Japanese Auto Manufacturers Increase Domestic Production for U.S. Sales

In 1980, all Japanese-brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were imported. By 1990, just over one-third of Japanese-brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were produced domestically in North America which includes the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. By 2013, about 70 percent of all Japanese-brand vehicles sold in the U.S. were produced domestically. While sales of domestic Japanese-brand vehicles have grown markedly over the 33 year period shown in the figure below, import sales by Japanese manufacturers in 1980 and 2013 are about the same.