Japan January 2025: Sales up 12.4% on low year-ago volumes
Daihatsu sales are back up 102.2% year-on-year.
New vehicle sales in Japan rally back up 12.4% year-on-year in January to 376,255. Year-ago volumes were disrupted by Daihatsu being hit by a safety test falsification scandal which paused shipments in late December 2023 and completely shut down production for the entire month of January. As a result Daihatsu, which was down -62.6% in January 2024, is now up 102.2% this month to 10.9% share. Toyota (+14.3%) is up to 32% share vs. 30.7% over the Full Year 2024 and Suzuki is up 8.1% in second place. Honda (-5.7%) and Nissan (-3.3%) both struggle (not a good look for the merger negotiations, if they are still happening) whereas Isuzu (+30.2%), Mazda (+24.5%) and Mitsubishi (+14.3%) all progress significantly. Mercedes (+3.5%) leads foreign manufacturers ahead of Volkswagen (+51.7%), BMW (+7.8%) and Audi (+14.6%).
Over in the regular cars ranking, the Toyota Yaris/Cross (+34.8%) lodges a 5th consecutive month at #1, distancing last year’s leader the Toyota Corolla/Cross (+12.5%). The Toyota Alphard (+45.6%) is in great shape again and repeats at #3. The Toyota Sienta (-2.1%) ensures the Top 4 is unchanged on December. The Nissan Note (-2.5%) and Prius (-3.8%) are weak below, unlike the Toyota Raize (+193.8%), Toyota Aqua (+59.4%) and Honda Freed (+49.5%) in the remainder of the Top 10. The three recent launches in the Top 50, the Honda WR-V (#21), Suzuki Fronx (#37) and Mazda CX-80 (#38) all fall vs. their December ranking.
Looking at kei cars, the Honda N-BOX (-6%) stays on top despite skidding and as the Suzuki Spacia (+31.5%) catches up. Devastated a year ago, the Daihatsu Tanto (+147%), Move (+215.9%), Taft (+158.2%) and Mira (+74.1%) recover this month. The Suzuki Jimny (+73.1%) also impresses.
Previous post: Japan Full Year 2024: Toyota Corolla/Cross edges into #1, sales off -7.5%
One year ago: Japan January 2024: Market (-12.4%) held back by Daihatsu (-62.6%), Lexus LBX in Top 50
Full January 2025 Top 54 All brands, Top 50 regular cars and Top 30 All kei cars below.
Japan January 2025 – brands:
| Pos | Brand | Jan-25 | % | /23 | Dec | FY24 |
| 1 | Toyota | 120,234 | 32.0% | + 14.3% | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Suzuki | 61,305 | 16.3% | + 8.1% | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Honda | 50,335 | 13.4% | – 5.7% | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Daihatsu | 40,931 | 10.9% | + 102.2% | 4 | 5 |
| 5 | Nissan | 39,690 | 10.5% | – 3.3% | 5 | 4 |
| 6 | Mazda | 13,041 | 3.5% | + 24.5% | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Mitsubishi | 10,235 | 2.7% | + 14.3% | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Subaru | 8,224 | 2.2% | – 4.8% | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | Lexus | 6,291 | 1.7% | – 13.1% | 11 | 9 |
| 10 | Isuzu | 5,345 | 1.4% | + 30.2% | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | Mercedes | 3,466 | 0.9% | + 3.5% | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | Hino | 3,126 | 0.8% | + 22.7% | 14 | 12 |
| 13 | Volkswagen | 2,609 | 0.7% | + 51.7% | 16 | 15 |
| 14 | Mitsubishi Fuso | 1,780 | 0.5% | – 11.7% | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | BMW | 1,657 | 0.4% | + 7.8% | 12 | 13 |
| 16 | Audi | 1,309 | 0.3% | + 14.6% | 17 | 16 |
| 17 | Mini | 912 | 0.2% | – 15.2% | 15 | 17 |
| 18 | UD Trucks | 859 | 0.2% | + 67.4% | 19 | 19 |
| 19 | Porsche | 789 | 0.2% | + 3.5% | 22 | 21 |
| 20 | Land Rover | 781 | 0.2% | + 24.6% | 21 | 22 |
| 21 | Volvo | 662 | 0.2% | + 11.4% | 18 | 18 |
| 22 | Jeep | 598 | 0.2% | + 35.0% | 20 | 20 |
| 23 | Peugeot | 334 | 0.1% | + 10.2% | 23 | 23 |
| 24 | Fiat | 250 | 0.1% | – 1.6% | 24 | 25 |
| 25 | Renault | 228 | 0.1% | – 48.6% | 27 | 24 |
| 26 | Citroen | 177 | 0.0% | + 19.6% | 26 | 26 |
| 27 | Abarth | 103 | 0.0% | + 24.1% | 28 | 28 |
| 28 | Alfa Romeo | 67 | 0.0% | – 10.7% | 30 | 31 |
| 29 | Ferrari | 67 | 0.0% | – 9.5% | 29 | 29 |
| 30 | BYD | 53 | 0.0% | – 75.6% | 25 | 27 |
| 31 | Lamborghini | 48 | 0.0% | + 6.7% | 32 | 32 |
| 32 | Hyundai | 41 | 0.0% | – 42.3% | 35 | 33 |
| 33 | DS | 39 | 0.0% | + 18.2% | 43 | 39 |
| 34 | Maserati | 35 | 0.0% | – 62.4% | 31 | 30 |
| 35 | Scania | 34 | 0.0% | + 17.2% | 40 | 38 |
| 36 | Lotus | 33 | 0.0% | + 22.2% | 45 | 43 |
| 37 | Rolls-Royce | 33 | 0.0% | + 0.0% | 39 | 42 |
| 38 | Cadillac | 31 | 0.0% | + 3.3% | 37 | 40 |
| 39 | McLaren | 28 | 0.0% | + 86.7% | 42 | 44 |
| 40 | Aston Martin | 26 | 0.0% | – 10.3% | 41 | 37 |
| 41 | Jaguar | 23 | 0.0% | – 68.9% | 34 | 35 |
| 42 | Chevrolet | 19 | 0.0% | – 34.5% | 36 | 34 |
| 43 | Bentley | 11 | 0.0% | – 42.1% | 33 | 36 |
| 44 | Ford | 10 | 0.0% | + 25.0% | 44 | 45 |
| 45 | Alpina | 9 | 0.0% | – 71.0% | 38 | 41 |
| 46 | Dodge | 3 | 0.0% | – 66.7% | 46 | 46 |
| 47 | Lancia | 2 | 0.0% | n/a | – | 50 |
| 48 | Buick | 1 | 0.0% | n/a | – | 52 |
| 49 | Chrysler | 1 | 0.0% | n/a | 50 | 51 |
| 50 | GMC | 1 | 0.0% | + 0.0% | 48 | 47 |
| 51 | MG | 1 | 0.0% | n/a | 51 | 53 |
| 52 | Morgan | 1 | 0.0% | – 50.0% | 47 | 48 |
| 53 | Pontiac | 1 | 0.0% | n/a | 49 | 49 |
| 54 | Unimog | 1 | 0.0% | n/a | – | 54 |
| – | Others | 365 | 0.1% | + 6.4% | – | – |
Japan January 2025 – regular cars:
| Pos | Model | Jan-25 | /23 | Dec | FY24 |
| 1 | Toyota Yaris/Cross | 16,257 | + 34.8% | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Toyota Corolla/Cross | 14,042 | + 12.5% | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Toyota Alphard | 9,866 | + 45.6% | 3 | 8 |
| 4 | Toyota Sienta | 9,601 | – 2.1% | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Nissan Note | 8,290 | – 2.5% | 7 | 4 |
| 6 | Toyota Prius | 8,226 | – 3.8% | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Honda Freed | 7,708 | + 40.5% | 6 | 5 |
| 8 | Toyota Raize | 6,793 | + 193.8% | 13 | 20 |
| 9 | Nissan Serena | 6,691 | + 4.1% | 9 | 7 |
| 10 | Toyota Aqua | 6,377 | + 59.4% | 8 | 14 |
| 11 | Toyota Voxy | 6,278 | + 25.4% | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | Toyota Roomy | 6,258 | + 92.9% | 21 | 12 |
| 13 | Toyota Noah | 6,116 | + 17.3% | 12 | 11 |
| 14 | Suzuki Solio | 5,744 | + 27.7% | 20 | 18 |
| 15 | Honda Vezel | 5,269 | – 29.4% | 11 | 9 |
| 16 | Toyota Crown | 5,227 | + 3.7% | 15 | 15 |
| 17 | Toyota Harrier | 5,112 | – 12.1% | 17 | 13 |
| 18 | Toyota Land Cruiser W | 5,046 | + 48.6% | 14 | 19 |
| 19 | Honda StepWGN | 3,751 | – 27.8% | 19 | 17 |
| 20 | Honda Fit | 3,624 | – 28.2% | 16 | 16 |
| 21 | Honda WR-V | 3,063 | new | 18 | 27 |
| 22 | Toyota Vellfire | 2,706 | – 16.4% | 26 | 23 |
| 23 | Subaru Impreza | 2,544 | + 19.8% | 24 | 25 |
| 24 | Suzuki Swift | 2,391 | – 24.4% | 22 | 22 |
| 25 | Mazda CX-5 | 2,349 | + 117.1% | 33 | 34 |
| 26 | Lexus NX350H | 2,270 | + 46.0% | 34 | 35 |
| 27 | Suzuki Jimny Wagon | 2,181 | + 15.8% | 23 | 28 |
| 28 | Honda ZR-V | 2,173 | – 41.9% | 25 | 21 |
| 29 | Toyota RAV4 | 2,129 | – 6.2% | 50 | 26 |
| 30 | Nissan X-Trail | 2,128 | – 31.2% | 30 | 24 |
| 31 | Mazda2 | 2,127 | + 31.5% | 28 | 31 |
| 32 | Mitsubishi Delica D5 | 2,086 | + 60.1% | 29 | 33 |
| 33 | Honda Civic | 1,863 | + 102.9% | 31 | 36 |
| 34 | Subaru Forester | 1,744 | + 33.0% | 27 | 29 |
| 35 | Lexus LBX | 1,603 | + 88.8% | 38 | 32 |
| 36 | Daihatsu Rocky | 1,589 | + 176.3% | 36 | 42 |
| 37 | Suzuki Fronx | 1,388 | new | 32 | n/a |
| 38 | Mazda CX-80 | 1,258 | new | 37 | n/a |
| 39 | Mitsubishi Outlander | 1,220 | + 119.4% | 35 | 45 |
| 40 | Mazda CX-30 | 1,154 | + 29.2% | 41 | 38 |
| 41 | Nissan Kicks | 1,137 | – 13.5% | 46 | 37 |
| 42 | Subaru Legacy | 1,085 | + 102.0% | 42 | n/a |
| 43 | Mazda3 | 1,073 | + 34.1% | 43 | 41 |
| 44 | Subaru Levorg | 943 | – 72.1% | 40 | 30 |
| 45 | Suzuki Xbee | 916 | – 16.4% | 39 | 39 |
| 46 | Toyota JPN Taxi | 904 | – 9.4% | 44 | 46 |
| 47 | Honda Odyssey | 821 | – 19.4% | 45 | 40 |
| 48 | Lexus LM500H | 735 | + 377.3% | n/a | n/a |
| 49 | Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross | 730 | + 60.1% | 47 | 48 |
| 50 | Toyota 86 | 726 | – 0.3% | 48 | 44 |
Japan January 2025 – kei cars:
| Pos | Model | Jan-25 | /23 | Dec | FY24 |
| 1 | Honda N-BOX | 16,394 | – 6.0% | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Suzuki Spacia | 14,885 | + 31.5% | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Daihatsu Tanto | 11,977 | + 147.0% | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Daihatsu Move | 8,247 | + 215.9% | 5 | 11 |
| 5 | Suzuki Hustler | 7,724 | – 5.9% | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Nissan Roox | 6,613 | – 4.8% | 7 | 6 |
| 7 | Suzuki WagonR | 5,692 | – 4.9% | 6 | 5 |
| 8 | Daihatsu Taft | 5,255 | + 158.2% | 10 | 13 |
| 9 | Suzuki Alto | 4,913 | – 6.0% | 8 | 7 |
| 10 | Daihatsu Mira | 4,570 | + 74.1% | 11 | 10 |
| 11 | Nissan Dayz | 4,370 | – 5.9% | 13 | 9 |
| 12 | Suzuki Jimny | 4,283 | + 73.1% | 12 | 12 |
| 13 | Mitsubishi Delica Mini/eK | 4,079 | – 21.1% | 9 | 8 |
| 14 | Nissan Sakura | 2,289 | – 1.1% | 15 | 15 |
| 15 | Honda N-WGN | 2,014 | – 29.0% | 14 | 14 |
| 16 | Suzuki Every Wagon | 1,635 | + 6.4% | 16 | 16 |
| 17 | Mazda Flair Wagon | 1,382 | + 5.2% | 17 | 18 |
| 18 | Honda N-ONE | 987 | – 37.6% | 18 | 17 |
| 19 | Mazda Flair Crossover | 709 | + 14.0% | 19 | 19 |
| 20 | Nissan Clipper Rio | 649 | + 17.1% | 20 | 20 |
| 21 | Toyota Pixis | 546 | + 29.1% | 22 | 21 |
| 22 | Subaru Chiffon | 535 | + 305.3% | 21 | 23 |
| 23 | Daihatsu Copen | 403 | + 299.0% | 27 | 25 |
| 24 | Mazda Flair | 314 | – 2.8% | 25 | 24 |
| 25 | Mazda Carol | 304 | – 15.3% | 23 | 22 |
| 26 | Mitsubishi eK Cross EV | 260 | – 5.1% | 26 | 26 |
| 27 | Subaru Pleo | 223 | + 123.0% | 24 | 27 |
| 28 | Mazda Scrum Wagon | 110 | + 13.4% | 28 | 28 |
| 29 | Mitsubishi Town Box | 37 | – 7.5% | 29 | 30 |
| 30 | Toyota Copen GR Sport | 37 | – 56.5% | 31 | 29 |
Source: JADA, JMVA, JAIA
This Post Has One Comment
It’s impressive how Pontiac still sells 1 car per month in Japan after so many years. Yes, it is Corolla/Matrix based, but still.