Namely: now that everyone builds reliable cars efficiently, Westerners are increasingly buying cars for emotional reasons, rather as they buy clothes. Now that cars, like clothes, fulfil all basic requirements, so colour, style, labels and image matter more and more. Unfortunately for the Japanese, the Europeans have always been better at serving up emotion.European cars are still, by and large, prettier, sassier and more avant- garde. They use better quality materials in the cabins and have more image than their Japanese equivalents. They are toys, not simply tools.The main reason that no British-made Japanese cars have ever sold as well as expected is because of their poor street cred Toyota Carina Es look boring. The dull-looking Nissan Primera has been no more successful at muscling into the Mondeo/Cavalier market than the Carina E.

The Micra looks too much like a Noddy car seriously to attract the women who were supposed to like its “friendly” face. And the Honda Accord is one of the rarest sights on British roads. You might as well buy a Rover 600 – the same car wrapped in more appealing clothes.Further upmarket, the challenge is even more difficult for the Japanese. Big, expensive Japanese coups have never sold well in Europe, such is the extra cachet of the Porsche or Jaguar badges The same is true of big, luxury cars. Not even the undoubted mechanical excellence of Toyota’s Lexus LS400 has swayed Europeans from buying Mercedes or BMWs instead.There are other challenges ahead for the Japanese. Their safety net, a massively loyal home market, is likely to be filled with holes as Japanese buyers become more promiscuous and as European and American cars become better value Sales of imports rose 40 per cent last year in Japan. Plus: Korea and other emerging carbuilding nations are increasingly able to serve up dependable cars much more cheaply.At the recent Geneva show, the Europeans were in an ebullient mood, partly owing to the discomfort of the Japanese.

“There will be a shake- up, there will be some pain, and there may even be some casualties,” commented one European executive “But Japan will be back We all know that. Still, who can blame us for celebrating after the lean times we’ve had?”The strength of the Japanese recovery, whenever it happens, depends on their ability to innovate. The true mettle of their car makers is about to be tested, as never before.. The restrained, play-safe looks of the new five-door Civic belie the significance of Honda’s latest model.