Welcome back Camry - Toyota's long-serving D-seg sedan set to return to Japan as CBU USA model, alongside Tundra and Highlander

Toyota will start exporting three US-built models to Japan in 2026, marking a notable reverse-flow move for one of the world’s largest carmakers. The range will include the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV and Tundra pickup, with the Japan-market Camry expected to be right-hand drive (RHD) as a domestic sale model rather than a left-hand drive (LHD) import.

The Japan launch matters because it gives Toyota a way to broaden its local lineup with models that have been built for the North American market. It also arrives at a time when Japan and the United States have reached a new trade arrangement that opens the door for US-made vehicles to be sold in Japan.

The Camry is not entirely new to Japanese buyers, but its return will still be significant. Toyota last sold the sedan in Japan in late-2023. The Highlander has been absent from the market for much longer, having last been sold there in 2007, when it was marketed as the Kluger. Like before, the CBU USA Highlander will likely don the Kluger name when it goes on sale in Japan.

The Tundra, meanwhile, has never been sold in Japan before.

Production will come from three separate US plants. The Camry is built in Georgetown, Kentucky, the Highlander in Princeton, Indiana, and the Tundra in San Antonio, Texas. That means Toyota is planning to route established North American production directly into the Japanese retail market.

The move is also strategically timed. Toyota said the three-model export plan will help it serve a wider range of customer needs while supporting better Japan-US trade ties. That language fits the broader shift in bilateral automotive trade after both governments struck a tariff deal earlier this year.

Under that arrangement, Japan agreed to allow US-built vehicles to be sold locally, while the US set a 15% tariff on Japanese vehicle and parts imports. The rate is lower than the 25% tariff introduced earlier by the Trump administration. Japan also pledged $550 billion of investment in strategic US sectors including semiconductors, energy and manufacturing.

A report from BestCarWeb reported that the US-built Camry and Highlander will arrive in Japan as a RHD model, while the Tundra will be introduced as a LHD model.