Japanese automakers' U.S.-based production accounts for almost 50% of total U.S. vehicle exports. Excluding exports to Canada, Japanese-affiliated automakers exported about 4% of their U.S.-produced vehicles in 1997 while the Big Three exported about 1% of their U.S.-produced vehicles.

The nearly 100,000 units exported by Japanese-affiliated automakers in 1997 (excluding exports to Canada) contributed significantly to U.S. trade revenues.

The decline in exports since 1994 is attributed primarily to sourcing decisions by Japanese automakers using their U.S. production capacity to supply the U.S. market, rather than to export to Japan.

Seventy-one percent of Americans surveyed in September 1996 thought that the 1995 export of 174,000 cars manufactured in the U.S. by Japanese automakers represented a significant contribution to the American economy.

U.S. Passenger Car Exports in 1997

Source: International Communications Research

U.S. Public View of Exports of Cars Made in the U.S. by Japanese Automakers

Source: International Communications Research