Japanese car brands

Japan, the world’s third-largest producer, began in the automotive industry in the 1910s. Before the war, Japanese brands such as DAT (the future Nissan), Toyota, Mitsubishi or Toyota were content to build cars on European or American bases. From the mid-1930s, the Japanese industry refocused on the production of utility vehicles. It was not until the 1960s that Japanese cars, developed specifically for Japan, again appeared. Among these pioneering Japanese cars are the Subaru 360, the Suzuki Fronte, the Mazda Carol, or the Honda N360. Over the years, Japanese manufacturers have developed their range and sales volumes, especially abroad.

Today, Japan produces about 10 million cars a year, with the main Japanese manufacturers being Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, and Subaru. Japanese cars are now known for their technology (Toyota hybrids), but also their reliability. Real dynasties of Japanese sportsmen have emerged, such as the Nissan Z (240Z, 260Z, 280ZX, 300ZX, 350Z and 370Z), the Mazda MX-5 (known as Miata in the United States), the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8 or the Toyota Celica and other GT-86.

The main headquarters are in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture (Japan).

Toyota Motor Corporation is currently the largest car manufacturer in the world, producing more than 10 million vehicles per year. The company was founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda and soared during the oil crisis of the 1970s. With very high oil prices, the huge US market required inexpensive cars to replace their bulky sedans, mostly powered by V8 engines. It was an important turning point for Toyota, which gained the reputation of producing reliable and cheap cars. In response to US import taxes, the Japanese company built the first factory in North America in the early 1980s. Subsequently, they launched a new Lexus luxury brand.

Toyota is one of the leaders in innovative hybrids and electric technologies and its Prius-model marquee is now the best-selling hybrid car in the world. Total sales of the Toyota bestseller, Corolla, reached 40 million in 2013. The company manufactures vehicles under Hino, Ranz, Scion, the Lexus brands, owns interests in companies such as Daihatsu, Isuzu, Fuji Heavy Industries and cooperates with BMW.

The head office for 2011 is in Yokohama (previously in Tokyo).

Nissan Motor Company is the second-largest Japanese automaker, established in 1933 as a division of Datsun. It came to the prominence of selling vehicles under the Nissan and Datsun brands. In 1986, the company built the Sunderland plant in England, which became the largest car factory in Europe. However, in the late 1990s, Nissan faced a serious financial crisis and had to merge with the French giant Renault.

Guided by the relentless Carlos Ghosn, Nissan relaunched in 2000, built an affordable all-electric Nissan Leaf which was named the World Car of the Year 2011. Nissan is now one of the leading automakers, selling more than 5 million units per year. The Nissan brands cover Infiniti, Datsun, and the luxury division NISMO. Aside from ordinary cars, Nissan produces performance vehicles, including the legendary GT-R.

Honda Motor Company is one of the leaders in the automotive and motorcycle industry and produces internal combustion engines for other applications. Honda built its first car, the S500, in 1963, after having enjoyed success in the motorcycle business for nearly two decades at that time. Honda pioneered the creation of luxury divisions, introducing Acura to the US market in 1986. With Toyota, the company has put efforts into the development of eco-technologies and today most models are available with hybrid powertrains.

The company now called Suzuki Motor Corporation was established over 100 years ago as a loom works, focused on motorcycles later, and was able to produce their first car, the Suzulight, in 1955. It was a response to the post-war Japanese need for inexpensive and reliable transport.

Suzuki produces light and reliable vehicles, but the production of four-wheel-drive cars has earned a huge market share and has transformed the company into one of the top 10 manufacturers in the world. Suzuki is also the leader in the Kei car segment in Japan. Volkswagen Group owns 19.9% of the company’s shares.