Why do they have certain brands of cars in Panama that they do not have in the USA ?

Question

The Toyota HiLux truck or the Nissan -Bluebird car for example.

Answer 1

Because those cars are more popular in Panama.

Answer 2

It is partially marketing, where similar models may be known by different names depending on the local language of the country involved. The vehicle names sometimes sound odd or inappropriate in some languages, so getting a name sound right to a local language is a concern.

Also the regulations are very different in different countries, some countries such as USA may require features such as airbags or smog control that are too expensive for many consumers in other countries, while the features may be offered as "options" not "standard".

Finally it is a matter of competition, the US auto market has a lot of companies that have established market share, and there may not be a need to import a similar car make from another country if it is made locally or the market is already dominated by a successful established import model. Such concerns are less in Panama where many of the US automakers have limited presence. For example in the US the large pickup market is dominated by US made models, but in Panama there are relatively few US made vehicles, and with established Toyota markets and dealers for the smaller pickups, Toyota also dominates the larger pickup truck market, where they decided it was not worth competeing in that market as much in the USA.

Since the US has a longer tradition of mass auto ownership there are very large numbers of used autos on the market, therefore there is less of a demand for very inexpensive entry level autos. In Latin America, the auto market is growing rapidly and there are not enough used cars to meet the demand, and many more "economy" autos are desired by the local consumers to buy as their first car.

Answer 3

the market in each country is different...what i realized as well, is that it also depends on the climate of each part of the world...some cars just won't be practical depending on where they were originally made for...

two hundred years ago when i was in my early twenties before coming to the US...there was this car named 'Lada' it was like the poor man's Kia...the $#ittiest car...you know the one you don't want people to know that you own....but, now that i'm here, i understand how practical it was there because it was made specifically for the weather in central america....

i like the fact that there is an entire different market out there...at least i know that when i go back home i can rent a total different car and feel all funkified...

Answer 4

I don't actually know the answer to this question, however  what I do know is that even some of the names we are familiar with aren't manufactured in the same country the same models in the US are manufactured.  For instance a lot of the Hondas and Nissans are manufactured in Mexico and the feeling here in Panama among a lot of the locals are that the Mexican made cars aren't worth bringing home.  

We bought a Hyundai Terracan, not available in the US.  Maybe they aren't as practical since these are diesel engines and there's too many winter months to support the challenges of having diesel fuel in the winter.  However, these are SUVs (called CRVs in Panama) five speed transmissions, with jump seats in the rear.  We love ours and have had it over a year with no issues just scheduled maintenance.

Answer 5

Hilux was renamed Tacoma in USA, the Bluebird was renamed the Altima. It seems car manufacturers have found that more exotic, organic, and less mechanical sounding names sell cars better in USA. Hilux for instance sounds like a robot or something. Other countries sometimes have other names than USA, hence the difference. Japan still calls the Bluebird the Bluebird.

Answer 6

The answer is simple. Countries are different and so are markets. Big companies tend to design and create different vehicles for different countries. This is because the want to fit the needs of each specific country. For example, you may see big sedans and pick-up trucks in the US while small coupe and sport cars in Europe, that is due to the fact that europeans like smaller cars. Also brands can be different with same car but that is due to the distribuitor brand in the country. Nowadays that in the whole world there are just a few real car manufacturers that have bought other companies and therefore design their own cars, but sell them under another name beacause they are better known in a certain place. i.e: Some Isuzu models can be found under Chevrolet brand.