Last week, Nissan opened a long-overdue permanent heritage gallery at the heart of their Yokohama headquarters building, allowing millions of casual visitors to experience the company’s history. Some carmakers have museums, some have hidden collections, some have heritage parts programs. In general, though, the European brands and select American models enjoy much stronger factory support than the Japanese marques. Take the Guggenheim-like Porsche museum in Stuttgart, or the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center’s restorations, or even Jaguar’s future-proofing of its own vintage icons.
When we’ve talked to representatives of Japanese manufacturers regarding why they don’t have more programs like that, the typical reasons given have related to lack of funds and the pressure to succeed in new car sales (and the fact that heritage programs would sap resources from that goal). These are valid concerns for any business, but perhaps there’s room for both.
How should Japanese carmakers honor their history?
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