Cars and Drivers

Japanese Automakers Built 4 Million Vehicles in the US Last Year

Paul Ausick

Published: October 10, 2017 12:45 pm

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 7:20 am

According to a new report out Tuesday from the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) USA, Japan-based automakers manufactured nearly 4 million vehicles in the United States last year at 24 manufacturing plants that employ more than 90,000 direct U.S. employees.

That’s a roughly 10-fold increase since the first Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) plant opened in Marysville, Ohio, in 1982. Nissan opened its manufacturing plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, the following year, and Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) built its first vehicle plant in 1988 in Georgetown, Kentucky.

The 24 vehicle and engine manufacturing plants along with 43 research and development/design centers built since those early days represent a total investment of $45.6 billion in the United States. Including non-direct spin-off and intermediate jobs, a 2015 study found that JAMA USA supports 1.5 million U.S. jobs.

In addition to JAMA USA’s own manufacturing output, the automakers purchased U.S.-made parts valued at about $69.9 billion in 2016 and exported more than 412,000 of the vehicles built in the United States.

JAMA USA general director Manny Manriquez said:

Japanese-brand automakers’ highly-skilled U.S. workforce is at the core of their efforts to build and develop globally competitive vehicles. JAMA members have always understood this, which is why they continuously provide and support advanced skills training through a range of workforce development and STEM education initiatives. Our members are also deeply engaged in their local communities and often partner with local organizations on educational and social initiatives beyond the walls of their facilities.

See the full JAMA USA report for more information.

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