Japan races to overtake Detroit

摘要

January may normally offer a chance for a fresh start, but for the folks in Detroit the new year began with some old problems that won't go away, and the threat of more plant closures and job cuts. On the other side of the globe, Toyota entered 2006 set to become the world's largest carmaker. Oil industry executives, meanwhile, were wondering whether they can repeat last year's record profits, while environmentalists pondered how to live up to resolutions calling for still-cleaner cars. And consumers hoped to see more of the same: more car, that is, for less money.