Californians Buy More Japanese Cars for the First Time

It has been a long held assumption that Californians have preferred Japanese imports over American autos for the past few decades. We were a bit surprised to learn that until 2006 that was not actually the case, Californians — like the rest of the country — bought more domestics. This year, however, the assumption has become reality, Californians bought more than 75,000 more Japanese cars and trucks than domestic brands.

The final numbers according to the state’s auto dealers: 938,839 Japanese vehicles bought to 859,206 U.S. vehicles, or 44.8% market share versus 41.0% market share. Compare that to the national average where domestics hold a 53.9% share and the Japanese hold a 34.8% share and it’s easy to see just how much Californians favor Japanese products. Now it’s finally official.

[This Year, More Californians Drawn to Japanese Cars, ContraCostaTimes.com]