Importers grab the spotlight

Score one for the importers. Japanese automakers may have dominated this year's Tokyo Motor Show in terms of flashy new hardware, but it was the foreign manufacturers who led in optimism. Although numbers remain small, importers are the most upbeat about their chances for growth, while domestic producers are girding for another tough 12 months. "It's been the RV (recreational vehicle [sport/utilities, minivans and station wagons]) segment and imports that have been on the rise," sums up Honda Motor Co. Ltd. President and Chief Executive Nobuhiko Kawamoto. "And we don't expect much improvement through the end of this year and into next."