Let’s be honest—Japanese luxury car brands are the best in the world. Whether you want to drive an exotic car that looks like it came straight out of a cartoon or you want something luxurious, comfortable, and classy, there’s a Japanese luxury car brand that fits your tastes.
If you’re not convinced yet, read on to find out why Japanese luxury car brands are the best in the world, as well as which ones are considered to be the best of all time. (Hint: They’re all Japanese.)
Best Japanese Car Brands: 10 Reasons
If you’re thinking about getting a new car, you might want to consider a Japanese brand. Here’s why. Japan makes some of the world’s best cars.
By combining European design with American engineering, Japan has created luxury sedans that can compete—and even beat—Europe and America at their own game… at least when it comes to reliability and quality.
The real shocker? These brands are extremely undervalued by Western standards; not only do they cost less but they’re also made better than any European or American car on sale today.
Emotion
Japanese car manufacturers understand luxury better than anyone else on earth. It’s their culture, it’s their spirit, and it’s what they deliver with every vehicle they produce.
While many have tried to replicate Japanese luxury cars, no one has come close to matching them. This is a fact of life that auto enthusiasts across America, Europe, and Asia all know to be true; whether they would admit it or not.
When you want quality, when you want style, when you want craftsmanship and innovation at its finest – look for a premium Japanese car brand.
Simplicity
Japanese luxury car brands forgo bells and whistles for simple, intuitive interiors. For example, BMW’s iDrive has been ridiculed and maintains complexity and frustration, while Lexus’ Remote Touch Interface is praised as intuitive and easy to use.
Simply put, driving a Japanese luxury car is meant to be a relaxing experience. In fact, JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) brands pride themselves on being easy to operate even without instructions.
This keeps users from getting frustrated when they’re trying to figure out how everything works. As such, JDM cars are often preferred by older drivers.
All of these factors make Japanese cars great for people who want to drive but don’t want all of those extra features that some newer vehicles come with nowadays.
Modernity
When it comes to luxury cars, many automakers look to other places for inspiration. To get a better idea of what makes Japanese luxury car brands so different, though, you have to look at where these cars were designed and built.
In recent years, Japan has seen a boom in a culture that’s attracting tourists from all over the world; high-quality Japanese car brands fit right into such an environment.
Japanese luxury car brands don’t just succeed because they’re state-of-the-art; they also showcase Japan’s unique culture and dedication to quality.
If you want to make sure your business stays on top of trends, investing in a Japanese luxury car brand is an excellent way to do so.
Sportiness
The most popular luxury cars in Japan are Toyotas, Hondas, and Nissans. There is a misconception that Japanese cars don’t have soul, they only make bland vehicles that do everything you want but nothing you love.
Although it’s true that Japanese car brands started out as affordable, utilitarian options for working-class families, today’s leading Japanese car brands make some of the world’s best-performing sports cars and SUVs.
After all, Toyota is one of two manufacturers to ever win a Formula One race with a hybrid vehicle; Honda was behind its own NSX supercar concept and has won several MotoGP races, and Nissan makes one of Formula One’s fastest racing engines ever used.
Comfort
Japanese cars are world-renowned for their reliability and comfort. Japanese luxury car brands go to great lengths to ensure that every inch of their cars is meticulously constructed and designed.
You’ll also find plenty of technology packed into these vehicles as well, including safety systems such as lane departure warnings and cameras that can detect pedestrians.
When it comes to luxury Japanese car brands, comfort is a key differentiator between brands and models, so think about how you’ll use your car and consider how much you really want to spend on a vehicle that will get limited use.
Exclusivity
What is the number 1 car brand in Japan? That’s easy. Toyota, hands down. While they’re a massive company (the first to be worth more than $200 billion), it’s still quite exclusive as a brand when it comes to cars.
Despite having its name on almost every imaginable type of vehicle, for many consumers—especially overseas—Toyota will always be synonymous with its upscale Lexus line.
As for which is best, that depends on your budget and needs. From a performance standpoint, Toyotas tend to reign supreme thanks to engines known for solid reliability and unparalleled fuel efficiency.
Technology
There’s no question that Toyota, Honda, and Nissan make some of the best vehicles on Earth, but they aren’t luxury cars. In fact, they have a long way to go before they get there.
Both Toyota and Honda offer upscale versions of their Camry and Accord sedans, respectively (the Avalon and Accord Sedan), but neither has ever built a true luxury car.
In Europe, Japanese automakers cater to buyers who want high-end vehicles through the premium brand Lexus.
Lexus has never offered its products in Japan—and it likely never will—partly because Japanese brands prefer to compete with themselves instead of reaching across borders for inspiration.
Regardless of what you think about Japanese automakers’ policies, their technology is among the best available.
Service Standards Section: Heritage
When it comes to high-end, luxury cars, there’s one country that reigns supreme: Japan. Some may argue that it’s not fair to compare American or European brands with Japanese ones because they are different kinds of cars.
But if you look at total volume, Japanese brands make up 90% of all luxury car sales – and yes, volume is a pretty good indication of quality.
Regardless of what kind of luxury car you’re looking for, know that if you purchase a Japanese car brand (like Toyota or Nissan), you will be getting a top-of-the-line product designed and manufactured to meet much higher service standards than its competitors. Why?
Reliability
Japanese luxury car brands are known for reliability. If you have a high-end Japanese car, you don’t have to worry about it suddenly breaking down on you (which is especially important if you plan on taking it out of town).
You may think, What about German or American cars? Don’t they offer reliability too? Yes and no. They do offer great quality vehicles, but when compared to Japanese models, they simply aren’t quite as reliable.
The reason for that is partly due to their technology and partly due to their cost-cutting strategies.
For example, German and American manufacturers cut costs by using cheaper components—which means that their vehicles could fail without warning at any time.
List Of Japanese Luxury Car Brands
Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda are considered among the world’s premium luxury car manufacturers. In fact, Lexus IS a sub-brand of Toyota.
Other Japanese brands that come under premium luxury cars include Subaru (Subaru), Acura (Honda), Infiniti (Nissan), and Mitsubishi ASX (Mitsubishi).
And while they may not be available in India yet, Toyota Prius Hybrid is on its way here after its introduction at Tokyo Motor Show 2014.
Acura
In 2015, Acura announced that it is aiming to become America’s best-selling luxury vehicle brand by 2020. The brand first started selling vehicles in 1986 and now has four distinctive car lines: ILX, TLX, RLX, and RDX. Other models include MDX and ZDX SUVs.
It is a subsidiary of Honda Motor Company and its products are made by American Honda Motor Company as well as Honda of Canada Manufacturing, Inc., both located in Ontario, Canada.
Infiniti
As a high-end luxury vehicle maker, Infiniti is often compared to most expensive German cars like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
But unlike those automakers, which typically only make one line of luxury cars, Infiniti makes several different models that span a variety of classes.
In recent years, car critics have said that Infiniti makes some of the best luxury sedans on the market; some even claim that it has begun to rival its European competitors in terms of quality and style.
There are two reasons for this: an emphasis on new design and an obsessive focus on making user-friendly technology.
Lexus
The Lexus LS is, without a doubt, one of the best luxury cars on sale today. It’s comfortable and offers plenty of space for its passengers. The car is built like a tank, offering some of the most advanced safety features of any car you can buy.
The LS also has one of the finest interiors you’ll find inside a luxury sedan and it’s extremely refined at highway speeds.
This combined with an extremely spacious rear bench that easily seats three people makes it a great choice for families who want something luxurious and safe to drive but don’t need an excessively powerful sports car or SUV.
However, if you’re looking for something sportier or just want a larger backseat then perhaps consider another option like an Audi A8 or BMW 7 series instead.
Mazda
Japanese car brands are best known for their reliability and overall value, but Japan also has several luxurious brands that compete with top German luxury cars.
The most popular Japanese luxury car brand is Lexus, which enjoys a well-deserved reputation for quality and innovation, particularly with their line of hybrid cars. Other top Japanese luxury brands include Acura (Honda), Infiniti (Nissan), and Isuzu.
However, Japan’s biggest names have been slow to offer ultra-luxury vehicles at par with Mercedes Benz or Rolls Royce.
In fact, only two models make our list of 15 best Japanese luxury sedans: The all-new 2016 Lexus LS 460L sedan (the first iteration debuted in 1989) and Nissan’s Q70 flagship model.
Nissan
Founded in 1933, Nissan is one of Japan’s oldest car manufacturers. With its headquarters in Yokohama, Tokyo, it has an impressive portfolio of cars including passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles.
The iconic Nissan GT-R boasts to be a true high-performance supercar.
Another striking fact about Nissan is that it is one of the world’s largest automotive companies and one of very few automakers with popular models from low to high-price segments.
What is The Number 1 Car Brand in Japan?
Although European car manufacturers have dominated overall car sales throughout most of Europe, Japan is quite different when it comes to best-selling cars. Instead of Europeans dominating here, Japanese brands like Toyota and Honda do instead.
In fact, according to Statista, a market research firm that tracks automotive trends globally and across countries, Toyota is by far the largest automotive company on Earth.
Its global vehicle sales alone sit at over 32 million units sold per year, making it impossible for any other automaker to even come close. As for second place? That would be Honda Motor Co., Ltd., which sells just over 31 million vehicles each year.
Summary:
Japanese luxury car brands have been getting a lot of attention from consumers, thanks to their luxurious and safe features.
Japanese luxury car brands include Toyota and Lexus, among others. These cars are great for those looking for a ride that offers speed and lots of comfort.
They can come with features like heated seats; power door locks; power windows; overhead consoles; CD players; CD-changers; GPS systems (global positioning systems); DVD players (digital video disks) with screen entertainment systems; DVD-based navigation systems–and much more!
But why do so many people prefer these vehicles over American ones? What makes them so special? It all comes down to their luxury construction, safety features, speed, and reliability.