Is big about to get big again in the automotive industry? That appears to be the prediction of Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan, which historically have been better known for their smaller vehicles.
In the 2008 to 2011 model years, the Japanese Big Three plan to expand their U.S. product lines with new nameplates and models that will be more powerful and bigger than ever, according to a recent report in Automotive News, a trade publication.
These automakers aren’t necessarily going after the market for huge sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks, according to the report, but they’re planning expanded U.S. product lines with sporty, high-horsepower cars — such as the Nissan GT-R with 450 horsepower, or the LF-1 sports car — and larger vehicles like the popular Honda Accord and the Toyota Sequoia SUV, both of which are larger in their redesigned, 2008 versions.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Over the last few years, as gasoline prices have spiked to new highs, conventional wisdom has said that America’s love affair with SUVs and trucks has soured and that in the future drivers will flock to more fuel-efficient subcompacts like the Toyota Yaris or the Honda Fit, making small cars the fastest-growing segment of the new-vehicle market.
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