Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, or JAMA, is a trade association with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in April 1967 and serves as a platform for the automakers of Japan to share technological developments and management practices. There are currently 14 member companies, manufacturing not only cars, but trucks and motorcycles as well. The organization also deals with the manufacturing and distribution of vehicle parts around the world. Together, the companies of JAMA hold a vast share of the markets in the United States, Europe, and many developing countries. JAMA also has offices located in Beijing, Singapore, Washington, D.C. (US Office), Toronto (Canadian Office) and Brussels, Belgium (Europe Office).
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Members of JAMA
Other brands of member companies
The "Big Three" of Japan (Toyota, Nissan, and Honda), each have luxury divisions: Honda's Acura (created in 1986), Nissan's Infiniti, and Toyota's Lexus (both created in 1989). Other than limited sales of the Infiniti Q45 these brands were only available outside Japan until 2005, when Lexus was introduced to the Japanese domestic market ("JDM"). Acura and Infiniti are also planned to be introduced into the Japanese domestic market by 2008. Toyota also began marketing some of its small domestic market cars in the United States under the Scion marque in 2003.
In Japan, there are also numerous small car manufacturers, coachbuilders, and tuning companies. Companies such as Mitsuoka, Spoon Sports, and HKS build production vehicles, sports cars, or one-off concepts in much smaller quantities than the major carmakers, therefore they are not included in JAMA.