Dive Brief:
- Nissan Motor is launching the U.S.-built Murano in the Japan market with sales of the SUV expected to start in early 2027, the automaker announced in a March 16 press release.
- The Murano SUVs sold in the U.S. are built at the automaker’s assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee.
- “With the introduction of this model, Nissan aims to further strengthen its product lineup in Japan and meet the diverse needs of Japanese customers,” said Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s president and CEO, in a statement.
Dive Insight:
In February, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism relaxed long-standing safety and other technical hurdles for U.S.-built vehicles, which includes the import of left-hand-drive models. The move followed an agreement between the U.S. and Japan to address a trade deficit, which was finalized in September 2025.
As part of the trade agreement, vehicles that meet U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are deemed compliant with the country’s specific motor vehicle laws, such as rules that require vehicles to have amber-colored turn signal lenses. In addition, emissions requirements were also eliminated for imported vehicles that meet U.S. safety standards, according to a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism press release.
U.S.-built vehicles sold in Japan will have a red star-shaped sticker affixed to the rear to indicate that the vehicle meets the country’s motor vehicle compliance requirements. Inspection certificates will also show that they are “authorized U.S. vehicles,” local media outlet NHK World Japan reported in February.
The trade agreement with Japan also reduced the U.S. tariff rate from 25% to 15% for automobiles and automobile parts deemed “products of Japan,” giving some relief to Japan-based OEMs exporting vehicles and parts to the U.S.
Nissan reported sales of 42,747 Murano SUVs in the U.S. in 2025, a year-over-year increase of 121%. However, Nissan’s U.S. vehicle imports from Japan declined by 17.4% last year to 113,094 vehicles.
Nissan’s decision to sell the U.S.-built Murano in Japan follows moves by Toyota and Honda to export vehicles from the U.S. to Japan.
In December, Toyota announced it will export the U.S.-built Camry, Highlander and Tundra pickup to Japan beginning this year. The automaker said the move will help “improve Japan-U.S. trade relations.”
Earlier this month, Honda announced it will sell the U.S.-built Acura Integra Type S and Honda Passport TrailSport Elite in Japan in the second half of this year. The Passport is built at the automaker’s Alabama Auto Plant, while the Integra model is built at the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio.
The White House also said that the U.S.-Japan trade agreement will create “billions of dollars in increased market access for U.S. automakers.” The U.S. trade deficit with Japan stood at $68 billion in 2024, according to U.S. International Trade Commission data.
