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Edward Niedermeyer
For Edward Niedermeyer's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2018
Elon Musk is today's Henry Ford — and that's bad
As Tesla pursues lower retail prices and higher volumes, its ambivalent attitude toward the principles of mass production of modern cars seems increasingly likely to sabotage its powerful brand.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 25, 2016
Volkswagen's diesel crisis is now a global threat
The auto-emissions scandal is only going to grow, destroying the capital and credibility of automakers in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2015
You say you want an automotive revolution?
Though new technologies, ideas and companies are challenging the entire automotive paradigm and upsetting almost a century of stable evolution, the industry's ability to adapt should not be underestimated.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 22, 2015
When will drivers say 'enough is enough'?
If the automotive industry loses the public's trust, it widens the opportunity for Silicon Valley companies to foment disruptions of the entire business.
COMMENTARY / World
May 1, 2015
VW Chairman Piech is out: Bottom lines are in
The departure of VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech reflect a fundamental transition in the auto industry, from a tradition of romantic, product-focused leaders back toward a more rational, process-focused approach.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2015
The Chevy Volt and Obama's green legacy
The Obama administration's commitment to an unrealistic environmental goal and GM's arrogance made the Chevy Volt one of the most notable automotive flops in recent history.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 24, 2014
How exploding air bags infected U.S. roads
The global auto industry had plenty to worry about in 2014 as it navigated shifting technological and economic tides, the usual brutal forces of competition and consolidation, and a host of other threats: volatile fuel prices, the technological arms race toward battery- and hydrogen-electric vehicles, maturing developed markets, the rise of mobility-sharing apps such as Uber and the specter of self-driving cars. But an even greater horror stalked the auto industry this year, leaving a trail of dead customers, baffled executives and livid regulators: Takata's exploding air bags.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2014
Did the U.S. auto industry learn anything?
With General Motors' Chevrolet Volt and Chrysler's government-mandated 1.4-liter turbocharged engine failing in the marketplace, the two American automakers find themselves falling further behind in a technological arms race that has as much to do with innovation as it does with saving the environment.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 1, 2014
GM is no transformer and that's the problem
General Motors' inability to look outside of itself for talent, relying on company lifers even in the face of undeniable evidence of deep cultural rot, is what you'd expect from a corporation for which sponsoring a movie about car-robots from outer space seems to count as a meaningful step toward actual transformation.
COMMENTARY / World
May 30, 2014
Why Google's self-driving car terrifies Detroit
Perhaps the U.S. auto industry's biggest problem right now is that the usually slavish press is going crazy for the Google self-driving car prototype in ways that the carmakers haven't been able to inspire in a long time.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?