Toyota's French Connection: Trends in Japanese-European Automotive Relations - Tapa blanda

In March 1999, Renault bought a controlling interest in Nissan. Only months before Renault's foray into the Japanese market, Toyota, Japan's most profitable car marker, announced its decision to build its latest European production facility in northern France. Although greeted with less media attention, Toyota's investment decision was equally remarkable. The author analyzes liberalization trends in both the Japanese and the European automotive markets and the reaction of manufacturers to such trends.

S.J. Kewley is the managing director of the Eurasia Consortium. He is Lecturer in International Business at the Canterbury Business School, the University of Kent.