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Pickup trucks such as Ford FN’s top-selling F-150 have long been associated with American ruggedness and are now a symbol of international trade negotiations, showing how far countries like Japan will go to win over U.S. President Donald Trump.
When President Trump met with Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new prime minister and first female prime minister, in Tokyo on Tuesday, an F-150 was prominently parked outside the Akasaka Imperial Palace.
Heavy-duty American pickup trucks are a rare sight in Japan’s capital, where the roads are narrow and the turns are extremely tight.
But the deployment of the F-150, which is not normally sold in Japan, sent a clear message about Tokyo’s willingness to buy more vehicles from its allies, an issue that has vexed President Trump for decades.
Reuters reported last week that Takaichi’s administration was working on a package to buy F-150 trucks, as well as soybeans and gas, an idea originally floated by President Trump.
“Well, that’s great. She has good taste,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked about the report. “That’s a hot truck.”
President Trump said in August that Japan was prepared to buy the “very beautiful” F-150.
It is unclear how many F-150s Japan plans to purchase.
A Japanese government official told Reuters the truck would likely end up being used as a snow plow given its size.
American cars are too big for Japan
President Trump has often complained that Japan and Europe refuse to accept American cars, even though Japanese and European automakers sell millions of cars a year in the United States.
But American’s reluctance to buy has little to do with trade barriers. In both Tokyo and London, many drivers think Detroit’s cars are simply too big and expensive to drive.
The F-150 is not the first American car brought to Japan to ease trade tensions. Thirty years ago, Toyota 7203.T responded to U.S. pressure by selling General Motors Co GM.N’s midsize cars in Japan under its own brand.
John Shook, a former Toyota manager and veteran of both the American and Japanese auto industries, said the Toyota Cavalier was introduced with much fanfare, but sales were poor and it quietly disappeared after a few years.
Any attempt to sell the F-150 will likely follow the same path, he said.
“Don’t expect to see an F-150 roaming the streets of Tokyo or hauling produce from the countryside. It’s too big, too expensive, uses too much gas, and just generally has a bad fit. Not to mention the steering wheel is on the wrong side.”
One-third of the 3.7 million new cars sold in Japan last year were kei cars, or “kei” cars, which are small cars not produced by U.S. automakers.
According to industry data, foreign cars account for 6% of all new car sales, with European brands also leading the way, while Ford itself withdrew from Japan nearly a decade ago.
Separately, President Trump said Toyota 7203.T would open a $10 billion car factory in the United States.
A Toyota spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.
Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and David Dolan. Additional report by Maki Shiraki. Editing: Clarence Fernandez and Ross Russell
