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Tesla to end Model S and Model X sales in Japan this month | Domestic sales of the two vehicles will end on March 31, 2025.

chrisdh79 | 2025-03-07 15:25 | 400 views

Comments (58)
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fredean01 2025-03-07 15:29

Been to Japan, I think the cars are too big for that market.. even a model 3 is pretty big for Japan.

Mateking 2025-03-07 15:31

Same thing in Europe mostly. The Model 3 is alright but it's not considered a "smallish" car.

onestopunder 2025-03-07 15:31

Probably because Japan is a RHD market and Tesla no longer makes the S/X in a RHD config. I’m guessing the demand for a LHD car in Japan is not worth the effort to sell it.

LoogyHead 2025-03-07 15:32

Same. They have a much narrower personal space bubble and things are generally more compact/dense. I really wish I could get some of their tiny pickups here stateside.

astrophys_101 2025-03-07 15:35

From the article: "To comply with local safety standards, the Model S/X needed modifications, including the installation of a camera and display system to address the front passenger side blind spot in LHD vehicles for pedestrians." Model 3 and Y also need to comply with this? I wasn't aware of this situation. I thought that just was a thing of the size of the vehicles.

incensenonsense 2025-03-07 15:43

Model 3/Y still come in RHD variants so that’s probably why this doesn’t apply.

ChunkyThePotato 2025-03-07 15:44

Plus Japan is a very small market for Tesla and EVs in general.

ChunkyThePotato 2025-03-07 15:46

I haven't verified if that's true, but even if it is, Model 3/Y are available in RHD, so it wouldn't matter for them.

nstutsman 2025-03-07 15:48

You can. Look for JDM vehicles around you. Bigger markets will usually have one or two JDM specialty shops too. Ty might be interested in checking out r/JDM as well

ethanwc 2025-03-07 15:50

Imagine if Tesla made a K Car...

Kill_4209 2025-03-07 15:50

They’re like Alphaville

Opposite-Knee-2798 2025-03-07 16:09

Just domestic sales? Does Japan export Teslas???

pw5a29 2025-03-07 16:14

I barely even see a model 3 in Japan

LeVoyantU 2025-03-07 16:37

Tiny pickup in development from a US startup: https://www.telotrucks.com/

Flavoade 2025-03-07 16:38

From my understanding the Japanese EV market is very small, and was non existent for a while. With the exception of the Nissan Leaf the manufacturers haven’t poured too much into making them. They are changing course now, but that will take while to get up to speed

wilan727 2025-03-07 16:50

Yes there an ex-Japanese teslas in the NZ market.

JonG67x 2025-03-07 17:58

This - they didn’t import a single MS or MX into the U.K. in 2024 either, they were still selling 2023 built cars as new inventory (all 10 of them in the year) but have imported a few this year. It’s hardly worth the paperwork in RHD countries.

Low-Cockroach7733 2025-03-07 18:03

Australia: Join the club.

gburgwardt 2025-03-07 18:42

> They have a much narrower personal space bubble I really don't think this is related, even if it's true. It's just that space is more valuable for shops/housing than parking/car infrastructure, so cars tend to be smaller The truck thing is due to some ridiculous protectionist tariffs and such we have, they're really nice trucks I wish we have more open markets

AlwaysStayHumble 2025-03-07 19:48

Yep. Mirrors folded, it's wider than a Mercedes S-Class. 1.933 vs 1.921.

wywywywy 2025-03-07 20:40

Are you sure about this? I've had both and I definitely don't think it's the case

AlwaysStayHumble 2025-03-07 20:43

Yep. Body is narrower on the Tesla but the total width with folded side mirrors is just a tiny bit wider. Mirror wings extend a bit too far out.

QuestGalaxy 2025-03-07 20:44

How a Cybertruck should have been! I really like that car. Compact but still so practical.

MeatCannon0621 2025-03-07 20:59

Is that true? My friend had his 2025 model x delivered today in the UK

skidz007 2025-03-07 21:32

LHD I assume.

MeatCannon0621 2025-03-07 21:34

No, all the UK is RHD

skidz007 2025-03-07 21:38

Tesla hasn’t made a RHD S/X since 2021.

[deleted] 2025-03-08 00:00

test sugar future snails plant cover wise nutty cheerful act *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev/home)*

AutomaticAccount6832 2025-03-08 00:26

S Class body is 10cm wider than M3. Not sure what point you are trying to make with folded mirror with. The only thing I can read out of this is that M3 mirror folding is poorly designed.

AlwaysStayHumble 2025-03-08 00:28

Yes that’s exactly my point. In many garages and tight roads, minimum possible with (mirrors folded) is very important.

AutomaticAccount6832 2025-03-08 00:50

I really want to see that situation where +1cm folded mirror with is more important than +10cm body width and +46cm length.

AlwaysStayHumble 2025-03-08 01:16

Compared to an S-Class? Never. It’s two segments above. (Model S is also significantly wider) Compared to cars in the same segment of the 3 with around 1,80 to 1,85 m of width including mirrors folded? Makes quite a difference. Even a Porsche 992 is narrower at 1,852. Regardless, almost all new cars seem to be getting wider, taller and longer than its predecessors.

coveredcallnomad100 2025-03-08 02:25

Xenophobia country a tough nut to crack. If you buy foreign car you are shunned. A great dishonor

MisterBumpingston 2025-03-08 04:15

But you can own and drive LHD there.

Afasso 2025-03-08 05:57

Tesla doesn't make a RHD model X. Either it's an old model, it's LHD, or it's actually a model Y

MeatCannon0621 2025-03-08 08:01

You're right I've just used AI to determine the model as I only saw a pic of delivery and it comes up as a model Y. It looked too big to be a Y.

melokoton 2025-03-08 13:18

I have a model Y in Japan and the parking spaces are usually 1.9m, so model Y is a little bit bigger but not a huge deal. The biggest problem is the weight, there are so many mechanical park towers in Tokyo that cannot operate on heavy cars, they turn down all Tesla but 3. There are some but those are so expensive, aimed at rich people (e.g. huge SUVs)

[deleted] 2025-03-08 13:22

41k for that thing??? Nope.

kimi-r 2025-03-09 08:29

Same in UK. Tesla needs more models imo quickly.

AndrewNeo 2025-03-09 08:49

also literally, the M3 is still rather large for the country

cirsphe 2025-03-09 12:27

Many Toyota employees drive foreign cars. The cars everyone wants are still all foreign.

coveredcallnomad100 2025-03-09 14:17

In 2023, the percentage of newly-sold cars by foreign makers was 7.6%.

ElectricalFactor9682 2025-03-09 16:05

Looks great. My only question is whether it's been crash tested? That front end might be dicey in a crash.

LeVoyantU 2025-03-09 16:32

They say it will pass all NHTSA safety tests but I don't think it's been tested yet. They say there's a 14 inch crash structure in the front. Imo they'll need to release crash footage in addition to the NHTSA results to convince people it's safe.

cirsphe 2025-03-09 23:51

has nothign to do with beign shunned and everything to do with the fact that foreigner cars cost 2x as much as Japanese cars. You should stop extrapolating off of one data point.

coveredcallnomad100 2025-03-09 23:54

Ask chat gpt Yes, many Japanese consumers tend to be loyal to domestic brands, particularly in industries like automobiles, electronics, and household goods. This loyalty is often rooted in cultural pride, trust in quality, and a long history of supporting local businesses. Japanese brands such as Toyota, Sony, Panasonic, and Uniqlo are highly regarded both domestically and internationally, and they often emphasize craftsmanship, reliability, and innovation, which resonate strongly with Japanese consumers.

cirsphe 2025-03-10 06:23

I don't need to cause I've live in Japan and can speak the language. Let me educate you \- Sony is the best brand, but is expensive and break's in a year something that is call the "Sony Warranty" \- Uniqlo and H&M and GAP opening compete against each other \- Most people still consider the height of luxury and status sybol to drive a foreign car. In more wealthy places you will same mainly benzes and bmws. Lexus is not considerd a premium brand \- Panasonic is only know for their fridges now. Many Japanese eletroncis have unqie requirements meaning that they can only be sold in japan and foreign companies don't wan tot have a custom model jsut for japan so they dont' even compete. You need to learn to verify shit on chat gpt.

[deleted] 2025-03-10 13:28

Japanese people drive WAY less than North Americans and electricity is WAY more expensive. Those two facts alone really dent the EV economics. Hybrids or even pure ICE cars just make more economic sense for most Japanese people. Add the fact that the charging network sucks and 50% of people live in apartments or other dwellings without dedicated parking spots (which means home charging is an impossibility), it makes the decision even easier for them. There’s also the whole nationalism thing. Japan got to mass hybrid adoption first, which is a point of national pride, and EVs are kinda seen as a Chinese Trojan horse.

Flavoade 2025-03-11 02:40

That makes a lot of sense. Sounds like there isn’t really a need for them, convenient to own them, or a way to charge them all. I guess the market responded. Seeing as it’s Japan don’t many people use mopeds, or bicycles to get around?

[deleted] 2025-03-11 03:03

Bicycles and mopeds are definitely more popular than they are in North America, but the preferred method of getting around is public transit. In Tokyo, the modal share for bicycles is about 13%, which is definitely higher than North America, but for public transit it's around 36%, meaning that transit is about 3x more popular than bicycle: [https://www.sc-abeam.com/and\_mobility/en/article/20201203-01/](https://www.sc-abeam.com/and_mobility/en/article/20201203-01/) I've only been to Japan once, in May, but my wife lived there for 2 years and told me that the summers get disgustingly hot and humid, which is probably why cycling is not more widespread like it is in temperate places like Copenhagen or Amsterdam. The cycling infrastructure in Tokyo also generally sucks, and most people just cycle on the sidewalks along major roads. As for mopeds, no they are not really popular at all. You can see in the linked chart that motorcycles account for around 1% of all trips in Tokyo. You're probably thinking of Vietnam or Taiwan, two places where mopeds are exceedingly popular. I think r/fuckcars would be very disappointed to see how many Japanese people own and use cars.

moldy912 2025-03-11 12:56

I was just there and saw tons of G Wagens and Range Rovers.

[deleted] 2025-03-13 01:22

Wow, EV car sales only accounted for 1% of total car sales in Japan. Looks like Tesla is a making a smart move!

almonster2066 2025-03-14 14:10

Refresh is coming soon. Already announced.

KaleLate4894 2025-03-15 18:39

Least reliable EVs https://caredge.com/guides/the-most-reliable-evs-according-to-consumer-reports-2025

Beginning_Water_4143 2025-03-17 07:56

Not quite. It has ended production for new X and S in other parts of Europe as well. In my country (Romania), which is LHD, we can no longer order new models and they have an incentive for stock units with free supercharger for life + free premium connectivity. Maybe a refresh is coming?

Soggy-Bad2130 2025-03-17 16:18

For tesla yes. big ZEV market.

ChunkyThePotato 2025-03-17 17:03

Nope, not just Tesla. Only 2% of cars sold in Japan are electric: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2024/10/18/japan/japan-electric-cars/ For comparison, in the US it's around 8%. Japan fell off and is boomerland now.

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