During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Japan’s automotive industry was booming. For the first time, other world markets began importing Japanese cars in large numbers. The country’s products were increasingly gaining a foothold in the United States because they were reliable, affordable, and high-quality. Another important and beloved aspect of early Japanese models was their fuel economy, which, following the first Oil Crisis in 1973, became a significant part of the average American car buyer’s decision-making process. The influx of cash from their expanding, worldwide sales allowed the domestic Japanese car market to grow, both in overall scale and in the size of the models themselves.
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