While the Japanese have dominated the US automobile market, we haven’t found that so much for the baby automobiles (or strollers as you might say).  Aprica, the top-selling stroller brand in Japan exited the US market in 2001 and we’ve heard very little about them since.   Well that is about to change!

Graco has purchased the Japanese company Aprica and is relaunching in the US with stroller designs and colors cherry picked for the US market.  While Graco has a lower-end but utilitarian reputation in the US, Aprica is being launched as a more sophisticated line for urban on-the-go parents who want a functional, but light, lightweight stroller.

While Quinny momentarily won over the lightweight market a couple of years ago with their sleek Zapp stroller, we’ve found these days that Baby Jogger City Minis, UPPABaby G-Luxe and G-lites and Maclarens seem to have the corner on most parents light-weight searches.  Stand-outs like the Valco Ion, brand new Cybex line, and Peg Perego Si have a tough time gaining momentum in this ultra-competitive market.

So how will Aprica fare as it readies for it’s 2010 release?  We’re guessing pretty well!  Why?

Aprica invited us to an exclusive San Francisco launch to debut their ready-for-US line and we were impressed. I have to admit, I knew Aprica from pre-2002 days and I didn’t think it would fare well in the US so I was skeptical.  Let me say, these were not the same Aprica’s.  Both lightweights they showed had solid, sturdy frames with fun eye-catching colors.  They were well thought-out introductions to gaining US parents trust and love.

Here’s what we liked:

1)   The seat is 4 inches higher than the Maclarens and UPPA’s of this world.  This give tons more basket room and easier to load and unload babies

2)   The weights are 14lbs and 12 lbs respectively for the two models – definitely within the weight limits parents like to consider for their lightweights

3)   Both models can be folded without bending down – wonderful for those in rainy or snowy climates who don’t want to get gross just to fold their stroller or any with back issues

4)   They both stand folded, nice for standing in public transit or just loading up your car

5)   Really nice removable padding (yes washable, we asked!)

6)   Awesome harness buckles – big and very easy to clip on and off or adjust sizing on

7)  Cool factor: they have a heat reflective element on the seat back so that the heat from the sidewalk gets reflected away from the seat, keeping your little one from baking in their stroller on hotter days.

8)   Canopy and recline are decent, 130-140 degrees.  I’m hoping they revamp the recline system though which is a big clunky

Also worth noting: Aprica has the deep pockets of Graco (and it’s parent company Newell-Rubbermaid) standing behind it and investing in brand development, recognition and customer service/warranty.  This is huge! It’s hard to love a stroller if you haven’t even heard about it or don’t trust the brand.   Aprica wants you to know who they are.

On a side note (pun intended), Aprica also debuted a side hip carrier.  It is simple and streamlined.  We loved everything about it except for the price.  At $60, I might just keep using my pouch sling from the newborn stage rather than investing in a separate hip carrier.  It was cute though!

So when are they out? Well depends where you are.  Aprica is launching in NY and CA in January 2010 with their 14 lb-er and hip carrier.  Their wider distribution and 12 lbs stroller will debut in July 2010.  We’ll definitely have them in January though!

P.S. These aren’t coming to the US but in case you wanted to spend $100 for infant shoes to help your baby walk faster – head to Japan!

So the question is what do YOU think? Does this new line sound attractive to you?

And yes, the cold still lingers and so does my penchant for puns.  We were really “carry-ed” away but some of the carrier improvements that have been introduced or are planning to be introduced that we saw at the 2009 ABC Trade Show.

First off our favorite and giveaway!

We have carried the Peanut Shell pouch sling carrier from almost it’s beginnings.  We loved the streamlined look, the complete ease-of-use, and the patterns.  I mean what is easier than putting a sling over your head and putting your baby right in – no adjustments needed.  With a similar sling-pouch but it’s own gorgeous design is the Serena and Lily Market slings which we have lusted after and adored as well.  Of course sizing is always an issue so often couples needed two slings for one baby depending on if Mom or Dad was holding Jr.

This is why we were blown away by the new Hotslings AP line of adjustable pouch slings.  Hotslings has always had amazing patterns but a seemingly infinite number of sizes (okay 9, but still!) – the AP line does away with this.  With 2 nicely hidden straps, you can now adjust the awesome Hotsling AP carrier from size 2 through size 5, fitting the overwhelming majority of sling wearers, even within the same family!

Besides fitting multiple wearers with the same sling, the Hotslings AP has other nice features.  The two adjustment straps are nicely hidden by what they call the “strap garage” so they are covered and don’t detract from the streamlined look – yet are easy to adjust in a moment.  There is padding on both interior and exterior rails for parent & baby comfort in all 3 positions (cradle, front carry and hip carry). Lastly there is a wide shoulder design because your sling should fit comfortably on your shoulder and not be bunched up around your neck straining you.

We loved the Hotslings AP so much we asked them if they would giveaway one to our readers as one of our favorite ABC products giveaway and they said “yes!”.  Not only that, you get to pick your pattern, thank you to the Hotslings folks for that awesome opportunity.  They even pointed us to a video to show you guys if my write-up didn’t convey the awesomeness enough.  See video below and details on how to win at the end of this post!

Beco Baby

Beco Baby had an early prototype of a new carrier for 2010 that will be sold side-by-side with their Butterfly Carrier called the Gemini.  The Gemini is more similar to an Ergo Baby Carrier in that the baby is right next to your body instead of in a pouch next to your body like the current Butterfly Carrier.  The Gemini includes a snap-able leg space that can be narrowed to allow you to carry your baby forward-facing as well as parent-facing.

We’re really thrilled about this newest offering and hope it lives up to it’s potential.  We see a lot of parents who want the back support and infant hip support of the Ergo and Beco Baby Carriers but want the forward-facing ability of a Baby Bjorn.  Let’s hope this new Gemini Carrier is just that perfect offering!

(Editor’s note: the new Cybex Carrier that is soon-to-be-released also promises to have the proper positioning of the Ergo with the forward facing capability.  It seemed a bit more intricate than the new Gemini model but I can say we honestly haven’t played with it enough to offer a full review – it’s one to watch though!)

Ergo Baby

Besides a slew of new carrier patterns (our favorite was the Galaxy Grey), Ergo released a whole new infant insert that is a huge improvement on their current Infant Insert option.  Instead of having to wrap your baby up sling-style and place in your Ergo Carrier, this infant insert provides cushioning and support to place your baby directly against your body (head up) in your Ergo.

The addition of this Heart2Heart Infant Insert into the Ergo line, really makes the Ergo into a fabulous newborn option.  We will still put in a vote for a pouch sling like the Hotslings AP or Serena and Lily since they just make it so easy to pop your baby in for the overtired parent who doesn’t want to figure out a more complicated carrier.  Of course in a perfect world you’d have both since there are definitely times when either solution would be just the perfect one!

Baby K’tan

We love the folks at Baby K’tan.  They are just so nice and enthusiastic.  At the ABC show, they showed their versatile new burp cloth turns into Nursing cover.  It works with all common carriers so no matter what you are carrying – you can grab one of these and you’ll always have the coverage you need, whether over your shoulder or over your boob!  How can one less thing to back into your diaper bag not be a great idea?

Now onto our fabulous giveaway (Thank you Hotslings!)

To win the our FABULOUS BABY CARRIER GIVEAWAY in your favorite color/pattern just follow the directions below and in 2 weeks, this beauty could be yours!

To enter you must:

1) Sign up for the Let’s Go Strolling newsletter at www.letsgostrolling.com then leave a comment below letting us know you did and what color you would like!

For extra entries you can:

2) Let us know what your favorite Baby Carriers are or favorite new updates are.

3) Sign up to receive our blog daily via email or RSS reader and leave a comment letting us know you did.

4) Tweet about this giveaway and make sure to @reply @strollingalong.  Then leave us a comment letting us know you did.

5) Become a fan of letsgostrolling on Facebook (Click here to find our fan page) and leave us a comment letting us know you did.

That’s it! Enjoy!  We’ll choose the winner on Halloween (Oct 31st) so stay tuned!