Toyota Motor Corp. plans to sell U.S.-built Camry sedans, Highlander SUVs and Tundra pickups in Japan beginning in 2026, the automaker announced in a Dec. 18 press release.
The Highlander has not been sold in Japan since 2007 and the Camry was discontinued there in 2023 due to sluggish sales, although the sedan remains one of the automaker’s most popular models in the U.S. market. Production of the fullsize Tundra began in the U.S. in May 1999, but the truck has never been sold in Japan.
“By selling these three popular American models in Japan, Toyota will be able to meet the diverse needs of a broad range of customers, while also helping to improve Japan–U.S. trade relations,” the automaker said in the release.
The Camry is currently built at Toyota’s factory in Kentucky for the U.S. market. The plant is the automaker’s largest manufacturing facility outside of Japan. The Highlander SUV is built at the automaker’s plant in Indiana and the Tundra is built at Toyota’s factory in San Antonio, Texas.
Toyota did not specify how or whether its U.S.-built vehicles would be modified for customers in Japan, which are used to different vehicle designs, such as right-hand drive steering.
Instead, Toyota simply said it will "continue making preparations to deliver the three models to customers in Japan from 2026 onward," and that it plans to use a "new system being considered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism following bilateral negotiations."
Toyota's announcement comes just months after the U.S. and Japan reached a tariff deal, in which the U.S. set a 15% tariff on vehicles and auto parts from Japan, while Japan agreed to allow U.S.-built vehicles to be sold in the country without additional testing. The White House said the deal was struck to help lower the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, which stood at $68 billion in 2024, according to U.S. International Trade Commission data.
It’s also not clear how the U.S.-built models will be accepted by consumers in Japan, as large SUVs and pickups are not as popular in Japan as they are in the U.S.
According to data from Japan’s Automobile Manufacturers Association, new vehicle registrations for passenger cars, including those categorized as standard and small vehicles, topped over 3.7 million units in 2024. Meanwhile, new registrations of “standard” size trucks, which excludes “small” and “mini” truck segments, was just 146,700 units last year.
Still, Toyota was optimistic Japanese drivers would take to its pickup and SUV offerings, citing lifestyle changes in the market.
"As lifestyles diversify and people increasingly seek adventures in nature, Toyota believes that Japanese customers will also embrace the unique appeal of the Tundra that sets it apart from other models," Toyota said in the press release.
