NEW YORK (Kyodo) Major Japanese automakers are expanding their production footholds in North America in a move aimed partly at meeting strong demand for Japanese cars and partly to defuse a possible trade spat with the United States.
Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. are performing strongly in U.S. sales on the back of high crude oil prices. In the meantime, they are worried about the growing risk of a resurgence of economic friction between Japan and the United States.
Their jitters stem largely from the fact that Japanese carmakers' local production ratios — the ratios of their production in North America to total U.S. sales — are on the decline while their exports are increasing rapidly.