Trump wants more American pick-ups in Tokyo and London. That can be a difficult sale

By David Dolan, Maki Shiraki and Marie Mannes

Tokyo/Stockholm, August 7 (Reuters) -Donald Trump is right that Japan and Europe buy few American cars -but it has little to do with trade barriers. From Tokyo to London, many consumers see the offer of Detroit as just too large and too gas-guzzling.

Chevrolets and Cadillacs made that image a hard sale, and a rare face, in cities full of slimmer cars from the Toyota Corolla to Honda Civic, Volkswagen Golf and Renault Clio.

Trump often complains about what he sees as a refusal to accept American cars, while the Japanese and Europeans sell millions of cars a year in the United States. In recent trade agreements, both markets agreed to drop or relieve safety tests on the import of American vehicles. Europe will lower taxes on American cars.

But it can be more than a change in rules and lower rates to convince Japanese and European consumers, fighting with narrow roads and painfully tight parking, to buy large American Ford F-15-trucks and Cadillac Escalade SUVs.

“American cars are designed for wide roads and highway driving, so dealing with narrow Japanese streets can be difficult. It takes a little technique,” says Yumihito Yasue, president of Johnan Jeep Petit in Tokyo, who import vintage cars and services from the United States. His customers are usually enthusiasts in the 50s and 60s who grew up watching American cars on TV and in films.

On a recent weekday he investigated two Chevrolets, a shiny Brown 1971 Nova and a low -hanging El Camino from 1986, both with their steering wheels on the left. In Japan, the controls on the right.

Yasue inherited his love for American cars from his father, who started the company four decades ago and would travel to California to explore to cars. Yasue took over after his father died nine years ago and sells around 20 vehicles per year.

“What makes American cars special is the design. Compared to Japanese or German cars, the body shape is more beautiful. Especially the lines, such as the back lines and the fenders,” he said.

Last year, around 3.7 million new cars were sold in Japan, with a third of those mini or “Kei” cars – small, economical vehicles that were not produced by American car manufacturers. In general, foreign cars accounted for 6% of the new car sales, appears to be data from the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association.

Of these, approximately 570 Chevys, 450 Cadillacs and 120 Dodges were sold, according to data from the Japan Automobile Importters Association.

Ford pulled himself from Japan almost ten years ago. Tesla makes cars slimmer than some of Detroit and is becoming increasingly popular. The data does not give a breakdown for the EV -maker.

‘We don’t buy Ford F-1550s’

In Europe, smaller locally made American cars have done well: models such as the best -selling Ford Puma and the older Fiesta. But in the past two decades, Ford and General Motors have been played to larger pick-ups and SUVs, vehicles that are less suitable for the narrow streets of Europe and the compact car culture.

Ford, a major player in Europe from the early 1900s, sales in the region fell sharply, from 1.26 million vehicles in 2005 to only 426,000 in 2024, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). The market share fell from 8.3% to 3.3%.

“We don’t buy Ford F-150s, that’s not what our ways are being scaled for, it’s not what our customers want,” Andy Palmer, former CEO of Aston Martin, told Reuters.

GM left Europe in 2017 and sold Opel after withdrawing Chevrolet, but returned last year with his Cadillac Lyriq. It only sold 1,514 of the SUV made by the US, according to car data company JATO.

A GM spokesperson said Cadillac grew its fully electric line-up in Europe, and the vehicles were well received in the markets where they were launched. A Ford spokesperson said that the company exported “passion products” to Europe, such as the Bronco and Mustang, in addition to locally tailor -made models for the market.

Clive Sutton, a British car dealer in London who sells luxury American models, said that his buyers were attracted to the rarity of vehicles such as the gigantic Cadillac escalade. But he admitted that it was a challenge.

“There are people who want that car because of the exclusivity and the observed status,” Sutton said. “But it is not the easy car to find a parking space, especially in Central London.”

Competition market

Trump has also put pressure on South Korea to open its market for American cars and said that tax-free access was part of the trade agreement that the two countries corresponded last week.

There, imported vehicles are good for less than one fifth of the car market and American models for only 16% of the imported car segment, which is dominated by German rivals, according to data from the Korea Automobile Imports & Distributors Association.

German manufacturers have also achieved a strong presence on the Luxury Market of Japan. Mercedes-Benz sold more than 53,000 vehicles last year, making it the most popular foreign brand, followed by BMW at more than 35,000. Japanese car manufacturers say that Europeans have been successful because they have committed the time and resources to the market.

Detroit car manufacturers are now often associated with cars left hand, which are more challenging to ride on the left of the road.

But some American manufacturers change.

GM has only offered the Corvette in the right since the eighth generation version was for sale in 2021. That is perhaps a reason why about 80% of buyers are new customers, said a GM spokesperson. The Corvette is the only model that Chevy offers in Japan, and it has sold less than 1,000 a year over the past decade.

This year, GM announced plans for a line-up of Cadillac EVs and deliveries from the right-hand drive of the Lyriq started in July.

‘Wow, a foreign car’

Jeep, who sells models before the right hand, has been the most popular American brand for more than a decade, showed the importer data. It simply sold shy of 10,000 vehicles in Japan last year.

Yukimi Nitta always controlled in a “Kei” car, but she was attracted by the appearance of the Jeep Wrangler, which she described as “friendly” and “outside”. The 42-year-old owner of Kapsalon is now on her second jeep-a beige model with a limited edition and hopes to switch to another color with a limited edition. Parking is tight but manageable, she said, and two of her friends have since bought wranglers.

“People often say,” Wow, a foreign car! ” But as soon as you control it, it feels completely normal.

Although the Wrangler burns fuel quickly, the resale value is good, making it possible to change colors, something that owners do, Nitta said.

A spokesperson for Jeep owner Stellantis said that the owner’s active events promoted. In July it announced a collaboration with the film series “Jurassic World” with a Limited-Edition Pink Wrangler, the spokesperson said.

Large American cars and trucks may find it difficult to follow in Jeep’s tracks.

Daniel Cadwell, an American who lives in Tokyo, export used Japanese camper buses and wagons to the United States. He said he was struck by the size of American cars when he went home.

“They are just overly large,” says Cadwell, who runs Javan Imports in Portland with his American business partner. “I think it is very challenging for a car of that kind to be seen as attractive in Japan.”

(Reporting by David Dolan, Maki Shiraki and Tom Bateman; Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in Seoul, Nora Eckert in Detroit, Alessandro Parodi in Gdansk and Andrea Shalal in Washington; Edit by Kate Mayberry)