- Akio Toyoda expected to meet Trump to discuss Toyota’s Japan plan.
- The US-built Tundra is most likely to be sold in Japan soon.
- Trump has often criticized Japan’s lack of American-made cars.
US President Donald Trump is in Japan, the second stop on his three-country tour of Asia, and it appears the local car industry is pulling out all the stops to appease the world’s most powerful man.
Read: Japan May Soon See American Toyotas And Hondas It Was Never Meant To Have
Not long after reports surfaced that the Japanese government might purchase more than 100 Ford F-150s, Toyota is said to be preparing to tell the President about its plan to sell some of its American-made vehicles in Japan.
What’s Toyota Planning?
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda is expected to meet with President Trump this week to announce the plan. While few details have been confirmed, the company is likely to distribute these vehicles through its existing domestic dealership network.
According to Nikkei Asia, Toyota is waiting for the Japanese government to relax its regulations on importing US-made cars. Once that happens, it can decide which of its American-built models will suit the local market best.
The most likely candidate is the Tundra pickup truck. Although far too large for many of Japan’s crowded cities, there’s a small but dedicated community of enthusiasts who admire the brute strength and character of American pickups. The Tundra holds a solid reputation among them.
Inevitably, Toyota will have to increase the price to make the endeavor worthwhile.
Japan’s Reluctant Market
Earlier this year, it was even reported that Japanese officials were considering a proposal to import US-made Ford and Chevrolet vehicles that could be sold through Toyota dealerships.
President Trump has long voiced his frustration over how few American cars find buyers in Japan, especially when millions of Japanese-made vehicles head to US showrooms each year.
What he may overlook is that Japan’s geography and lifestyle simply don’t align with big American cars. The country is compact, the roads narrower, and most people live in dense urban areas where driving something the size of a Tundra or an F-150 would feel more like maneuvering a ship than a car.
Sources: Nikkei Asia
