- Japanese automakers may import US-built models to ease pressure from Washington
- Vehicles like the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Frontier are potential candidates for import.
- Demand exists for large American cars if marketed as premium or niche lifestyle products.
Japanese automakers may soon begin bringing a handful of their American-built trucks and SUVs back home. Models like the Toyota Tundra, Nissan Frontier, and Honda Ridgeline are being discussed as potential imports to Japan, a move tied to easing trade tensions with the United States. The idea is gaining traction after a recent trade deal between the two countries reduced import tariffs to 15 percent.
American car manufacturers have historically struggled to sell vehicles in Japan, in part because their vehicles are often too large for Japan’s tight and frequently congested roads. This is, after all, the country that gave rise to kei cars, the ultra-compact category designed specifically to fit neatly into Japan’s dense cities and strict size regulations.
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However, Toyota Motor chairman Akio Toyoda has expressed a willingness to import some of their largest American-made vehicles into Japan, including the Tundra, a gesture that could help ease political pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing for greater market access to the Japanese market for American cars and trucks.
Consumer Demand Comes First
Importantly, this will likely only happen if Japanese consumers are willing to buy them. While recently speaking with Nikkei Asia, the chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Masanori Katayama, said, “We cannot sell unless consumers want to buy them, but if there are cars that are attractive to consumers, it’s not a bad idea at all.”
During the January-July period, more than 60,000 vehicles manufactured overseas by Japanese brands were imported into the country. Many of these came from India, where Suzuki builds the Fronx SUV and the Jimny Nomade. Additionally, Honda currently imports compact SUVs from India.
Price Challenges Ahead
Still, bringing U.S.-built models into Japan comes with complications. Analyst Yoshiaki Kawano of S&P Global Mobility noted that higher production costs and fluctuating exchange rates push American-made vehicles into a premium price range. This makes it unlikely they could achieve the same sales volumes as Indian imports.
“Vehicles produced in the U.S. are expensive due to production costs and exchange rates, so sales on the same scale as Indian-made vehicles cannot be expected,” he said. “It’s not that there’s no demand in Japan for large vehicles that are popular in the US. If they can play up the American image, they can be sold at high prices.”
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Kawano suggested that vehicles like the Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tundra, and Toyota Sienna are also possible candidates. He noted that the Tundra already has a niche following in Japan and is currently available as a parallel import.
