from Hacker News

Trump vs. Toyota? Why US cars are a rare sight in Japan

by bmikkelsen on 5/4/25, 3:03 PM with 2 comments

• by Jtsummers on 5/4/25, 4:50 PM

  > Cars in Japan drive on the left, and unlike US rivals European automakers usually put the steering wheel on the correct side for vehicles sold there, he added.

  > That could be changing. General Motors' 8th-generation Chevrolet Corvette has right-hand drive in Japan for the first time.

  > "I think that reflects efforts (for selling in Japan) by manufacturers and importers," Misawa said.

  This explains the numbers at the start of the article:

  > Meanwhile US industry leader General Motors sold just 587 Chevrolets and 449 Cadillacs in Japan, while Ford pulled out of the tough Japanese market nearly a decade ago.

  If you're not selling cars suited to the market you won't sell many cars in that market. This is not a surprising thing.

• by socalgal2 on 5/4/25, 5:27 PM

  Many Japanese streets can't fit giant USA cars like a Ford Expedition or trucks a Ford ranger.