Motor car manufacturers derive overall targets in a number of different ways, but the purpose is always the same: "to think rigorously about the future profitability." Some Japanese manufacturers agreed to classifying target costing as a profit-management tool rather than as a cost-control tool applied by many other UK-based car manufacturers. In both cases, however, the task is to assess and calculate the costs that must not be exceeded if acceptable margins from specific car models at specific price points are to be realized. For many traditional UK-based manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors and Rover, this order of logic represents a radical shift in thinking. Traditionally, the UK manufacturers perform financial analysis associated with car development only after much of the development work has been done, and then only to determine whether to continue investment. In contrast to the Japanese target costing system, a financial analysis done early in the design process can accomplish much more. It can tell design teams and general managers a great deal about what is required to make the car a success. As one management accountant explained: "...in both cases, the nature of the analysis may be the same, but shifts in timing and focus make a huge difference