Joins Nissan, Toyota and Honda in planning to export American cars to Japan

Detroit — nissan motors Plans to join the same Japanese automaker toyota motors and honda motor industry Changes to Japan’s auto import rules agreed to through a trade deal with the Trump administration last year regarding the export of vehicles produced in the United States to Japan.

The company announced Tuesday that it will import the midsize Nissan Murano produced in Smyrna, Tennessee, to Japan starting early next year. According to a Nissan spokesperson, this is the first American-made Nissan to be sold in Japan since the 1990s.

“With the introduction of this model, Nissan aims to further strengthen its product lineup in Japan and respond to the diverse needs of Japanese customers,” Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa said in a statement.

Nissan is the latest Japanese automaker to announce such plans following regulatory changes that will make it easier for automakers to import cars into Japan from the United States. These rules were introduced as part of a trade deal enacted by President Donald Trump that also includes U.S. tariff relief.

Under new Japanese regulations confirmed last month, U.S.-made vehicles do not have to meet national vehicle certifications as long as they comply with U.S. standards.

Nissan confirmed plans to import the Murano from the United States, which has a steering wheel on the left side of the car, which is common for Americans but not for the Japanese market.

Car manufacturers typically have to tailor their vehicles to meet safety and other regulations in different countries around the world. These range from things like lights and side mirrors to more complex parts like steering wheel positions.

Nissan’s decision comes after Toyota announced in December that it plans to export the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV, and Tundra pickup from the United States to Japan starting this year.

Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker after Toyota, also announced earlier this month that it plans to export the American-made Acura Integra Type S and Honda Passport Trail Sport Elite SUVs to Japan starting in the second half of this year.

While such export plans from the U.S. to Japan are likely to benefit trade relations between the two countries, the number of cars imported may be meaningless, experts say.

Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, said about 95% of the Japanese market is made up of locally produced vehicles, with less than 250,000 vehicles imported from around the world, with the majority coming from Germany.

Vehicles sold under U.S. brands, including models made in other countries, make up only a small portion of that group. Those include sales of only about 8,700 Jeeps and about 500 Cadillacs, Fiorani said.

Many of the cars scheduled to be imported into Japan are considered large or non-mainstream by Japanese consumers, said Stephanie Brinley, principal auto analyst at S&P Global Mobility.

“These vehicles are still relatively large for Japan, with the exception of the Integra. I think these vehicles will still be niche, low-volume products in the Japanese market,” she said. “But they are a little different and a little bigger, so we can position them as a special halo product in Japan.”