May sales were down in Japan, and this time around, small kei cars could not bail out their bigger brethren. Imports into the allegedly closed market Japan on the other hand are zooming, despite the weaker yen that makes imports more expensive.
| Regular vehicle sales Japan May 2013 | ||||||
| Manufacturer | May ’13 | May ’12 | YoY | YTD ’13 | YTD ’12 | YoY |
| Daihatsu | 170 | 225 | -24.4% | 882 | 1,273 | -30.7% |
| Hino | 2,614 | 2,952 | -11.4% | 18,556 | 17,589 | 5.5% |
| Honda | 18,318 | 31,576 | -42.0% | 129,070 | 224,113 | -42.4% |
| Isuzu | 3,671 | 3,741 | -1.9% | 23,561 | 25,147 | -6.3% |
| Lexus | 3,395 | 3,177 | 6.9% | 18,955 | 18,782 | 0.9% |
| Mazda | 13,001 | 13,193 | -1.5% | 73,409 | 75,315 | -2.5% |
| Mitsubishi | 3,059 | 3,486 | -12.2% | 27,121 | 26,007 | 4.3% |
| Mitsubishi Fuso | 2,610 | 2,740 | -4.7% | 13,584 | 14,767 | -8.0% |
| Nissan | 33,225 | 32,927 | 0.9% | 228,969 | 235,797 | -2.9% |
| Subaru | 9,110 | 5,492 | 65.9% | 56,024 | 39,922 | 40.3% |
| Suzuki | 5,836 | 7,794 | -25.1% | 35,333 | 41,468 | -14.8% |
| Toyota | 102,735 | 110,714 | -7.2% | 641,062 | 722,695 | -11.3% |
| UD Trucks | 660 | 765 | -13.7% | 3,335 | 3,933 | -15.2% |
| Other | 20,695 | 17,584 | 17.7% | 104,258 | 92,974 | 12.1% |
| Total | 219,099 | 236,366 | -7.3% | 1,374,119 | 1,539,782 | -10.8% |
| Domestic | 193,131 | 215,552 | -10.4% | 1,238,022 | 1,419,531 | -12.8% |
| Imports | 25,968 | 20,814 | 24.8% | 136,097 | 120,251 | 13.2% |
| Data courtesy Japan Automobile Dealers Association | ||||||
Sales of regular cars were down 7.3 percent. It would have been worse without a helping hand from the gaijin. Imports are up 24.8 percent in May after surging 35.5 percent in April. Quite possibly, buyers of imported cars rush to the showrooms before the weaker yen makes the car more expensive. Sales of domestics are down 10.4 percent. This according to data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. Sales through May are down 10.8 percent with imports up 13.2 percent.
| Mini vehicle sales Japan May 2013 | ||||||
| Manufacturer | May ’13 | May ’12 | YoY | YTD ’13 | YTD ’12 | YoY |
| Suzuki | 46,889 | 47,130 | -0.5% | 264,728 | 262,107 | 1.0% |
| Daihatsu | 51,266 | 55,232 | -7.2% | 286,410 | 312,725 | -8.4% |
| Mitsubishi | 3,918 | 6,334 | -38.1% | 28,043 | 39,968 | -29.8% |
| Subaru | 3,922 | 4,712 | -16.8% | 24,242 | 41,523 | -41.6% |
| Honda | 27,126 | 26,347 | 3.0% | 179,023 | 131,835 | 35.8% |
| Mazda | 4,725 | 3,906 | 21.0% | 24,521 | 23,861 | 2.8% |
| Nissan | 7,304 | 11,421 | -36.0% | 62,224 | 73,914 | -15.8% |
| Toyota | 3,399 | 3,496 | -2.8% | 17,505 | 16,281 | 7.5% |
| Other | 0 | 3 | -100.0% | 5 | 19 | -73.7% |
| Total | 148,549 | 158,581 | -6.3% | 886,701 | 902,233 | -1.7% |
| Data courtesy Japan Mini Vehicles Association | ||||||
Sales of minivehicles stopped growing and fell a sympathetic 6.3 percent in May. Kei cars are down 1.7 percent percent for the first five months, the Japan Light Motor Vehicle Association says. Keis hold 40 .4 percent of the Japanese market.
| Total vehicle sales Japan May 2013 | ||||||
| Manufacturer | May ’13 | May ’12 | YoY | YTD ’13 | YTD ’12 | YoY |
| Daihatsu | 51,436 | 55,457 | -7.3% | 287,292 | 313,998 | -8.5% |
| Hino | 2,614 | 2,952 | -11.4% | 18,556 | 17,589 | 5.5% |
| Honda | 45,444 | 57,923 | -21.5% | 308,093 | 355,948 | -13.4% |
| Isuzu | 3,671 | 3,741 | -1.9% | 23,561 | 25,147 | -6.3% |
| Lexus | 3,395 | 3,177 | 6.9% | 18,955 | 18,782 | 0.9% |
| Mazda | 17,726 | 17,099 | 3.7% | 97,930 | 99,176 | -1.3% |
| Mitsubishi | 6,977 | 9,820 | -29.0% | 55,164 | 65,975 | -16.4% |
| Mitsubishi Fuso | 2,610 | 2,740 | -4.7% | 13,584 | 14,767 | -8.0% |
| Nissan | 40,529 | 44,348 | -8.6% | 291,193 | 309,711 | -6.0% |
| Subaru | 13,032 | 10,204 | 27.7% | 80,266 | 81,445 | -1.4% |
| Suzuki | 52,725 | 54,924 | -4.0% | 300,061 | 303,575 | -1.2% |
| Toyota | 106,134 | 114,210 | -7.1% | 658,567 | 738,976 | -10.9% |
| UD Trucks | 660 | 765 | -13.7% | 3,335 | 3,933 | -15.2% |
| Other | 20,695 | 17,587 | 17.7% | 104,263 | 92,993 | 12.1% |
| Total | 367,648 | 394,947 | -6.9% | 2,260,820 | 2,442,015 | -7.4% |
Total vehicles sales are down 6.9 percent.
Except BS left out the fact that “imports” doesn’t necessarily mean non-Japanese brands as the Japanese automakers import certain models from overseas (for instance, Nissan imports the Micra in substantial nos. from Thailand).
Aside from the Germans who have a decent share of the luxury market in Japan, (but still, the Germans do better in Korea which is an overall smaller auto market), there really isn’t much by way of foreign mainstream brands doing well in China.