Japan’s Carmakers Boost Imports of Their Foreign-Made Models

The weak yen is prompting several Japanese carmakers to supply their home market in part with models they make overseas.

The trend reverses the industry's rush to shift production out of Japan in the wake of the global economic crisis, when the yen was significantly stronger.

The industry's new strategy is to supply the domestic market with models that sell better abroad and are cheaper to make there, according to The Nikkei. Analysts point out that Japanese carmakers are not likely to jeopardize their recent investments in foreign capacity to shift production back to Japan.

Among foreign-made models coming to Japan are Honda's American-made NSX supercar, Mitsubishi's Triton pickup truck from Thailand, Nissan's Spanish-built e-NV200 electric van and Suzuki's SX4 S-Cross SUV, which is made in Hungary.