Japan is one of the leaders in the automotive industry and has many renowned companies which produce world-class cars, from passenger cars, luxury vehicles, trucks, motorcycles - all reliable and top quality. We hope this article which goes over the industry and famous brands helps you make your next vehicle purchase.
Table of Contents
- Automotive Industry in Japan
- Most Popular Car Brands from Japan
- Luxury Car Brands from Japan
- In Conclusion
Automotive Industry in Japan
Japan entered the world automotive industry at the start of the 21st century but only really started to take off in Japan in the 1960s after the war. It took off even further in the 1970s when it expanded its market internationally - thus making their brands known around the world.
Despite things not being quite what they used to be, due to the overall economy as well as competition from other countries, Japan is still one of the top car-producing nations. It ranked third in the world in terms of motor vehicle production in 2020 according to Statista.
※Statista, “Leading car manufacturing countries worldwide 2020”
Automotive shipments made up 18.8% out of all major manufacturing sectors in 2018. As for people employed, 5.42 million people work in Japan’s automotive and related manufacturing industry, making up approximately 8.1 percent of Japan's working population, the most working in road transport (2.69 million), sales and services (about 1 million), and production (912,000). As such, there are factories all throughout Japan devoted to automobile manufacturing.
Japan Automobile Manufacturers, “The Motor Industry of Japan 2020”
Writer's Pick
Most Popular Car Brands from Japan
What are the brands that come to mind when you think of Japanese cars? The following are probably included: Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Isuzu, Daihatsu, and so on. All of them are known and trusted for their quality. Many have won awards both domestically and internationally.
Based on figures from 2020 provided by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, here are the most popular Japanese car manufacturers for passenger vehicles.
※Japan Automobile Dealer’s Association, “Passenger Vehicles by brand name ranking”
Toyota
Toyota is one of the largest and best automobile manufacturers in the world. It competes with Volkswagen every year to take the title of top manufacturer and sales in the year. It has been serving its customers since 1937. In 2020, it held the top 3 spots for new motor vehicles registered in Japan with the Toyota Yaris, Rise, and Corolla.
Headquarters: Toyota, Aichi, Japan
Website: http://www.toyota-global.com/
Honda
Honda has been serving its customers since 1946 and was the first Japanese auto company to make a luxury line. In 1986, they released the Acura (more on it below). The Honda cars that were popular in 2020 include the Fit and the Freed.
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Website: http://world.honda.com/
Nissan
Nissan is yet another famous manufacturer from Japan, serving customers since 1933, which includes cars under the brands Nissan of course, Infiniti, and Datsun. Nissan is noted for its electric vehicles; in fact, they have won several big awards for them, including best-selling electric vehicles. Popular cars in 2020 were Note and Serena.
Headquarters: Yokohama, Japan
Website: www.nissan-global.com
Suzuki
Suzuki was and is famous for its motorcycles but it is now also a well-known brand for cars as well. The Solio was popular in 2020, and if you live in Japan, you’ve probably seen the commercials for it with that catchy jingle that gets stuck in your head. So-So-Solio, So-So-Solio!
Headquarters: Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
Website: http://www.globalsuzuki.com/
Subaru
Subaru is a known car brand that is manufactured under Subaru Corporation which used to be named Fuji Heavy Industries. They began car production in the early to mid 1950s. The Subaru Impreza was popular in 2020, available in the all-wheel-drive layout that’s notably offered by Subaru.
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Website: http://www.subaru-global.com/
Luxury Car Brands from Japan
We’ve mentioned some of the popular passenger cars in Japan, but if you are looking to own a luxury car from Japan, these are the ones you might want to consider:
Lexus
Lexus is manufactured by Toyota and was launched in 1983. It is one of the highest-selling luxury cars in Japan, but it’s also known internationally and has a huge market especially in the United States. The RX and LX SUVs are premium SUVs with solid reputations, while the IS and LS are popular sports cars. Lexus is the strongest competitor to other international luxury car brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.
Official site: www.lexus.com
Acura
Acura is a luxury car brand manufactured by Honda and was launched in 1986 in the U.S. The brand sells its cars, from sedans to sports cars to SUVs, massively outside Japan. It has never been sold in Japan despite plans to at one point in 2008.
Official site: http://www.acura.com/
Infiniti
Infiniti is a luxury car brand manufactured by Nissan which was launched in 1989. Initially, they used to sell this car brand only in the US; however now they supply and sell it all over the world.
Fun fact: This brand is also not that well-known in Japan as it’s not sold in Japan much, but that may change as headquarters are moving back to Yokohama.
Official site: http://www.infiniti.com
In Conclusion
Japan has shown that it is one of the biggest competitors and manufacturers of the best car brands in the world. Its continued expansion and innovation show for a positive future.
For further reading, here’s our article about buying a car in Japan:
Cost of Cars: Things to Consider Before Buying Kuruma in Japan
