The Nissan Murano is seen on the New York Worldwide Auto Present on April 16, 2025.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
DETROIT — Nissan Motor plans to hitch fellow Japanese automakers Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in exporting U.S.-produced automobiles to Japan following modifications to the nation’s automobile import guidelines reached via a commerce deal final yr by the Trump administration.
The corporate on Tuesday mentioned it’ll import the midsize Nissan Murano, inbuilt Smyrna, Tennessee, to Japan starting early subsequent yr. It marks the primary American-made Nissan offered in Japan because the Nineties, in keeping with a Nissan spokeswoman.
“With the introduction of this mannequin, Nissan goals to additional strengthen its product lineup in Japan and meet the varied wants of Japanese prospects,” Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa mentioned in an announcement.
Nissan is the most recent Japanese automaker to announce such plans after modifications to rules meant automakers might extra simply import automobiles from the U.S. to Japan. These guidelines had been put in place as a part of a commerce deal that additionally included easing U.S. tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump.
Beneath the brand new Japanese rules that had been confirmed final month, U.S.-made automobiles do not have to fulfill the nation’s automobile certification so long as they adjust to American requirements.
Nissan confirmed plans to import the Murano from the U.S. with the steering wheel on the left-hand aspect of the automobile, which is typical for People however not within the Japanese market.
Automakers sometimes must tailor automobiles to fulfill security and different rules for various nations globally. They will vary from issues comparable to lighting and aspect mirrors to extra advanced elements comparable to the placement of the steering wheel.
Toyota, Honda and Nissan shares
Nissan’s determination follows Toyota asserting plans in December to start exporting the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV and Tundra pickup from the U.S. to Japan starting this yr.
Honda — Japan’s second-largest automaker behind Toyota — earlier this month additionally introduced plans to export the U.S.-built Acura Integra Kind S and Honda Passport TrailSport Elite SUV to Japan starting within the second half of this yr.
Whereas plans for such exports from the U.S. to Japan probably assist with commerce relations between the nations, the variety of automobiles to be imported will not be significant, specialists mentioned.
About 95% of the Japanese market is made up of domestically produced automobiles, leaving lower than 1 / 4 of one million items for imports from all all over the world, and a majority of these are from Germany, in keeping with Sam Fiorani, vice chairman of worldwide automobile forecasting for AutoForecast Options.
Automobiles offered beneath U.S. manufacturers, together with fashions inbuilt different nations, are a small fraction of that group, together with roughly 8,700 Jeeps and 500 Cadillacs, in keeping with Fiorani.
Most of the automobiles deliberate to be imported to Japan are also thought of huge or not mainstream for Japanese customers, in keeping with Stephanie Brinley, a principal automotive analyst at S&P International Mobility.
“These automobiles are nonetheless — except for the Integra — are comparatively giant for Japan. I believe they’re nonetheless going to be area of interest, low-volume merchandise inside that market,” she mentioned. “However as a result of they’re somewhat bit totally different and somewhat bit greater, they’ll place them as a particular halo product in Japan.”