Car and Driver: Ford Says “Sayonara!” to the Japanese Market

Ford Motor Company is pulling out of Japan, where it sells both the Ford and Lincoln brands. According to a report by The Detroit Bureau, affected employees were notified of the decision via an email from David Schoch, Ford president of the Asia-Pacific region. The company also is quitting the Indonesian market.

Ford currently sells six models in Japan: the Fiesta, Focus, Mustang, EcoSport (a subcompact crossover), Kuga (Escape), and Explorer. Lincoln offers the MKX and the Navigator.

The Detroit Bureau reports that company’s 52 dealerships peddled some 5000 cars last year in the Land of the Rising Sun, where Ford has operated since 1974. Schoch’s email cites “no reasonable path to profitability” as the reason for finally throwing in the towel.

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Japan’s automobile market has long been considered all but closed to foreign automakers—a situation that the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement is not expected to improve. Add in the country’s stagnant economy, and the decision probably wasn’t too difficult.

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