Trump appears open to production of Japan-style mini cars in US
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In Japan, so-called mini vehicles, with engines no larger than 660cc, account for almost 40 per cent of new car sales.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Dec 3 he wants to see ultra-compact cars built and driven in the United States after seeing many in Japan during his Asia trip
While the details of the plan remain unclear, Mr Trump called the vehicles “really cute” and “beautiful” at a White House event, and he has asked Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to “immediately approve” regulatory changes that would allow them to be manufactured.
“Honda (and) some of the Japanese companies do a beautiful job, but we’re not allowed to make them in this country,” he said. “I think you’re going to do very well with those cars. So, we’re going to approve those cars.”
He added that they are “less expensive and it really gives people a chance to have a car (or) to have a brand-new car, as opposed to a car that maybe isn’t so great”.
In Japan, so-called mini vehicles, with engines no larger than 660cc, account for almost 40 per cent of new car sales.
At the event, Mr Duffy said Mr Trump has given him the directive to address regulations currently preventing the production of the small cars driven in Japan, as well as similar types the US president saw in South Korea and Malaysia during his three-nation trip.
“If Toyota, or any other company, wants to make smaller, more affordable cars fuel-efficient, we have cleared the deck so they can make them in America and sell them in America,” Mr Duffy said.
Mr Trump’s touting of mini cars could prove a boon to Japanese manufacturers that have already pledged to increase investment in US-based production in response to tariffs imposed by his administration.
Mr Trump, who has long been critical of what he sees as trade barriers that restrict sales of American cars in the Japanese market, earlier in 2025 attempted to address the trade imbalance by imposing a 15 per cent tariff on cars from Japan.
However, Japanese officials and car analysts have long noted that the unpopularity of American vehicles is due in part to the types they sell, such as large pick-up trucks, while consumers prefer smaller, efficient cars suited to the country’s narrow roads and high fuel prices. KYODO NEWS
