3 Major Reasons Why The Japanese Don’t Buy American Cars

The Japanese stand out in the world when it comes to making of cars. Their cars are among the most driven brands in the world and can be found in almost every nook and cranny of the world.

In the United States of America, these Japanese brands like Toyota, Honda and Nissan dominate the road more that the cars produced by US automakers. On almost every road, every parking lot and wherever you can think of, there is a very high probability that Japanese brand is there.

Sadly, the American brands are not like that when you head to Japan. Even though the American brand remains world’s third-largest car market, they don’t have much impact in Japan.

You may be forced to ask why the Japanese are not returning the favour of patronizing the United States. Does it mean they don’t produce good cars or that their cars are costly? Continue reading, you’ll find out in a while.

According to Richter on cnbc, American carmakers “don’t really try,” Ford left Japan entirely in 2017 and GM sold only about 700 cars there in 2018.

According to industry observers, the disparity can be traced to the following points below:

1. American firms don’t really make cars that suit Japanese tastes.

Roughly 40 percent of the cars sold in Japan are a special class of extra small cars call Kei cars. Nearly all of those are sold by Japanese brands, such as Suzuki and Daihatsu. Japan is a crowded country, and drivers like the convenience and efficiency of small vehicles that are easy to maneuver on narrow streets or fit into tight parking spaces.

Roughly 40 percent of the cars sold in Japan are a special class of extra small cars call Kei cars. Nearly all of those are sold by Japanese brands, such as Suzuki and Daihatsu. Japan is a crowded country, and drivers like the convenience and efficiency of small vehicles that are easy to maneuver on narrow streets or fit into tight parking spaces.

2. Americans have not invested in a dealership presence in Japan.

3. Many Japanese consumers have a persistent idea that American vehicles are unreliable and inefficient.

When you compare the American cars with other German automakers, you’ll see that Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen, including Audi, all sell tens of thousands of cars in Japan each year. While that is still a pretty small number compared with the overall local market and other major markets, it isn’t nothing, said Tokyo-based CLSA analyst Christopher Richter.