Business Wars

It’s 1945. Japan lies in ruins in the aftermath of World War II. The population’s starving, the cities are reduced to rubble, and the nation’s defeated. But from the war-torn wreckage, two motor giants are about to rise. The first is Toyota. It’s the brainchild of Kiichiro Toyoda, the big-dreaming son of a wealthy industrialist who wants to create Japan’s answer to Ford. But the other contender must travel a harder road...

It’s the 1960s and Honda’s about to speed into the car market before Japan’s government can put up legal roadblocks to stop it. Meanwhile,Toyota’s already zooming ahead. Its latest models are about to take Japan by storm and arm it with the funds it needs to make another run at the U.S.A. But to break America, Toyota and Honda will need to outmanoeuvre the auto titans of Detroit. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+...

It’s the 1980s and the American backlash against the Japanese automobile invasion is growing. With a US-Japan trade war looming, Honda and Toyota need workarounds fast. But Honda’s no longer content just selling small cars with low profit margins. It wants a piece of Mercedes and BMW’s action too. And when Honda unveils its plans, Toyota’s going to fall behind. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening...

The Year 2000 is approaching and Toyota’s new boss Hiroshi Okuda’s looking to the future. After years of cautious success, he wants to be bold and take the fight to the world’s motor king, General Motors. And to kickstart Toyota’s new direction, he wants Toyota to deliver the world’s first gasoline-electric hybrid. But Honda’s also working on an eco-car of its own and it’s about to crash the party. Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+...

The car market is changing rapidly. The race for the next big all-electric vehicle is on! American automakers like Ford and GM are ramping up their EV production — but so are South Korean car brands like Hyundai and Kia...

We're talking about corporate blunders at unicorn tech companies and how they recover — or don't. We're joined by Vanity Fair's Caleb Ecarma, Victoria Song from the Verge and comedian Matt Braunger, who's just released the new comedy special "Doug." Binge all episodes early and ad-free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/businesswars...