Yamaha To Build Cars By 2014

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

In a recent group interview at Yamaha Motor Company headquarters in Japan, company president Hiroyuki Yanagi announced plans for the company to enter into the automotive market by as early as 2014 — six years ahead of schedule.

If you’re a motorcyclist or musician, the Yamaha brand is likely very familiar to you. However, the company has a long history building, or designing, engines for the car industry. For example, Yamaha developed the engine for the 1967-1970 Toyota 2000GT, one of the early iconic Japanese sports cars. From there, Yamaha developed a four-cylinder engine for the Toyota Celica, the 3.0-liter V6 for the Ford Taurus SHO, a V8 engine for various Volvo products, and a V10 for the Lexus LFA.

The company’s decision to branch out into whole automobiles is a shock to some, but considering its diverse portfolio of motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles, and its various four-wheel ventures, building an entire car may not be much of a stretch. At EICMA 2013, it already unveiled the Tricity urban commuter leaning three-wheeler, which is slated for production by the end of next year.

Yamaha’s first car will be a compact two-seater powered by a 1000cc gas engine. It’s very likely the engine will have little relation to the current YZF-R1, as it is highly oversquare for an automotive application. Not to mention transmission needs are entirely different. The company is also planning to launch a compact electric car as well. There’s no word yet as to whether these cars, or future Yamaha cars, are slated for the North American market.

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Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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