Toyota Chairman Considers Selling US-Made Cars in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog.
American-Made Toyotas in Japan may be a possibility, says Toyoda
According to a new report by Nikkei Asia, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda stated that the Japanese automotive giant will try to make an effort to bring over some vehicles that it produces in the United States to sell in Japan.
This move makes light of significant nontariff barriers that were addressed as part of a recent trade deal between the United States and Japan. In addition to paying 15% levies on imported Japanese-made cars, the Japanese negotiators agreed to streamline the safety certification process for vehicles built in the United States, making it much easier for automakers to import such cars.
When asked about the model lineup that Toyota sells in the United States compared to the Japanese Domestic Market during an appearance at a racing event in Hita, Japan, on July 26, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda told reporters that "there are many cars that are not sold domestically."
Toyota builds many vehicles in the U.S., but several of its popular models, like the 4Runner SUV and most Lexus vehicles, are manufactured in Japan. The list of models on the Japanese Toyota website shows that the automaker sells many Japanese-exclusive models, including the Alphard and Veilfire minivans, the Land Cruiser 70, and the ultra-luxury Century series of cars. At the same time, notable nameplates, including the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV, and pickup trucks like the Tacoma and Tundra, are absent from its Japanese lineup.
The different safety certification rules between the U.S. and Japan have made it tough for American car manufacturers to sell cars in Japan. Japanese-market cars have to meet stricter standards than their U.S.-market counterparts, which would require automakers to make design changes and tweaks.
"We can't control what goes on in the political world," Toyoda told reporters on July 26 in response to the recent U.S.-Japan trade deal. "We'll prepare for what we can do."
Toyota still hopes for an improved trade relationship between Japan and the U.S.
The chairman's remarks come a few days after Bloomberg published remarks from the Japanese auto giant following the announcement of the U.S.-Japan trade agreement. In a June 24 report by Bloomberg, Toyota said that it is still hoping for an improved trade relationship between the United States and Japan, even going as far as to call for even lower tariffs than the already-negotiated terms that were revealed.
“Toyota hopes the environment surrounding the automotive industries of both Japan and the US continues to improve, including further reductions in tariffs, based on fair and open trade,” the automaker said in a statement to Bloomberg on July 24.
Groups representing American automakers have expressed concerns about the agreement between the U.S. and Japan. On July 23, the American Automotive Policy Council, a lobbying group representing the Big Three automakers, argued that the agreement between the Trump administration and Japan could make a dent in Detroit. They face a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico on vehicles that contain American-made engines, gearboxes, and other components.
“American automakers still need to review the details of the U.S.-Japan agreement, but any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no U.S. content than it does North American-built vehicles with high U.S. content is a bad deal for the U.S. industry and U.S. autoworkers,” AAPC president Matt Blunt said in a statement.
Final thoughts
Other Japanese automakers have tried "Reverse-importing," as it is called. Starting in the late 1980s and into the mid-1990s, Toyota's contemporary, Honda, sold Accords made at its plant in Marysville, Ohio, in the Japanese Domestic Market, including models that weren't sold in the U.S., like the Accord SiR. Additionally, from 2016 to 2022, Honda made Japanese-bound second-generation NSX supercars at the Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) in Marysville.
Many cars produced by Japanese manufacturers in Japan are sold in America, but not in Japan. The Toyota 4Runner is one such example. Although it is built at Toyota's Tahara plant in Japan, the 4Runner was designed with the American market in mind. If Toyota were to sell the 4Runner in Japan, it would encounter critical complications that owners would face. Namely, the vehicle exceeds a certain size threshold in the eyes of the Japanese equivalent of the DMV, which would subject it to higher fees and taxes compared to other Japanese-market vehicles.
American-made cars do exist in Japan, albeit in small numbers due to this reason. For this reason, fixing the trade imbalance between the U.S. and Japan will require some creative ideas beyond those from people in positions of power.
Toyota Chairman Considers Selling US-Made Cars in Japan first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 29, 2025
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Comments