Japanese Car Brands: Complete List of Manufacturers

Japan is the world's 3rd largest auto producer (7.8M vehicles, 2023). All major brands are Japanese-headquartered; several have global alliances.

Major Japanese Brands (Current)

Luxury Divisions

• Lexus (Toyota) – ES, RX, NX, LC, LX; global luxury competitor.
• Infiniti (Nissan) – Q50, QX60, QX80; struggling repositioning.
• Acura (Honda) – Integra, MDX, TLX, NSX; North America/China focus.

Defunct / Historical

• Prince Motor Co. → merged Nissan (1966) – Skyline lineage.
• Autozam, Eunos, ɛ̃fini – Mazda 1990s sub-brands (failed).
• Scion (Toyota, 2003–2016) – youth brand; folded to Toyota.

Manufacturing Footprint

• Japan: ~7M units/yr (domestic + export).
• Overseas: ~18M units/yr (US, China, Thailand, UK, Canada, Mexico, etc.).
• Kei cars (660cc, tax-advantaged) – 35% of domestic sales; unique to Japan.