During World War II, retreating Japanese forces, when embarking on a truck, would pray that its make was American, because that would mean their escape was assured. If the vehicle were of Toyota manufacture, the soldiers would ritually drink water, the action of a samurai who knows he is about to die. Such was the perception of Toyota. The company is now the #1 manufacturer of automobiles in the world, overtaking once indestructible General Motors. The Toyota Strategy is the story of how it happened and how the company's success may be replicated.
Honda Motors is a household name in North America, but has lost much of its clout in its native Japan. The Honda Myth is part biography (of the founding Honda), part analysis of the company's successes and failures, written by Masaaki Sato, who is absolutely peerless in his depth of reportage on the Japanese automotive industry.
