Daikin Is the Rolls-Royce of Air Conditioners, Says French HVAC Industry

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Europe has been hit by increasingly severe summer heatwaves in recent years, and France — a country that historically had little need for air conditioning — is feeling it hard. Air conditioning penetration in French homes remains low compared to Japan or the US, partly due to climate traditions and partly due to the practical and aesthetic challenges of installing split-type AC units in older European buildings, where drilling through stone walls or disrupting the visual harmony of a facade can be a serious local issue.

A Japanese user shared a tidbit from a conversation with a French HVAC installer: in France's growing AC market, Daikin is apparently regarded as the Rolls-Royce of air conditioners, with Mitsubishi positioned as the Mercedes — both in performance and price. The post sparked a lively discussion in Japan, mixing pride, humor, and a few observations about what it actually takes to sell high-end hardware in Europe.

For context, Daikin is a Japanese multinational that is already the world's largest HVAC manufacturer by revenue. Its products command premium prices globally. Mitsubishi's AC lineup in Japan is split between two separate companies — Mitsubishi Electric (brand name: Kirigamine) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (brand name: Beaver) — a distinction that, as you'll see, immediately sparked confusion even among Japanese users.

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A French AC installer told me that Daikin is the Rolls-Royce of the air conditioner world. And apparently Mitsubishi is the Mercedes — both in performance and price.

フランスのエアコン業者の方は、ダイキンはエアコン界のロールスロイスと言ってました。ちなみに三菱はメルセデスだそうです（性能・価格ともに）。

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Since they can sell at a high price, I want them to actually charge a proper premium. Don’t undercut yourselves.

高くしても売れるのでちゃんとした高価格で売って欲しい　安く売っちゃダメだよ

Agricultural machinery brands like Kubota and Komatsu are held in similarly high regard over there. My father-in-law’s friend was going on and on about how they just don’t break down.

Kubota, Komatsuなどの農業機械系も相当崇められていたはずです。とにかく故障しないと義理父の友人が熱弁してました。

It seems like Mitsubishi is more common in residential use — probably because of the price point.

家庭用は三菱が多い気がしますが価格のせいなのかもしれませんね

But which Mitsubishi are we talking about — Mitsubishi Electric (Kirigamine) or Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Beaver)? (There are two entirely separate Mitsubishi AC brands in Japan — Kirigamine by Mitsubishi Electric and Beaver by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries — with no corporate connection between them.)

その三菱は、三菱電気(霧ヶ峰)なのか三菱重工(ビーバー)なのか

I think serviceability is the weak point for Japanese AC units. Eventually I think other countries will catch up.

日本のエアコンはメンテナンス性がネックだと思う。そのうち他の国に負けると思う。

Japan!! Business opportunity!!!

日本！！ビジネスチャンス！！！

W-what about Shirokuma-kun…? (Shirokuma-kun, meaning “Little Polar Bear,” is the beloved mascot of Hitachi’s AC lineup — a popular mid-range brand in Japan.)

し、しろくまくんは…？

I was working at an AC factory over ten years ago, and even back then we were skipping weekends to assemble boards whenever a heatwave hit France. And yet the adoption rate is still low. Maybe when it’s not a heatwave year, people just forget. But I think we’re reaching the point where that attitude isn’t sustainable anymore.

私がエアコンの工場で働いていたのはもう10年以上前だけど、その頃もフランスに熱波が来て必要だからと休日返上で基盤組んでたんだけど、まだ普及率低いんですよね。熱波じゃ無い年には喉元過ぎて備えなくなるのかも。でももうそろそろそんな事言ってる場合じゃ無くなってくるんでしょうね。

The installation labor — drilling holes for the refrigerant lines and all that — probably costs more than the unit itself.

エアコン自体の値段より、冷媒配管用に穴を空けるなどとインストールの工賃の方が高そうですな

Up until the early 2000s, European mass-market cars basically didn’t come with AC, and when they made Japan-spec versions the retrofit vibes were overwhelming — like the compressor eating up the entire glove box and leaving no room for anything. …And even when they did have it, it barely worked and broke all the time.

21世紀初頭までは、欧州（大衆）車も基本エアコンなしで、日本仕様では後付け感が凄くかった。グローブボックスをコンプレッサーが占拠しててモノが入らないとか普通だったからなあ。…まあ、あっても全然効かねえし壊れんだけどね。

Huh, so we got a Mercedes then. Though there are still nights here when it’s below 20°C, so we barely use it. Oh well, at least we pay for the weather I guess. (Property tax is high here.)

そうかあ。うちは三菱入れました。しかし今でも夜20度なく寒いような日もあるから余り使わないです。まあその分固定資産税が高いわけですが。（天気代）

Huh. I’m Team Daikin myself… It really seems rough over there in Europe. I wish Japan could do something to help 😭 People’s lives are at stake…

ほー。私はダイキン派...。ほんとにヨーロッパが大変そうで、日本から何か支援ができればと思う😭命がかかってる...

Maybe we’ll soon see a “Daikin Phantom” or a “Daikin Silver Ghost”? (The Rolls-Royce Phantom and Silver Ghost are iconic luxury car models.) Who would have thought the day would come when the Red Diamond logo competes with the Three-Pointed Star (lol). (Daikin’s logo features a red diamond shape; the Three-Pointed Star is Mercedes-Benz’s symbol.)

ダイキン・ファントムとかダイキン・シルバーゴーストとか名前が付く日も近い？まさかレッドダイヤモンドがスリーポインテッドスターに匹敵する日が来るとは(笑)。

I’ve got three Rolls-Royces at home!

うちにはロールスロイスが３台ある！

My AC is a Rolls-Royce, baby!

うちのエアコンロールスロイスだぜ！

So last year we bought two Mercedeses at once, huh. 😅 (The AC installer said it was the best value that won’t break down.)

去年、我が家はメルセデスを２台まとめて買ったという事か。😅(エアコン工事屋さんの、安くて壊れない一番のお勧めだった。)

When I was in Greece, I saw an AC unit that said “Toyotomi” on it — is that a Japanese brand?

ギリシャ行った時、エアコンにToyotomiって書いてあったんだけど、日本メーカー？

In May I replaced my bedroom Daikin — had it for over a decade — with a Mitsubishi. The Daikin was tough but the outdoor unit got loud. Next month’s bank statement is going to hurt ; The appliance store pushed all kinds of other brands on us but my wife and I both refused ;

5月に十数年使った寝室のダイキンエアコンを三菱に買い換えました。ダイキンは丈夫でしたがうちのは室外機の音がうるさかったです。来月の口座引き落としが泣きそうです；電気屋では他社の機種も色々勧められましたが妻も私も拒否しました；

Five years into using a Daikin in the south of France. Absolutely a Rolls-Royce. We happened to know the installer beforehand, and they told us Daikin is the top pick in France — so we got one for our place and for my in-laws’ at the same time.

南仏でダイキン使用5年目です。まさにロールスロイス。たまたま工事業者さんとはそれ以前から知り合いでしたが、フランスにおいてはダイキンが最推しとの意見をいただき、我が家も義父母宅も同時にダイキン導入しました。

A French friend told me that back in the 90s when home AC was still rare, Daikin units were basically all you’d see — so “Daikin” became a generic word for AC for her. Whether that was just her circle or something more widespread, I have no idea lol.

フランス人の友人はまだ家庭用エアコンが珍しかった90年代はダイキン製ばかり見かけたので「ダイキン」で一般名詞化してる、と言ってました彼女の周辺でそうだったのか普遍的だったのかは知る由もありませんがw

Whoever makes a beautiful outdoor unit will win. The current France-spec units are big and black. How do you solve that?

「美しい室外機」を作ったメーカーが勝つ。今のフランス仕様のは黒くて大きい。それをどうやって克服するのか。

Daikin, please develop an outdoor unit that works with the scenery‼️ And I think that could absolutely sell as a premium product in Japan 🇯🇵 too.

ダイキンさん、ぜひ景観を味方に付ける室外機の開発を‼️なお、国内🇯🇵でも付加価値付きとして十分勝算あると考えます。

In Europe, installing even one AC unit at a private home can be a community-level ordeal — something that disrupts the neighborhood order. Who could’ve imagined we’d reach a world where you die without a “heat exchanger.” Meanwhile in Japan, the knowledge of how to maintain rice paddies is on the verge of being lost. Turns out “if you want to eat rice, preserving irrigation culture is essential” — and nobody saw that coming either.

欧州では個人宅へのエアコン1台の設置が地域社会の秩序を揺るがすレベルの大ごとで、至難「『熱交換器』を備えないと死ぬ世界」になるなんて想像してなかったニッポンでは『田んぼ』の作りかた維持のしかたの知見が失われる瀬戸際「米を食いたいなら『水利』の文化継承が必須」とか全然わかってなかった

Those two brands are expensive in Japan too. Panasonic is comparatively affordable.

日本でもその2社のは高い。Panasonicは比較的お安め

So then what’s Fujitsu General — a Prius? (Fujitsu General makes mid-range, energy-efficient AC units — reliable and sensible, much like Toyota’s Prius.)

じゃあ富士通ゼネラルは？プリウスかな

So Daikin is the Rolls-Royce of AC! I hope they keep causing a sensation 😊

ダイキンはエアコン界のロールスロイスなんですね！扇風を巻き起こして欲しいです😊

Iris Ohyama: “Hey there.” (Iris Ohyama is a budget-friendly Japanese home appliance brand — the opposite end of the spectrum from Daikin and Mitsubishi.)

アイリスオーヤマ「やぁ」

My take

It's a matter of life support at this point, so you really do want to pick something good.

#Impressive #Culture #Tech

Source & translation note

Comments loosely translated for tone. Reactions collected from Togetter and X threads.

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