The Reason Why Toyota Chairman Is Waving Nissan Flags

Rival companies don’t necessarily have to be sworn enemies. While competition in the automotive industry continues to heat up, Toyota’s chairman has made a friendly gesture toward one of its domestic competitors. In a new video shot on the sidelines of last weekend’s 24-hour endurance race at Fuji Speedway, Akio Toyoda waves a couple of Nissan flags while a Murano sits behind him.

Predictably, the video has gone viral on X, since it’s exceedingly rare for an automaker to promote a product sold by a long-standing rival actively. While our Japanese is a bit rusty, we ran the video through a translator to find out what Toyoda said during the nearly minute-long clip shared on social media by Toyota Japan’s official account:

‘This is an American-made car that we brought over to Japan. I really hope our Japanese customers will use it, too. It’s the Nissan Murano!’

American-Made Cars Are Coming To Japan

At this point, you’re probably wondering why Toyoda is effectively encouraging people to buy a Murano. Much like Toyota is bringing the American-made Camry, Highlander, and Tundra to Japan, Nissan is sending the Tennessee-built Murano to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Murano exports will begin in early 2027, following a trade agreement between the United States and Japan that eliminates local crash-testing requirements. Vehicles built in the U.S. will be deemed compliant with Japanese safety standards. Nissan will export left-hand-drive vehicles to a country where people drive on the left side of the road, so it remains to be seen how many buyers will make that compromise for a Murano.

Akio Toyoda Is Open-Minded

It’s far from the first time Toyoda has shown appreciation for a vehicle that doesn’t wear a Toyota badge. At the 2024 Tokyo Auto Show, he brought his own Suzuki Jimny and displayed it at Toyota’s stand alongside a Yamaha Vino scooter. A few months later, Toyota announced a joint initiative with Mazda and Subaru to extend the life of combustion engines by adapting them to run on carbon-neutral fuels.

Later that same year, Toyota and Hyundai teamed up to co-host the “Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival,” an event dedicated to street-legal cars and motorsport vehicles from both brands. The two companies also brought several prototypes and concept cars to an event at Everland Speedway in Hyundai’s home country of South Korea.

Motor1’s Take: If more high-ranking automotive officals were like Akio Toyoda, I think the industry would be in a much better place. His openness reflects respect for a competitor and sends a clear message that there’s room for everyone.

Toyota’s former president and CEO recently turned 70, yet we’re glad to see him remain highly active. The grandson of Toyota founder Kiichiro Toyoda has been the driving force behind the rise of Gazoo Racing, culminating in GR recently becoming a standalone performance-car brand.