Canadian manufactured Japanese vehicles are taking up the slack created by layoffs at the "Big Three" manufacturing plants, with the production of over 900,000 cars in 2006, according to a recent study from Statistics Canada.

This shift, which may be driven by the consumer belief that Japanese vehicles are more reliable and much more economical, has helped stabilize Ontario's automotive industry even as the “Big Three” are closing plants.

Here is a summary of key findings from the report:

• Japanese manufacturers have increased their share of domestic production in Canada from 16 per cent in 1998 to over one-third (36 per cent) last year.
• Exports of Canadian-manufactured Japanese vehicles rose by one-third ($10.1 billion to $15.9 billion) from 1999 to 2006.
• Exports of North American automakers have been on the decline since 1999, when they hit a high of $51 Billion.
• Equality of import to domestic when both trucks and cars are considered.
• When only cars are accounted for, import automakers have outsold domestics every year since 2001.
• Japanese automakers are starting to make headway in SUV sales, once dominated by American manufacturers.

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