Japanese Have Been Reluctant to Cruise Across the Silver Screen

Despite the new competition among the auto makers for Hollywood exposure, the Japanese remain surprisingly reluctant to get deeply involved in movie product placement.

Toyota has not agreed to work with any television or feature film production since “Back to the Future.”

Honda officials say their firm has never agreed to work on a television show or movie, and has no plans to do so.

Nissan has worked with only two movies recently, including “Blind Date,” a Bruce Willis film that featured a Nissan 300ZX.

Among the major Japanese auto makers, only Mazda has retained a Hollywood agent.

Car agents believe that the Japanese don’t work with Hollywood because they have never had to do much marketing in this country to sell their cars. At the same time, agents say, the studios and production companies generally aren’t interested in small cars, and the Japanese have only recently started selling larger models.