For the last quarter-century, Toyota, Honda and Nissan have strived to appear to American consumers like homegrown companies, building factories in the South and employing local workers. Yet the Japanese "transplants" have worked hard not to resemble an American car company in one vital respect: how they treat their retirees. These companies show far less commitment to their retired workers, giving them a significant advantage over companies like GM.
See "Japanese Cars, American Retirees", Eduardo Porter, The New York Times, May 18, 2006