According to overseas media reports, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, Japan’s new car sales in 2023 will be 4.779 million units, a year-on-year increase of 13.8%, achieving the first growth in five years. However, sales in 2023 failed to surpassing the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
The agency attributes the increase in sales to the fact that the shortage of semiconductor chips has been alleviated and manufacturers have increased production. At the same time, 2022 is also the lowest level of Japanese car sales in 45 years, with approximately 4.2 million vehicles.
Local brands account for the vast majority of cars sold in Japan. Seven of the nine major brands have achieved growth in 2023, and only Mitsubishi and Daihatsu have seen sales decline. Among them, Daihatsu’s sales fell by 22.6% in December due to the safety test fraud scandal.
In terms of brands, Toyota sold 1.5486 million new cars in Japan, a year-on-year increase of 27.2%; Lexus sold 94,600 units, an increase of 2.3 times; Nissan sold 291,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 7%; Honda sold 275,700 units, A year-on-year increase of 2.5%.
An official from the Japan Light Vehicle Association said that the launch of new models and the resumption of production will help solve the backlog of orders, but inflation still puts certain pressure on sales.
