We all aspire to have a new car when we grow up, right? Fast, independent, status...Well, apparently not.
Japanese car makers are worried the downturn over the past decade is part of a deeper generational shift among their young consumers. Unlike their parents' generation, which viewed cars as the passport to freedom and higher social status, it appears web-savvy Japanese youth today regards cars with indifference – they no longer depend on a car for shopping, entertainment and socialising. A survey last year of Japanese in their 20s and 30s discovered that only 25% of Japanese men in their 20s wanted a car, down from 48% in 2000.
