Dawn Kent Azok

October 6, 2014

More than 3.6 million Japanese brand vehicles were produced in the U.S. last year, a record level that represents a 10 percent increase from 2012.

The data, supplied by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association’s U.S. office,also shows that Japanese automakers’ total investments in the U.S. increased to more than $40 billion.

Alabama’s auto industry plays a key role in those numbers. Honda operates an auto assembly plant in Talladega County, and Toyota has an engine factory in Huntsville. Numerous Japanese suppliers around the state are tied to those facilities.

“2013 was a banner year for Japanese-branded automobile company contributions to the U.S.,” Ron Bookbinder, general director of JAMA USA, said in a statement.

Other data shows 71 percent of Japanese-branded vehicles sold in the U.S. were built in North America, and more than 390,000 vehicles were exported from Japanese auto plants in the U.S. in 2013, up 16.6 percent over the previous year.

Japanese purchases of U.S. automotive parts also increased to a record $57.1 billion last year, an increase of nearly $6 billion from 2012.

Original Source: AL.com

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