Toyota Importing Texas-Built Tundras to Japan, and Not Just to Make Pr. Trump Happy
Pop quiz: What’s the Jeep Wrangler’s biggest foreign market? You might be shocked to hear it’s Japan. That’s right. Japanese buyers love the rugged, American-built 4WD. Toyota, which builds an entire arsenal of off-roaders in the U.S. to compete with the Wrangler, is wising up. It is importing some of them home to Japan.
Toyota’s eager to ‘improve Japan-U.S. trade relations’
Toyota’s largest factory in the world indeed builds the Camry sedan in Kentucky. It famously builds the full-size Tundra pickup truck in Texas. It also assembles its third-row Highlander crossover in Indiana. Shipping some of those vehicles home to Japan could deliver a tangible win for the U.S. economy. So it’s no wonder Toyota has framed the move in its press release as a way “to improve Japan-U.S. trade relations.”
The automaker is eager to secure a tariff reprieve from President Trump. Chairman Akio Toyoda made headlines after throwing a NASCAR-themed exhibition race and donning a MAGA hat.
Toyota has made other points-scoring moves. It has offered U.S. automakers access to Toyota’s JDM retail network. The Japanese government has even pledged to invest $550 billion into U.S. industry.
Not just about optics
All of the politics aside, selling U.S.-flavored Toyota 4WDs in Japan is simply good business. By the early 2020s, the Jeep Wrangler had emerged as a hit among young, outdoor-oriented Japanese buyers. Wrangler sales there do remain niche. They also include JDM-specific concessions, such as right-hand drive and folding mirrors for tight city streets. But all told, the JDM market meaningfully boosts Jeep’s bottom line.
So why hasn’t Toyota gone head-to-head by importing the 4Runner or Tacoma? My guess is that they aren’t “American enough.”
The Tundra changes that equation. Toyota could market it as “imported from Texas.” It could lean into U.S. flair by focusing on trims sucha as the cowboy-chic 1794 Edition. Buyers would also gain access to Toyota’s dealer network and the brand’s reputation for reliability. From that perspective, the move looks savvy all around.
