Aside from its large presence in the U.S., Ford builds and sells vehicles in a number of other global markets, and has done so for over a century in some cases. However, The Blue Oval pulled out of the Japanese market back in 2016 due to slow sales and a lack of profit, ending a presence that had endured since 1917. Along the way, the automaker worked with more than one third-party, formed a subsidiary, and was dissolved during World War II, only to be resurrected before the final nail arrived nearly a decade ago. Now, it seems as if Ford vehicles might once again be sold in Japan sometime soon, however.
According to a new report from the Japanese publication The Mainichi, Ford rival Toyota has proposed the idea of selling U.S. produced vehicles from companies like Ford and General Motors at its own dealer network to that country’s government. That news came straight from a video posted online, in which Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda told Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba that the automaker would be able to sell vehicles manufactured by U.S. automakers through its 4,000 dealer network in that country, a move that seems odd, but was proposed for one very good reason.
The idea here is to help support the Japanese government as it negotiates a new trade deal with the United States amid tariffs imposed on imported automobiles by President Donald Trump. The belief is that if Japan increases its imports of U.S.-built vehicles, it could help in those negotiations.
Along with facing a 25 percent tariff on vehicles that it exports to the U.S., Japan is also currently dealing with an additional country-specific tariff of 14 percent, on top of the 10 percent baseline, when it comes to other goods. Japanese officials have meet with the Trump administration on multiple occasions to try and reach common ground and hammer out a more favorable deal, but it’s currently unclear if this proposal will wind up helping it achieve that goal.
Comments
Ford tried to sell Explorers in Japan. They do not even fit on Japanese roads and now they do not have sedans or small cars to sell.
I’m sure they could sell a handful of Broncos and Mustangs, but what would be the point? They left the market for a reason, and I don’t see how the fundamentals have changed in the meantime.
CAN NOT TRUST JAPAN GOVERMENT OR DEALERSHIPS!! THEY WILL RUN THEIR RICE BUNERS OFF FORDS HIGHWAYS.
The Japanese are used to quality vehicles, not Fords
Odds are no Ford vehicles will ever be sold in Japan since Ford vehicles will never meet Japan’s quality control standards, they will never make it to the dealership and will have to be shipped back to the United States, another one of many Failure Farley follies.