[oplease19]

A rice burner is any Japanese car. The IM generation may have decided in their self-absorbed little world that it means a particular type of Japanese car that they don't like, but that's just self-absorbed people in their own little world deciding that words mean whatever they want them to.
The term was coined when Japanese cars were the only Asian imports, and has logically been expanded to include Korean cars, too. Most people use the term derisively, though some embrace it proudly.
The repair history and resale value of Japanese cars make it obvious that using the term derisively is a sign of ignorance or jealousy.