{"id":4307,"date":"2023-03-14T16:09:33","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T16:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/?p=4307"},"modified":"2023-03-16T00:37:53","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T07:37:53","slug":"when-did-japanese-cars-become-so-popular-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/general\/when-did-japanese-cars-become-so-popular-in-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"When Did Japanese Cars Become So Popular in the US?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>American-made pickup trucks still dominate US auto sales (try tearing a Texan away from his Ford F-150), but 38.5% of vehicles sold stateside in 2021 have roots in Japan. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.caranddriver.com\/news\/g39628015\/best-selling-cars-2022\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Car and Driver\u2019s list of the 25 bestselling vehicles in 2022<\/a> included 13 Japanese brands\u2014that\u2019s just over half. But this wasn\u2019t always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It took dedication, rebellion, and an American smog problem for Japanese cars to gain popularity in the United States auto market. Let\u2019s go back to when it all began, the 1970s.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_71 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\"><p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<\/div><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/general\/when-did-japanese-cars-become-so-popular-in-the-us\/#History_held_a_grudge\" title=\"History held a grudge\">History held a grudge<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/general\/when-did-japanese-cars-become-so-popular-in-the-us\/#Japanese_cars_a_solution_to_pollution\" title=\"Japanese cars: a solution to pollution?\">Japanese cars: a solution to pollution?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/general\/when-did-japanese-cars-become-so-popular-in-the-us\/#The_new_role_models\" title=\"The new role models\">The new role models<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/general\/when-did-japanese-cars-become-so-popular-in-the-us\/#To_Infiniti_and_beyond\" title=\"To Infiniti and beyond\">To Infiniti and beyond<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"History_held_a_grudge\"><\/span><a><\/a>History held a grudge<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/1970s\/1970s-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">America in the 1970s<\/a> was a time of civil unrest, political turmoil, environmental crisis, and scary high inflation rates. Sounds familiar right? One main difference between then and now is that in 1970, Japanese cars had almost no visibility in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1958, Toyota and Datsun (better known as Nissan) tiptoed into the American auto game. Toyota managed to sell 287 units of their compact sedan the <a href=\"https:\/\/mag.toyota.co.uk\/toyopet-crown-americas-first-japanese-car\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Toyopet Crown<\/a>, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autoblog.com\/2020\/01\/13\/toyota-land-cruiser-museum-utah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a single Land Cruiser<\/a>. Datsun\u2019s PL210 model debuted under the name <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nissan-global.com\/EN\/HERITAGE\/datsun_1000_sedan_163.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Datsun 1000<\/a>\u201483 were sold that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This wasn\u2019t the first time Americans had a hard time warming up to the idea of driving a car produced by their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalww2museum.org\/students-teachers\/student-resources\/research-starters\/america-goes-war-take-closer-look\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">World War II foes<\/a>. When the Volkswagen Beetle made its US debut in 1949, two of them were sold. But in the 70s, the United States had an unignorable pollution problem\u2014and the powers that be vowed to do something about it.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1958-Toyota-Toyopet-Crown.jpg\" alt=\"1958 Toyota Toyopet Crown\" class=\"wp-image-4682\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1958-Toyota-Toyopet-Crown.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1958-Toyota-Toyopet-Crown-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1958-Toyota-Toyopet-Crown-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image Editorial credit: ArtNat \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/july-2019-toyopet-crown-japanese-cars-1641862258\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Japanese_cars_a_solution_to_pollution\"><\/span><a><\/a>Japanese cars: a solution to pollution?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>American buyers initially dismissed Japanese auto offerings as tiny and unsafe, and they weren\u2019t totally off the mark. As a chain of environmental issues began to unfold in the late 60s and early 70s\u2014think <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/topics\/1970s\/three-mile-island\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nuclear disaster<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/politics\/2011\/12\/smog-photos-1970s-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">urban smog<\/a>, the US began the process of adopting new emissions standards on vehicles. These new regulations worked in tandem with 1969\u2019s National Environmental Policy Act and 1972\u2019s Clean Water Act. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1970.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To top it all off, America also faced a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/smart-news\/1970s-gas-shortages-changed-america-180977726\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nationwide gas shortage in the 1970s<\/a>. Between tightened emissions restrictions and a limited gasoline supply, the country found itself in dire need of an evolved automobile, and Japan answered the call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The truth was, Japan was reckoning with its own environmental problem\u2014much of it in the form of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfr.org\/timeline\/ecological-disasters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mercury poisoning and lung disease caused by massively polluted water and air<\/a>. When it came to auto manufacturing, one area where Japan differed from the United States was their use of high-compression engines and fuel injection across a wide range of vehicles. In America, these mechanical upgrades\u2014which made vehicles expend less energy, thereby emitting fewer pollutants\u2014were reserved for high-end cruisers or muscle cars like the Cadillac Seville and Chevrolet Corvette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Japan caught wind of the United States&#8217; shifting emissions policies and saw opportunity. At first, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wondriumdaily.com\/miti-japans-ministry-of-international-trade-and-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Japanese Ministry of Internation Trade and Industry (MITI)<\/a> thought it would be easier to infiltrate the US market if they combined Japan\u2019s ten main car brands into two conglomerates: Toyota and Nissan. Upon hearing this, Honda and Mazda said \u201cno way\u201d and began perfecting fuel-efficient engines which they put inside affordable automobiles. Subaru, Isuzu, and Mitsubishi followed suit.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"613\" src=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Smog-over-New-York-City.jpg\" alt=\"Smog over New York City\" class=\"wp-image-4684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Smog-over-New-York-City.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Smog-over-New-York-City-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Smog-over-New-York-City-768x471.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> <span style=\"font-size: revert; color: initial;\">Image Source: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/new-york-areal-view-178787066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_new_role_models\"><\/span><a><\/a>The new role models<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It didn\u2019t take long for America\u2019s auto giants to realize that Japanese cars had a promising future. The 1970s saw Ford partner up with Mazda, who began producing their rotary-engined vehicles for the classic American brand. In 1971, Chrysler imported and sold <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetruthaboutcars.com\/2022\/01\/abandoned-history-chrysler-and-the-colt-captive-economical-import-time-part-i\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Mistubishi cars rebadged as Dodge and Plymouth models<\/a>. Honda was given huge tax incentives to build cars and motorcycles in Ohio, Buick teamed up with Isuzu, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two nation\u2019s decision to combine forces was mutually beneficial. America was proving it could deliver affordable, reliable vehicles that wouldn\u2019t destroy Mother Earth and Japan finally got the foothold in the US auto market they always wanted\u2014and never let it go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"To_Infiniti_and_beyond\"><\/span>To Infiniti and beyond<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>By 1980, nearly two million Japanese cars were being sold in the US and demand stayed high. In the 80s Toyota, Nissan, and Honda launched all-new luxury nameplates: Lexus, Infiniti, and Acura respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the 1990s rolled in not only did Japan make <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hotcars.com\/best-selling-car-models-ever-made\/#volkswagen-golf---35-5-million\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Toyota Corolla the best-selling vehicle of all time<\/a>, but they also gave the Europeans some healthy competition on the luxury end\u2014an arena Western Europe dominated for the better part of a century.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1989-LS400-sedan-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"1989 LS400 sedan\" class=\"wp-image-4685\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1989-LS400-sedan-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1989-LS400-sedan-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1989-LS400-sedan-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1989-LS400-sedan-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1989-LS400-sedan-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image Editorial credit: Rakhmat Darmawan \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/modified-lexus-ls400-on-display-jakarta-1959745894\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>What does the future look like? Japan\u2019s respected reputation shows no signs of wavering\u2014they\u2019ve kept up with or trailblazed every vehicle trend, be it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2022\/12\/20\/business\/level-3-highly-autonomous-self-driving-vehicles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">self-driving cars<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cars.com\/research\/toyota-prius\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hybrids<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hotcars.com\/best-electric-cars-japan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EVs<\/a>. When an American wants to buy a car, Japan is ready.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American-made pickup trucks still dominate US auto sales (try tearing a Texan away from his Ford F-150), but 38.5% of vehicles sold stateside in 2021&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","wpcat-11-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4307"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4307"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4686,"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4307\/revisions\/4686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mycarmakesnoise.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}