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BSCB Exclusive: Discover the Top 1200 best-selling cars in the world

The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car in the world for the 13th straight year.

* See the Top 1200 best-selling models in the world by clicking on the title *

Consult 57 years worth of Worldwide Historical Data here

Our exclusive Full Year worldwide models ranking is here for 2017. This is the most complete worldwide ranking published online, taking into account official sales data from 140 markets. If you came across an earlier 2017 worldwide models ranking published anywhere else online, rest assured that whatever you saw was incomplete as only BSCB has access to complete new car sales data covering the entire planet. We will update this ranking as the very last markets come online such as Nigeria and Malaysia – the latter has been estimated here. Note that a complete ranking by manufacturer will also be published once official production data has been released by OICA. We like to keep our data official here at BSCB, and avoid as much as we can rushed estimates that lead to gaping holes and inconsistencies in the data.

The Ford F-Series posts its highest-ever annual worldwide volume at 1.082 million.

As always, to ensure our calculations are transparent, complete notes are included in the table so it is clear what variants, generations and rebadges are included for each nameplate, as often a car can be sold under various names and/or brands depending on the region of the world. The aim is to make it easier to gauge what really are the best-selling cars in the world in 2017. If a nameplate you are expecting doesn’t come up, look it up by searching the page and it will lead you straight to it on the table, either as a main nameplate in the ranking or as a rebadge. This ranking was compiled with the help of Austin Rutherford.

The Toyota Corolla was the best-selling car in the world from as early as 1974.

For the 13th consecutive year, the Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car in the world despite a slight decline at -4% to 1.439 million units excluding the Japanese Corolla. This figure includes the Auris/Corolla iM hatch, but even without, the Corolla would still comfortably be in the lead at 1.283 million sales. The Corolla reaps the result of consistently strong performances in the US and China where it is also sold as the Levin. In second place, the Ford F-Series manages a little exploit: despite only being widely available in North America – Middle-East and China volumes remain tiny, it sells over one million unit in 2017 at 1.082m. According to BSCB records, this is the F-Series’ highest every worldwide volume, and only the second time in history after 2004 it crosses the symbolic 1 million sales milestone worldwide. Fittingly, U.S. sales of the hero pickup truck are at their highest since 2005 and Canadian sales are at an all-time record.

The Nissan X-Trail is the best-selling SUV in the world for the 2nd year in a row.

Symbolic of the SUV wave that is engulfing absolutely all markets in the world, the Nissan X-Trail gains a splendid 12% and two spots on 2016 to become the first-ever SUV to feature on the worldwide podium at #3 with a little over 880.000 unit sold, under the name Rogue in North America. But the SUV invasion doesn’t stop here: the Toyota RAV4 is up 13% and 5 spots to #5 at 813.000 sales, the Honda CR-V is up 7% and 4 ranks to #7 and 756.000 and the VW Tiguan soars 38% and 16 spots on last year to break into the worldwide Top 10 for the very first time at #10. That’s no less than four SUVs in the Top 10 this year, whereas there were none two years ago in 2015!

The Honda Civic surges 23% to #4.

The passenger car is far from dead however, as demonstrated by the Honda Civic’s stellar performance in 2017: up 23% and ten spots to shoot up to #4 worldwide, dislodging the VW Golf down 6% to #6 while the VW Polo is down 5% to #8 but the Nissan Sylphy is up 9% and four spots to #9, helped by a very solid performance in China. Just outside the Top 10, the Honda HR-V (-2%) goes from #2 to #5 in the SUV segment at #11, the Hyundai Elantra is hit full frontal by poor Chinese sales and dives 19% and 8 ranks to #12, with the VW Passat (-4%), Ford Focus (-9%), Hyundai Tucson (-12%), Toyota Camry (-4%) and VW Jetta (-7%) also in difficulty. Reversely the Chevrolet Silverado (+4%), Ford Kuga (+4%) and Ram Pickup (+3%) post positive results in the Top 20, supported by strong American performances.

The Haval H6 becomes the best-selling Chinese car in the world at #25.

The Haval H6 (#25) becomes the best-selling Chinese nameplate in the world despite sales down 12%, overtaking the Wuling Hongguang down 24% to #27 and stripped off its S3 crossover variant accounted for separately. The Renault Sandero (+24%) is up 19 spots to become the most popular French car in the world, now that we have separated its sales from the Logan. The Toyota Hilux, best-seller in an estimated 34 countries this year, is up three spots to #29 overall and the world’s best-selling mid-size pickup.

The Baojun 510 is the world’s best-selling new launch in 2017, but also in history.

Once again Chinese nameplates account for the overwhelming majority of new launches in 2017: no less than 91 (or 69%) of the 131 all new nameplates landing in this worldwide ranking for 2017 come from the largest market in the world. In 2016 they were “only” 50 out of 94, demonstrating if need be that the dynamism of the Chinese market is far from sputtering out. Quantity, but also quality: 7 out of the Top 10 new launches are Chinese, including the runaway leader: the Baojun 510 which became in January 2018 the best-selling new car ever introduced in the world, beating the previous record held for the past 40 years by the Ford Fairmont. It ranks #51 worldwide in 2017, and the only newcomer in the Top 200. It is followed by the VW Teramont (#249), Changan CS55 (#310), MG ZS (#341), FAW Besturn X40 (#343), Roewe i6 (#363), Hyundai Kona (#373), Zotye T700 (#380), Honda WR-V (#395) and WEY VV7 (#409). All the data is below the jump.

The VW Teramont is the 2nd most successful new launch in the world in 2017.

Previous year: World Full Year 2016: Discover the Top 1000 best-selling cars

Two years ago: World Full Year 2015: Discover the Top 1400 best-selling cars

Full Year 2017 Top 1200 models ranking vs. Full Year 2016 figures below.

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Portugal March 2018: Nissan surges 61% to #3 in market up 7.4%

The Nissan Micra is up 304% to #7 in Portugal this month.

* See the Top 35 All-brands and Top 245 All-models by clicking on the title *

The Portuguese new car market is up 7.4% year-on-year in March to 27.908 units, lifting the Q1 volume up 5.6% to 63.229 sales. Brand leader Renault beats the market with a 11% gain to 15.1% share, comfortably distancing Peugeot up 2% to 9.3%. Nissan surges 61% to 9% ahead of Fiat up 18% to 7.4% and Opel up 19% to 6.5%, all easily outpacing the market. Reversely, Volkswagen sinks 25% to #8 and 5.1% share, down to a paltry 9th place year-to-date vs. #3 over the FY2017. Ford (+24%) and Citroen (+13%) also shine in the Top 10 while further down, Jeep (+4950%), DS (+142%), Lexus (+59%), Seat (+39%) and Hyundai (+31%) stand out whereas Audi (-61%), Skoda (-42%) and Land Rover (-27%) struggle.

Over in the models ranking, below the Renault Clio, unchallenged leader at 6.4% share, the Nissan Qashqai soars 73% year-on-year and 8 spots on February to land in the 2nd place overall this month, distancing the Peugeot 208 (+5%), Renault Megane (+32%) and Captur (-2%) in a Top 5 otherwise monopolised by French nameplates. The VW Polo is up two spots on last month to #6, the Nissan Micra up 4 and 304% year-on-year to #7 while at the tail end of the Top 10, the Opel Corsa (+25%), Mercedes A-Class (+16%) and Peugeot 2008 (+36%) all outpace the market. The Opel Crossland X takes the lead of recent launches (<12 months) at #30, up 16 ranks on February, just above the Seat Arona at #31 (+12) and the Citroen C3 Aircross at #32 (-11).

Previous month: Portugal February 2018: Clio and Captur on top, BMW 1 Series up to #3

Previous year: Portugal Full Year 2017: Renault Clio leads for 5th consecutive year

Full March 2018 Top 35 All-brands and Top 245 All-models below.

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Singapore March 2018: Toyota leads, Hyundai shines

Hyundai is up 17-fold year-on-year to #3 this month.

* See the Top 37 All-brands ranking by clicking on the title *

New car sales in Singapore continue on their precarious run in this start of 2018 with March volume down a steep 18.7% to 7.001 registrations, leading to a year-to-date tally down 20.2% to 17.797 over Q1. Toyota is the most popular carmaker in the country for the second month running and despite a harsh 27% year-on-year decline, but still ranks #2 year-to-dat below Honda, down 39% to #2 this month. Hyundai ignores the surrounding gloom and is up 17-fold (!) on a particularly paltry score in March 2017 to land in third place, it ranks #5 year-to-date (+299%). BMW (+37%), Kia (+13%) and Mitsubishi (+3%) are the only other brands in positive in the Top 10, while below Mini (+123%), Alfa Romeo (+100%) and Rolls Royce (+40%) stand out.

Previous month: Singapore February 2018: Toyota reclaims lead in market down 15.3%

One year ago: Singapore March-April 2017: Toyota reclaims lead off Honda

Full March 2018 Top 37 All-brands ranking below.

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Media post: Best-selling Luxury Mercedes Cars of all Time

Bestselling Luxury Mercedes Cars of all Time

It doesn’t matter whether you love to drive or are just interested in cars, you would love to know about the bestselling luxury cars either way. Meant for the wealthy, these cars probably do a lot more than what yours and mine would do. The focus here for luxury cars, is on comfort, style and elegance rather than fuel economy, which we would probably be looking a while buying one. And while we are sure there are a good many options to choose from for the rich, we will talk about the top Mercedes cars that have graced us in the years gone by, and promise that we will discuss the even less accessible Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 in another article.

Cars, after all, are that one luxury that people not only need but like to possess. And if the car is a luxury one, then there’s nothing like it. Among the variety of luxury cars available in the market, Mercedes-Benz C-Class is the bestselling luxury car of all time. Individuals who think of luxury cars decide to own this first.

The unmatched style of Mercedes-Benz C-Class:

This C-Class variation of Mercedes Benz has been on the market since 1994 and for the past 24 years have been one of the most opted brands of luxury cars in the world. With varied features such as style, driver assistance technology and safety features the C-Class variation of this brand has won hearts and accolades of performance mongers for cars. Mercedes Benz C-Class comes in convertibles, sedan and coupes. With various models springing up with the passing of time Mercedes Benz has turned out to be a great option.

The present models:

With power-driven style and advanced features, the C-Class varieties have improved rapidly over the years. Presently, AMG versions of the Mercedes Benz C-Class are performance driven cars that are neat and smart. With dapper cars from a basic C300, one can choose to go with other AMG versions such as AMG C63, AMG C63 S and AMG C43. Also, the amalgamated plug-in version of C350e and the stylish C300 4Matic are the sought after ones. All these current models define the add-on features, and sub-forms of models such as C300 comes in sports as well as luxury models that are different from one another with a difference in wheel design, in styling and a slight variation in suspension. But all these models are equipped to offer the purchaser with an ample amount of style, comfort and a host of modern technological advances.

The earlier ones:

In the past 24 years, there have been severe technological changes everywhere, and cars have been no exception. Mercedes Benz has owned this changed and introduced variations since 1995 with the advent of AMG versions that powered the then C36, followed by C43.

The major changes came in Mercedes C-Class from 2001 to 2007 that saw the debut of models such as C320 wagon, C240, C230 Kompressor hatchback coupe with two-door and more. By the start of 2012 to 2016 it saw multiple changes in style and look to compete with their contemporaries.

(photo by order_242 from Chile)

The cars started to get an upgrade with technologies and hardware up-gradation with the introduction of models like C450. With customer praises, especially from all those who have driven Mercedes Benz C-Class cars, it’s reliability, and a track record of winning accolades by scoring well in the crash tests makes it the best in the luxury car section.

China March 2018 Retail sales: Toyota Corolla surprise leader

The Toyota Corolla is the best-selling vehicle in China in March in our new Retail reports.

* See the Top 95 All China-made brands and Top 580 models by clicking on the title *

April 2017 – January 2018 monthly All-models data also available, Contact us here

This is a new, exclusive, update on BSCB, and for the second time we can share with you complete retail sales figures for China. These paint a very different picture than the wholesales data we have been publishing and will continue doing so. Volkswagen remains by far the most popular marque in the country, but only one other carmaker posts a six-digit sales figure in March: Toyota, up from #6 in February. Geely is down one spot to round up the podium ahead of Honda and Nissan.

Very first appearance of the Nio ES8 in the Chinese sales charts.

Helped by the addition of microvans in the Retail ranking, Wuling climbs up to #6 overall, distancing Buick (-3), Baojun (-5), Hyundai (+1) and Audi (+7). Changan, Dongfeng and Haval are grouped just outside the Top 10, all within 338 sales. Among recent brand launches, WEY is down 4 spots on last month to #37 while Lynk & Co is up 7 ranks to #43, Yudo up 12 to #70 and Traum up 4 to #73. Below Sinogold (#80), Xpeng (#81) and Arcfox (#82), Nio makes its very first appearance in any Chinese ranking with two ES8 crossovers finding a new home this month.

The Wuling Hongguang ranks #2 overall even when stripped out of its S3 crossover sales.

Over in the models ranking, the separation of some variants and the closer-to-market retail figures make for a completely different ranking. Whereas it has never topped the wholesales charts, the Toyota Corolla is the best-selling retail model in China in March with over 35.500 units (up from #8 in February), including 8.293 hybrid variants, making it the best-selling New Energy vehicle in China this month. Stripped of its S3 crossover variant (itself down 21 spots on last month to #42), the Wuling Hongguang however manages a 34.800-strong result in 2nd place overall, with over 100.000 sales in Q1 (#2 also). The VW Lavida (ex-Gran Lavida and Lavida Cross) rounds up the podium both in March and YTD, ahead of the Nissan Sylphy (+2).

The Baojun 510 has topped the Retail SUV charts for 7 of the past 8 months.

As it is the case in the wholesale rankings, the Baojun 510 is the best-selling SUV in the country, ranking 5th overall but #1 YTD thanks to 104.330 units sold so far this year. Contrary to the wholesale situation however, the 510 has topped the SUV ladder for 7 of the past 8 months starting last August, as the Haval H6 is here stripped of its H6 Coupe variant. In fact, for the first time since we have access to retail data (April 2017) the H6 falls to under 20.000 monthly units to #10 and #3 SUV below the VW Tiguan. Volkswagen indeed manages to place an astounding 7 nameplates inside the March Top 13: the Lavida (#3), Santana (#6), Jetta (#7), Tiguan (#8), Sagitar (#9), Bora (#12) and Magotan (#13).

Over 4.000 Jinbei X30 found a new home in China in March.

This retail ranking also includes some microvans such as the Wuling Hongguang V shooting up 38 spots on February to #15, the Wuling Sunshine up 51 to #44 and the Wuling Rongguang up 84 to #89. Among other nameplates that don’t show up in the wholesales data, the Baojun 310W station wagon is down 24 spots on February to #48, the Haval H6 Coupe is down 23 to #88, the JAC iEV6e is up 148 to #114, outselling the BAIC EC-Series (#127), the Jinbei X30 is up 105 to #124, the Dongfeng Fengxing Jingye X5 down 64 to #131, JMC Teshun up 125 to #133, JAC Refine M3 up 47 to #143, Chevrolet Malibu XL up 22 to #155 and Haval H2s down 46 to #163.

The Changhe Q7 makes its first appearance in any Chinese ranking.

Among recent launches, the Baojun 530 confirm its wholesale surge with 9.420 retail sales, up 131 spots on February to crack the Top 50 at #50. Most March wholesale launches however don’t appear yet in the retail rankings – somewhat logically – such as the Haval H4, Roewe Ei5 and DS 7. The Zotye T500 ranks at #329 and the Yudo π3 at #453. Reversely we have three new models appearing for the first time in the Retail charts this month: the Skoda Karoq already features in the wholesales data and lands here at #292, but the next two are exclusive to Retail for now: the Changhe Q7, launched at the Guangzhou Auto Show last November, ranks at #447 with 84 sales and the Nio ES8 electric crossover points its sculpted bonnet at #557 with two units.

Previous month: China February 2018: Discover exclusive Retail Sales figures

Full March 2018 Top 95 All China-made brands and Top 580 models below.

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Belarus First Quarter 2018: VW Polo leads, Geely Atlas up to #13

The Geely Atlas could aim at a Top 10 finish in 2018.

* See the Top 30 All-brands and Top 30 models by clicking on the title *

The Belorussian new car market shoots up 47% year-on-year over the First Quarter of 2018 to 8.543 registrations. Renault (+22%) remains the most popular carmaker in the country but sees its share drop to 28.6%. Its six direct followers all outpace the market: Volkswagen (+51%), Lada (+57%), Nissan (+70%), Kia (+70%), Hyundai (+67%) and Skoda (+58%). Below, GAZ (+46%) follows the market ahead of Ford (+64%) while Chinese Geely lands directly at a stunning 10th place overall. Chery (+200%), Mitsubishi (+200%), Suzuki (+117%), BMW (+114%), Citroen (+84%), Volvo (+74%), Mazda (+71%) and Mercedes (+61%) are among the most dynamic below, with Lifan (#16), Haval (#25) and Changan (#26) making their way up.

The VW Polo is headed towards a 6th consecutive annual win in Belarus even without the new gen.

Model-wise, the VW Polo is headed towards a sixth consecutive year on top with another dominant showing over Q1 2018 at 10.8% share, distancing four Renaults like over the Full Year 2017: the Sandero (8.2%), Logan (7.2%), Duster (5.8%) and Kaptur (4.3%). The Lada Vesta soars up 8 spots vs. FY2017 to land in 6th place, dislodging the Skoda Rapid with the Kia Rio up 8 ranks also thanks to the arrival of the X-Line crossover-designed variant accounting for 61% of its sales over the period. The Hyundai Creta and Kia Sportage round up the Top 10, the VW Tiguan is up 3 ranks to #12 and the Geely Atlas (aka Boyue) surges to an impressive 13th place overall vs. #31 over FY2017. The Nissan Terrano is up 5 ranks to #21, the Hyundai Tucson and Renault Koleos make it to the Top 30 while the Chery Tiggo 3 is the second Chinese nameplate in the Belorussian Top 30 at #27.

Previous post: Belarus Full Year 2017: VW Polo #1 for 5th straight year, Geely up to #12

Full Q1 2018 Top 30 All-brands and Top 30 models below.

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New Zealand March 2018: Hilux #1, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross in Top 20

The Toyota Hilux snaps its first NZ victory in seven months.

* See the Top 70 All-brands and Top 30 models by clicking on the title *

The New Zealand new car market resumes its growth in March with sales up 1.3% to 14.028 units – a new record for the month – lifting the Q1 volume up 2.4% to a record 40.356 registrations after three months in 2018. Toyota comfortably keeps the brands lead, beating the market at +5% to 17.3% share and distancing Ford (+2%) like in the YTD order while Mitsubishi replicates its historic Australian performance with a third place (+1%) only four sales above Holden with Mazda (-7%) rounding up the Top 5. Once again repeating its success in Australia, Honda (+23%) is the fastest-growing brand in the NZ Top 10 with Nissan also strong at +9%. Further down, Tesla (+156%), Peugeot (+82%), Chinese LDV (+72%), Jeep (+52%), Subaru (+20%), BMW (+18%) and Mini (+12%) impress whereas Volkswagen (-49%), Fiat (-32%), Land Rover (-24%), Hyundai (-22%) and Mercedes (-19%) disappoint.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is already inside the NZ Top 20.

Over in the models ranking, the Toyota Hilux soars 24% year-on-year to snap the pole position for the first time since last August but its tiny advantage over the Ford Ranger at #2 (three lonely sales) means the latter comfortably hangs onto the YTD top spot for now. The Holden Colorado (+12%), Mitsubishi Triton (+5%) and Nissan Navara (+9%) make the NZ Top Five 100% pickup trucks for the second month in a row. Surprise in 6th place: the new generation Holden Commodore (+85%) is the best-selling passenger car above the Mazda CX-5 (+22%) and Toyota Corolla (-28%). The Suzuki Swift (+37%) and Honda CR-V (#15) also shine while the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross breaks into the Top 20 for its 2nd month in market and the Hyundai Kona is down 11 spots on last month to #28. Finally, note the LDV T60 pickup recording its first three-figure sales mont at 107.

Previous month: New Zealand February 2018: 5 pickups in Top 5, market down 2%

Previous year: New Zealand Full Year 2017: Ranger #1, 3 Toyotas in Top 4, record market

Full March 2018 Top 70 All-brands and Top 30 models below.

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Israel March 2018: Hyundai Ioniq snaps world-first pole position

The Hyundai Ioniq is the best-selling vehicle in Israel so far in 2018.

* See the Top 40 All-brands and Top 267 All-models by clicking on the title *

Thanks to our partnership with cartube.co.il, we can share with you today Israeli March brands data as well as complete models data for Q1 and every month so far in 2018. In March, new car sales in Israel are up 3.1% year-on-year to 29.037, yet the Q1 volume is down 4.4% to 94.340 units. Hyundai (+15%) reclaims the brands pole position it also holds YTD, overtaking Kia (+15%) and Toyota (+5%). Nissan (+4%), Skoda (+5%) and Mazda (+22%) follow but Suzuki (-12%) struggles at #7 while Seat (+3%) is up three spots on February to #10. Further down, Volvo (+133%), Isuzu (+114%), Cadillac (+23%) and Mercedes (+14%) shine while Chinese MG reappears in the Israeli sales charts at #34 thanks to the launch of the ZS crossover.

There’s a big surprise atop the Q1 models ranking: the Hyundai Ioniq snaps the pole position thanks to deliveries up 121% year-on-year, making Israel the first country in the world to crown this nameplate. The Hyundai Tucson (-9%) and Kia Sportage (-20%) rounds up the podium ahead of the Kia Picanto (-22%) and Hyundai i10 (+5%), making the Top Five 100% Korean. The Renault Clio (+98%) and Kia Niro (+202%) blast into the Top 10 with the Toyota C-HR (+90%) just outside at #11. The Mitsubishi ASX leads recent launches (<12 months) at #22, followed by the Suzuki Ignis (#35), Skoda Kodiaq (#36), Hyundai Kona (#57) and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (#83).

Previous month: Israel February 2018: Kia #1, Toyota up 61% in market up 3.9%

One year ago: Israel March 2017: Hyundai Ioniq just outside Top 10

Full March 2018 Top 40 All-brands and Q1 2018 Top 267 All-models (incl. each month data) below.

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Vietnam March 2018: Toyota Vios and Innova top market down 21%

The Toyota Innova is up 33% to 2nd place overall in Vietnam in March.

* See the Top 18 All manufacturers and Top 50 models by clicking on the title *

The Vietnamese new car market sinks a harsh 21% year-on-year in March to 21.1287 registrations, pulling the year-to-date tally in negative at -8% to 59.558 units. Thaco-Kia remains the most popular manufacturer in the country despite a 16% decline to 28.9% and solely thanks to its heavy truck lineup accounting for 62% of its March sales. Toyota (-4%) comes in 2nd place at 21.3% share ahead of Mazda (-3%) while Ford crumbles 24% to 9% share. Isuzu (+16%), Honda (+24%), Suzuki (+343%) and Peugeot (+1352%) go agains the grain with splendid gains. The Toyota Vios (+58%) continues to dominate the models ranking, widening the gap with the rest of the market thanks to very dynamic year-on-year gains. It is followed this month by the Toyota Innova (+33%) and Kia Morning (-13%) while the Honda City leaps up 23% to #4 and the Kia Cerato is up 92% to #5. The Honda Jazz lands at #35.

Previous month: Vietnam February 2018: Toyota Vios up 49%, market down 30%

Previous year: Vietnam Full Year 2017: Toyota Vios tightens grip on market down 10.8%

Full March 2018 Top 18 All manufacturers and Top 50 models below.

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Japan March 2018: Mitsubishi (+21.7%), Lexus (+38.1%) defy market down 3.5%

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross breaks into its home Top 30 for its first full month of sales.

* NOW UPDATED with the Top 55 All-brands, Top 50 regular cars, Top 33 kei cars and Top 20 foreigners *

The Japanese new car market disappoints once again with a 6th consecutive year-on-year decline at -3.5% to 667.275 registrations, pulling the year-to-date tally down 2.3% to 1.540.691 units. Brand leader Toyota is hit a lot harder at -9.9% to 27% share, with the Top 8 best-sellers unchanged on February and the YTD order. Mitsubishi once again is the best performer with a 21.7% surge and Daihatsu (+4%), Mazda (+2.2%) and Honda (+1.1%) are also in positive but Subaru (-9.2%), Nissan (-6.6%) and Suzuki (-1%) all decline. Further down, Lexus (+38.1%) posts the largest gain in the Top 20, with McLaren (+136.4%), Alpina (+78.9%), Alfa Romeo (+69.7%), Lotus (+68.4%), Land Rover (+58.8%), Chevrolet (+58.1%), Cadillac (+44.3%), Citroen (+21.8%), Peugeot (+14.9%) and Porsche (+10.8%) also showing great form.

The Nissan Note is the best-selling regular car in Japan for the third month running.

In the regular cars ranking, the Nissan Note manages a third consecutive month in pole position despite a steep 21% year-on-year, making it 8 monthly wins for this generation Note, starting in November 2016. The Toyota Prius freefalls 30% but remains in 2nd place while the Nissan Serena (+3%) overtakes the Toyota Aqua (+17%) to climb onto the third step of the podium. The Honda Fit (+8%) rounds up the Top 5, followed by the Toyota Voxy (+15%) while the remainder of the Top 10 all post double-digit declines, the hardest hit being the Toyota C-HR (-35%). Further down, the Honda StepWGN (+49%), Toyota Alphard (+46%), Land Cruiser (+104%), Camry (+1020%), Nissan Leaf (+91%), Daihatsu Thor (+76%) and Lexus NX300H (+126%) post the largest gains in the Top 50. Launched last month, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross shoots up to #27 for its 1st full month of sales, becoming the #1 recent launch (<12 months) above the Mazda CX-8 (#29), Suzuki Xbee (#31), Honda Civic (#41) and Lexus LS500H (#50).

The Daihatsu Mira is up 44% year-on-year in March, the largest gain among the Top 10 kei cars.

Over in the kei cars ranking, the Honda N-BOX remains the dominant force in the segment and the overall market as a 3% year-on-year gain propels it to 26.851 units and the best-selling vehicle in the country. The Suzuki Spacia (+24%) and Daihatsu Move (+16%) both overtake the Nissan Dayz (-14%) to rank 2nd and 3rd respectively for the month, while the Daihatsu Tanto (-18%) closes out the Top 5 but posts the steepest decline in the Top 10. Below the Suzuki Wagon R up 3%, the Daihatsu Mira on the other hand signs the largest year-on-year improvement among the ten best-selling kei cars in March at +44%. Further down, notice the Honda N-ONE (+205%), Daihatsu Atrai Wagon (+137%), Mazda Flair Wagon (+64%), Subaru Pleo (+53%) and Toyota Pixis (+28%) all significantly higher than a year ago.

The Audi Q2 makes its first appearance among the Top 20 foreigners in Japan.

As is the tradition every quarter we have access to foreign models ranking in Japan, and over the First Quarter of 2018, and it’s a mini-event on top: for only the second time in the past eight quarters, the VW Golf (+2%) takes the lead, knocking the Mini (+2%) to 2nd place. The Mercedes C-Class, E-Class and BMW 3 Series round out the Top 5, replicating the Q4 2017 and FY2017 orders. The Volvo V40 shoots back up 6 spots on Q4 2017 to #6 ahead of the BMW X1 and VW Polo. The Mercedes GLC (+29%), A Class (+18%) and BMW 5 Series (+12%) all post very solid gains. We have two new arrivals in the Foreign Top 20: the Audi Q2 leaps directly to #16 while the VW Tiguan is propelled by its new generation to #18.

Previous month: Japan February 2018: Nissan Note repeats, Lexus and Mitsubishi soar

One year ago: Japan March 2017: Nissan Note reclaims top spot

Full March 2018 Top 55 All-brands, Top 50 regular cars, Top 33 kei cars and Q1 Top 20 foreigners below.

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