alpha air bags are some of the oldest under recall, and they have a 50% failure rate. If the inflators rupture, the metal fragments ejected toward the driver’s face could kill or leave them with devastating, life-altering injuries." Honda and Acura are far from the only brands whose models were built with defective inflators. A campaign has been underway for the better part of a decade to replace millions of the devices worldwide as drivers continue to die from injuries caused by exploding inflators.  All such repairs are free of charge to customers. Acura/Honda Customer Service can be reached at 888-234-2138 or by visiting their Takata website.   Recalls Acura Honda Ownership Safety Takata airbag recall