First Toyota, then Honda, and now Nissan. The latter has become the latest Japanese automaker to announce that it will export a vehicle it builds in the US to put it on sale back home. Nissan is planning to send the Tennessee-built Murano to its home market, beginning in early 2027. From Smyrna To Yokohama Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet Nissan President and CEO Ivan Espinosa made the announcement earlier today. "I'm excited to share with you that Murano is coming back to Japan," he said."The Murano has earned high praise from customers in the U.S. market for its elegant design and exceptional comfort. It was named the Most Dependable Midsize SUV in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study for the second year in a row. With the introduction of this model, Nissan aims to further strengthen its product lineup in Japan and meet the diverse needs of Japanese customers."- Ivan Espinosa, Nissan CEONicole Wakelin/CarBuzz/Valnet For the Nissan Murano, it's a case of coming around full circle. When the first-generation Murano was introduced in 2002, it was built only at a plant in Fukuoka, Japan. For the third generation, launched in 2014, Nissan moved the crossover to its plant in Mississippi and stopped selling the vehicle in Japan.Now, the US-built models will be sent to Japan for the first time. Nissan says that it will use a new certification introduced by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism last month to do it. That new certification process allows US-built vehicles to be shipped over with minimal added expense or equipment, and was created to help try to appease President Trump's vehicle tariffs. Nissan Joins Honda, Toyota For US Exports Nicole Wakelin/CarBuzz/Valnet At the end of 2025, Toyota announced it would send US-built Tundra pickups to Japan, as well as the Camry and Highlander. Honda announced earlier this month that it would send the Passport as well as the Acura Integra Type S home from the US.Honda is sending left-hand drive vehicles to Japan, which is a right-hand-drive country. Toyota appears to be doing the same with the models it is sending. We've reached out to Nissan to ask if the company is planning to build an RHD version for export, or if it will send over LHD models as well.While there are other LHD models sold new in Japan, it doesn't seem to be popular. Some of the most popular US-brand vehicles sold in Japan, including the Chevrolet Corvette and Jeep Wrangler, do come with the steering wheel on the right-hand side.NissanNissan didn't say how many Murano vehicles it expected to sell in Japan. The vehicle's popularity is on an upswing in the US at the moment. After a redesign last year, sales hit 42,747, well above the 19,316 of 2024 and a pace the model hasn't seen since 2021. Still, there is excess production, and Nissan is looking to make use of it with this sales expansion.The new Murano has leaned hard into design, with a look inspired by the Ariya EV. It is more luxurious than before as well. Nissan offers just one powertrain in the Murano, a 2.0-liter turbo-four with the brand's variable compression technology. It makes 241 horsepower, and is the first vehicle to use that engine with a nine-speed automatic instead of Nissan's usual CVT.