Japan June 2020: Toyota Raize now #1 YTD, Suzuki Hustler, Daihatsu Taft and Mercedes G-Class impress in market down -22.9%

The new Daihatsu Taft is available in a 80s retro livery.

20/07 update: Now with H1 Top 115 models (all categories).

New vehicle sales in Japan skid down -22.9% year-on-year to 347.371 units in June, a better hold than both April (-28.6%) and May (-44.9%), leading to a First Half volume down -19.8% to 2.207.775 units. The Covid-19 crisis is turning out to have a lesser impact on Japanese sales than the 2011 earthquake which induced losses of -37% in March 2011 to 279.389 units, -47,3% in April 2011 to 185.673 and -33.3% in May 2011 to 200.461. We have adjusted our 2020 Japan forecast up slightly from 4.3m to 4.35m or a -16% decline on 2019 instead of -15%.

The Toyota Raize is now the #1 regular car year-to-date.

Toyota (-22.9%) exactly matches its home market to end the month just under 30% share, but the hero of the month in the Japanese brands ranking is Suzuki (-6.7%) managing the only single-digit loss in the Top 20 and advancing to #2 with 14.6% share to topple Honda (-28.2%). Hino (-19.5%) and Nissan (-21.3%) only marginally outpace the market in the remainder of the Top 10, Mazda (-23.8%) and Daihatsu (-24.4%) are close behind whereas Mitsubishi (-36.7%), Subaru (-32.6%) and Isuzu (-26%) properly sink. Lexus (-15.5%) resists somewhat at #12 but we have to go down to #22 and Porsche (-1%) to find a stronger hold while Abarth (+14.4%) signs the first gain in the charts at #25. It is joined further down by Lotus (+63.6%), Cadillac (+23.8%), Scania (+22.7%), Rolls Royce (+21.1%) and Lamborghini (+1.5%).

The Nissan Kicks is finally on sale at home.

The Toyota Raize reclaims the top of the regular car sales charts for the third time this year after January and February, securing a new monthly volume record at 12.823 and snapping the YTD lead off the Toyota Corolla (+10.4%) in the process. Leader for the past two months, the new Toyota Yaris drops to #2 for June and ranks #4 over the First Half of 2020 below the Honda Fit (+4%). With the Toyota Alphard (+34.3%) lodging the only additional – and largest – gain in remainder of the Top 12 at #5, the five best-selling regular cars in Japan are either new launches or in positive. Now that the Corolla and Yaris Hybrid are established, the Prius (-62.2%) and Aqua (-65.2%), the former falling outside the Top 10 for the first time this decade and the latter slipping out of the Top 15 for the first time ever… Below, notice the Nissan Kicks finally launching at home at #27 with a facelifted version of the global model and the Suzuki Jimny Wagon (+229.8%), Mazda CX-3 (+50.7%) and Toyota Harrier (+34.4%) also up.

Suzuki Hustler sales are up 105.9% year-on-year in June.

The Honda N-BOX (-34.1%) remains the most popular kei car but the Suzuki Spacia (-5.7%) is catching up while the Nissan Roox is up one spot to #3 and the Suzuki Hustler (+105.9%) more than doubles its sales year-on-year to #4 thanks to a new generation. Below the freefalling Daihatsu Tanto (-41.4%) and Nissan Dayz (-54.4%), the Suzuki Wagon R (-7%) resists very well. Daihatsu resuscitates a nameplate it used from 1974 to 1984 for a mini off-road vehicle, the Taft and hits the bullseye: the new generation Taft points its rugged bonnet directly in 9th place with over 5.000 sales for its first month in market. The Honda N-WGN (+325.4%), Mitsubishi Town Box (+176.9%), Mazda Flair Crossover (+93.1%), Suzuki Jimny (+55.3%) and Honda S660 (+0.4%) also impress with year-on-year gains.

The G-Class is the best-selling Mercedes SUV in Japan in Q2.

The Mini lineup (-40.8%) is once again the best-selling foreign “car” in Japan above the VW Golf (-60.6%) and Mercedes A-Class (-19.5%). The Mercedes CLA is up a further 5 spots on Q1 to land at #4 while the new VW T-Cross is down two to #6 but remains #4 so far in 2020. The BMW 1 Series (+2.3%) is lifted to #10 by the new model, the Jeep Wrangler (-12.6%) advances to #11 and the Mercedes G-Class stuns at #14 with 925 sales over the period, becoming the brand’s #1 SUV in Japan above the GLC (#15). Jeep also places the Renegade at #19.

Previous month: Japan May 2020: Virus stalls sales down -44.9% to lowest since March 2011 earthquake

One year ago: Japan June 2019: Toyota Prius 3peats at #1 regular car, Nissan Dayz up 41% to #2 overall

Full June 2020 Top 55 All-brands, Top 50 regular cars, Top 35 All kei cars and Q2 2020 Top 30 foreign models below.

Full H1 2020 Top 115 models (all categories) below.