Japanese made Leafs vs. USA made leafs

You know, I was thinking. My friend the Toyota mechanic was telling me recently how there are differences between vehicles made in Japan and in the USA. They may have the exact same name (such as Toyota Camry, etc) but they will use different parts in them and he tells me the Japanese versions are always more reliable. I wonder what differences there will be with the Leafs made in Smyrna.

adric22 said:

You know, I was thinking. My friend the Toyota mechanic was telling me recently how there are differences between vehicles made in Japan and in the USA. They may have the exact same name (such as Toyota Camry, etc) but they will use different parts in them and he tells me the Japanese versions are always more reliable. I wonder what differences there will be with the Leafs made in Smyrna.

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Yes - it will be interesting to see what different issues come out of Smyrna then came out of Japan.

When the Japanese first started building cars in the US, folks used to hunt for some obscure option for the car that the parts were only available in Japan - thus insuring that the car they would get would need to be manufactured in Japan and shipped to the US. Don't suppose any other those will exist with the Leaf - except maybe if you insist on right hand drive

adric22 said:

You know, I was thinking. My friend the Toyota mechanic was telling me recently how there are differences between vehicles made in Japan and in the USA. They may have the exact same name (such as Toyota Camry, etc) but they will use different parts in them and he tells me the Japanese versions are always more reliable. I wonder what differences there will be with the Leafs made in Smyrna.

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Very true. I can't attest to reliability but as far as performance, Japanese automotive manufacturer have always kept the best for themselves. The Nissan Silvia is the best example. It was sold in the US as the Nissan 240SX from '89-'98. the JDM version came w/ the sacred SR20DET which, by the time they got to their last iteration of the Silvia (S15) it produced 250bhp. For the US version we ended up w/ the same exact chassis but the engine was a KA24D(E) and the most it ever made was 155bhp.

Why they do this, I dunno. Think they might still be upset at us about how WWII turned out?

Drivesolo said:

Why they do this, I dunno. Think they might still be upset at us about how WWII turned out?

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US market is more price sensitive than Japanese or EU market.

evnow said:

US market is more price sensitive than Japanese or EU market.

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Exactly, and I would fully expect to see lower MSRP on the MY2013 Leaf.