현대차는 영업이익 2위인데 일본차는 적자인 이유! '세계 1위' 일본 자동차 산업의 몰락

At the very moment Hyundai Motor Group overtook Volkswagen to claim the world's second-highest operating profit, Japan's Honda and Nissan were simultaneously faltering. Honda recorded its first deficit in 68 years since its IPO, while Nissan embarked on a large-scale restructuring, even selling off its headquarters building. During the same period, Hyundai Motor and Kia filled the void left by Japanese automakers in the U.S., India, and Brazil, achieving third-place sales and second-place operating profit. This video analyzes how Korean cars, once ridiculed as "cheap vehicles" in the U.S. in 1986, managed to overtake Japanese competitors. It examines three key strategies: local production, a strategy of simultaneously preparing for hybrid and electric vehicles, and the transition to Software-Driven Vehicles (SDVs). Furthermore, it explores why Korean cars maintain their advantage using residual value and reliability as weapons, even amidst the fierce pursuit of Chinese electric vehicles, and examines the final test remaining for Korean automakers: the competition in batteries and software. We offer an in-depth analysis of this scene in economic history—the decline of the Japanese automotive industry and the rise of Korean cars—using numbers and case studies. Do you think Korean cars have completely surpassed Japanese ones? Please share your opinion in the comments.