About This Quiz
Japan has a huge automotive industry, and many of its cars are not exported. In the United States, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Lexus, Nissan, Acura, Subaru, Infiniti and Mitsubishi are household names. If you're old enough, you may even remember Izuzu, Scion, Datsun and Suzuki. While Datsun became Nissan and the Scion marquee saw many of its cars rebranded as Toyotas, Izuzu and Suzuki exited the U.S market.
While most of the major brands in the Japanese domestic market have had some lasting impact on the United States market, the early groundbreaking Japanese auto companies never entered the market because they were bought out by the likes of Nissan and Toyota. There's also the case of Daihatsu, which entered the U.S. in 1988, but decided to pull out 4 years later.
Like the United States and Europe, Japan also has boutique automakers, such as Mitsuoka, that make customized cars. If you're an American fan of those cars that either never made it to the U.S. market or were forced to leave, then the only way to get your car of choice is to hope you can legally import it.
Are you a fan of Japanese cars? Do you follow the car industry closely? Then, challenge yourself with this quiz of Japanese cars!
From 2011, to 2014, Nissan made the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, which was a combination of an SUV with a convertible ragtop. When it debuted, it retailed for $45,000.
Since its introduction, the Pathfinder has gone through four generations.
The Toyota Sienna debuted in 1998. It was a replacement for the Toyota Previa.
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In 1997, Japan become the first market to get the Toyota Prius. Three years later, Toyota would hold a worldwide launch for the vehicle.
The Subaru Outback was derived from the second generation Subaru Legacy. The Outback Sport was based on the Subaru Impreza.
The Toyota Corolla made its Japanese debut in 1966. It is now the best-selling nameplate in the world.
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The U.S. version served as a replacement for the Mitsubishi Montero Sport and shares its platform with the Mitusbishi Grandis. In 2005, Mitusbishi rebranded the Airtrek as the Outlander worldwide.
The Mazda CX-9 is built at Mazda's Ujina Plant No. 1, which is located in Hiroshima. The similar Mazda CX-8 is sold in Japan and Australia.
In 1989, the Lexis ES served as one of the launch models for the company. Lexus Australia uses the backronym Elegant Sport for the Lexus ES.
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In 2003, the Honda Pilot released the Honda Pilot. The vehicle is a mid-size crossover SUV that was a replacement for the Honda Passport.
Also known as the Nissan Navara, this car has been manufactured in Canton, Mississippi since 2012.
In 1984, Nissan decided to remove the Datsun name from the U.S. market and replace it with the Nissan badge. Maximas are assembled at the company's plant in Smyrna, Tennessee.
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The Subaru Ascent shares a platform with the Subaru Impreza. It's first model year is 2019.
The Subaru Forester is considered a compact crossover SUV. In the United States, the SUV debuted in 1997.
The Mazda6 came to the United States in 2003. Throughout the years, Mazda has split production between various U.S. plants and its plant in Hofu, Japan.
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In Australia, the Toyota Highlander is forced to use the Kluger name because Hyundai uses the Highlander name on a trim line. Kluger means "one who is clever" in German.
In October 2007, the Nissan Rogue was released in the United States. It made its debut at the North American International Auto Show earlier that year.
The Toyota Yaris is based on the Mazda2, which is not sold in the United States. From 1999 to 2005, some markets had the Yaris branded as the Toyota Echo.
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In 2005, the Honda Ridgeline hit the U.S. market. Ten years later, Honda halted production for a year, so it could redesign the truck for the 2016 model year.
Development for the RAV4 began in 1989, under the codename 153T. The RAV4 hit the Japanese and European markets in 1994. A year later, the car made its way to the U.S. market.
In 1978, the Mitsubishi Mirage was introduced as a subcompact hatchback. When it was discontinued in 2003, the Mitsubishi Colt replaced it. The Mirage would return after the Colt ended production.
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In 1983, the Toyota Camry entered the American market to replace the Toyota Corona. It was based on the Japanese Celica Camry, which started production in 1979.
The Honda Civic is currently in its tenth generation, which was introduced in 2016.
The first generation Toyota Avalon was produced from 1994 to 1999. In 1999, the Avalon was updated to be bigger than its previous generation.
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Introduced in 1995, the Toyota Tacoma was named Motor Trend Magazine's "Truck of the Year" in 2005.
In the Japanese Market, the Sentra is sold as the Nissan Sunny. When it was introduced in 1982, it was a replacement for the Datsun 210.
In 2001, Honda debuted the Honda Fit. A hybrid model was introduced in 2010.
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When it debuted, the Honda Odyssey was only available in LX and EX trims. It also had enough seating for seven people.
Though known as the Miata in the U.S., this car is known in Japan as the Roadster.
The Honda Accord was the first Japanese car build in the United States. At the time, it was built in Marysville, Ohio.
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Izuzu was in the U.S. market for 28 years, but stopped in 2008 due to lack of sales.
Introduced in 2010, the Leaf is the best-selling highway-capable electric car of all time.
The Toyota Jeep BJ hit the market in 1951. In 1955, it was renamed Land Cruiser.
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The Acura TLX was introduced at the New York International Auto Show in 2014. The cars are produced in Marysville, Ohio.
In 2003, Mazda introduced the Mazda 3, which was based on the Ford C1 platform.
The Toyota 86's origins can be traced back to the Sports 800, which was their first production sports car.
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Originally introduced in 1990 as the Honda NSX. The following year, it was moved to the Acura banner.
The Toyota Sequoia was introduced in 2000, and is manufactured at Toyota's Indiana plant.
The Subaru Legacy covered 100,000 km in 447 hours, 44 minutes, and 9.887 seconds (or 18.5 days). The vehicle was released in 1989.
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