Japanese Vehicles Maintain Strong Popularity in the US Market
Reasons Behind Continued Success
High Quality and Durability Stand Out
Japanese vehicles have sustained a strong presence in the US market, especially in the sedan and SUV segments, where demand remains robust. American consumers’ high regard for the quality and durability of Japanese cars has directly translated into increased sales. In 2023, Japanese automakers sold about 553,000 vehicles in the US, with each major brand showing growth. Toyota’s sales rose by 7% to 2.24 million units, while Honda surged by 33%, Nissan by 23%, Subaru by 14%, Mazda by 23%, and Mitsubishi by 2%.
Long-Term Reliability: A Key Advantage
While fuel efficiency is often a factor, American consumers cite reliability and long-lasting quality as the primary reasons for their preference. A recent study by iSeeCars, which analyzed the ownership history of 929,000 used vehicles from 1981 to 2009 traded in 2024, sheds light on these factors. The analysis focused on cars over 15 years old to determine which models had the highest percentage of single-owner retention.
The average single-owner retention rate across these aging vehicles was only 3.7%, but Japanese vehicles dominated the rankings for cars that stayed with their original owner the longest.
Toyota Tops the List in Long-Term Ownership
In particular, Toyota brand vehicles dominated the top rankings from 1st to 5th, revealing that Americans use them the longest after purchasing them. 1st place went to the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, with 7.0% of used Highlander Hybrids that were 15 years old or older being owned by one person. 2nd place went to the Camry Hybrid, with a 6.9% single-person ownership rate.
Both first and second place were hybrid models, and their strengths were their high fuel efficiency. The non-hybrid Toyota Highlander took third place with 6.6%, the Toyota Tacoma 6.4%, and the Toyota Prius 6.3%. Aside from these, other Japanese car brands monopolized the rankings. Honda CR-V took 6.3%, Lexus IS 350 5.8%, Nissan Versa 5.7%, Honda Ridgeline 5.5%, and Subaru Forester 5.5%.
Japanese Brands Lead in US Market Longevity
In particular, in this ranking, American brands GM and Stellantis are also missing, showing the high position of Japanese vehicles in the US. When statistics were broken down by brand from 1st to 6th, most of the brands were Japanese vehicles. 1st place was Toyota with 5.6%, 2nd place was Honda with 5.3%, 3rd place was Lexus with 4.4%, 4th place was Mazda with 4.3%, and 6th place was Subaru with 4.1%.
Only South Korea’s Hyundai ranked 5th with 4.2%. Americans have long used Japanese vehicles because of their high quality and durability, but it also seems to be because of their efficient after-sales service. The concept of after-sales service was lacking in the US market until the 1960s, but this result is interpreted as due to the fact that even old vehicles can be easily repaired or maintained through parts inventory management.
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