an observation about euro cars vs the rest...

[Festively Jolly]

   The increasing confidence and ability of japanese manufacturers
towards the end  of the 1980s saw them trying to expand into new markets
and directly challenge some of the most prestigious  car makers in the
world.  in the usa and europe, the japanese makers realized that their
image was suffering because of buyers' memories of their earlier cars
which were always reliable but rarely pretty and usually unfashionable.
  a number of japanese makers decided that all new branding was the waws
to conquer the elusive prestige markets dominated by the german brands.
nissan had invented infinity and toyota created  lexus- which proved to
be a massive success.  mazda decided to invent the Xedos - supposedly
pronounced 'K-see-dos' the US equivalent which would use the same 2
model range was called Amati, but was cancelled at the 11th hour at a
huge cost to the company.
  the Xedos 6 and the duller, bigger brother were not successful.  the
project proved that brand creation was impossible without genuine
technical innovation.