The news is making waves in the United States and in Japan. For the first time in its history, the American subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation has started exporting a pick-up truck to Japan that was designed in the United States by Americans and for Americans. The vehicle in question is the Toyota Tundra, designed to compete with the famous Ford F-150 pick-up truck, the best-selling vehicle in America. Assembled in Texas, this huge Tundra pick-up truck (5.93 meters long and 1.98 meters high) officially began its commercial career in Japan on April 2. It is accompanied on its journey by the imposing SUV Toyota Highlander, produced in the state of Indiana, which had already ventured into the American market in a previous version.
The Japanese automobile landscape will not be revolutionized by this move, as sales targets remain modest. Toyota plans to sell 80 units of the Tundra per month in Japan and only 40 Highlanders. It is not so much their price that hinders their spread (12 million yen for the Tundra and 8.6 million yen for the Highlander, equivalent to 65,124 euros and 46,672 euros) but rather their size, which is not well-suited to Japanese cities. Not to mention the voracious engine of the Tundra, a large 3.4-liter, 389-horsepower six-cylinder.
But how did we get here? One year ago, precisely on April 2, 2025, President Donald Trump suddenly increased the import tax on vehicles from Japan from 2.5% to 27.5%. This was a blow to the country, as the automobile industry accounts for approximately 30% of its exports to the United States. Subsequently, the two governments entered into negotiations, which resulted in a reduction of this tariff to only 15% in July last year. A lesser-known aspect of this agreement came into effect on February 16: it aims to “balance the trade relationship between Japan and the United States” by facilitating the homologation of American cars in Japan.
The US and Japanese transport ministries have very different safety requirements for vehicles. This concerns both the resistance of the bodywork to impacts, as well as the layout of the dashboard instruments and even the color of the turn signals (which are sometimes red in the United States but orange everywhere else in the world). According to the terms of the agreement signed last year, the Japanese authorities no longer link their authorization for placing vehicles on the market to compliance with their local requirements. It is enough for the manufacturer to declare that its vehicle is “safe” for it to be exempt from any modification. It is then given a red star-shaped sticker, which attests to everyone that the foreign vehicle meets Japanese criteria and is authorized for sale.
In the minds of American negotiators, this trade agreement was supposed to benefit national manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors, and the American branch of Stellantis. But it was ultimately Toyota, through its American subsidiary Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), that was the first to benefit. Nothing was stopping it, as its Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (TMMTX) and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana (TMMI) factories employ American citizens and pay taxes in the United States. Increasing their imports will indeed help reduce the trade deficit with Japan.
Eager to encourage consumers to take an interest in the new import exemption system, trade minister Akazawa Ryosei decided to include the American Toyota Highlander in the official fleet of ministry vehicles. In a statement, the manufacturer expressed the hope that this export effort will “improve commercial relations between the two countries.” However, from a strictly financial point of view, the operation appears to be of little profitability. It is no coincidence that Toyota assembles locally the vehicles intended for commercialization in North America.
The American divisions of Nissan and Honda are considering exporting some of their models to Japan by the end of the year. The Murano SUV, assembled in Tennessee, would thus become the first American Nissan officially sold in Japan since the 1990s. As for Honda, it has been over 40 years since one of its American-made vehicles crossed the Pacific. It plans to start exporting its Honda Passport TrailSport Elite crossover and Acura Integra Type S premium sedan this summer.
