JAKARTA - Toyota has started selling two of its models produced in the United States in Tokyo. Launching Kyodo News, Thursday, April 2, this move was made after Japan and the US agreed on simpler import procedures for American-made cars.
Under the scheme, cars produced in the US and already declared safe in the country can be sold in Japan without having to undergo additional safety tests.
The two models that went on sale Thursday are the Tundra, a pickup truck made in Texas, and the Highlander, an SUV produced in Indiana. Sales of both are scheduled to begin nationwide this summer.
After the national sale began, Toyota targeted sales of 80 units of Tundra per month at a suggested price of 12 million yen or around 75,000 US dollars. For the Highlander, the target is 40 units per month at a price of 8.6 million yen.
Toyota is also preparing to sell US-made Camrys once all preparations are complete.
The entry of American-made models into the Japanese market is related to a tariff agreement between Tokyo and Washington. Amid increasing trade pressures, the new rules provide an easier path for US-made cars to enter the Japanese market.
US President Donald Trump previously imposed high tariffs on many of America's trading partners, including Japan, on the grounds of reducing the US's chronic trade deficit.
In April last year, the Trump administration imposed a 27.5 percent tariff on foreign-made cars, far above the previous tariff of only 2.5 percent. For Japanese vehicles, the tariff was then negotiated down to 15 percent in July and officially implemented in September.
For Japan, this issue is not small. In 2023, car exports accounted for about 30 percent of Japan's total exports to the United States, the highest of any sector.
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