Detroit Is Fighting Back

Automakers win quotas on Japanese imports and roll out new models

American carmakers last week had one eye firmly fixed on the cashbox and the other on Japan. As the seemingly endless flood of auto company losses continued, the Reagan Administration finally won an agreement with the Japanese government for a "voluntary" cutback of up to three years in the number of autos exported to the U.S. Meanwhile, Detroit was preparing for this week's launching of the latest answer to sluggish auto sales and the Japanese imports: the General Motors J-cars.

The agreement came...