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Old 04-25-2011, 11:21 PM   #6 (permalink)
jginnane
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In a few months, pre-disaster Nissans may command a premium over these (that were built/shipped after March 18th). I wouldn't want to profit on Japan's misfortune -- but also, I would not want to buy a car that was "only slightly radioactive".

In the intermediate term I expect Nissan and the other Japanese manufacturers to step up production in Taiwan (for domestic Japanese consumption) and look to develop even more international assembly locations. Toyota/Lexus got bit particularly hard by this disaster, by having high value-add components like ECUs manufactured exclusively in Japan.

In the longer term, depending on how the auto-buying market reacts, we may see the subsistence of the Nissan logo and re-emergence of the Renault brand -- which after all, is (with the French government) approximately a 50% part-owner of Nissan.
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