Registrations for December were up 6% and for the year +16%. Import foreign brands were up just 3% YTD and +2% in December. Import sales of non Japanese makes accounted for just 6.2% of sales. For an unprotected market, that is a very low figure. It's achieved through the encouragement of Kei cars, Toyota's reputation and loyalty to local brands.
Toyota took 34.5% of sales, its highest since the early 1990's. Understandably, most other brands lost share as a result. Lexus and Land Rover emphatically bucked the trend with impressive market share gains. The 'Diff' column shows market share change which makes their actual sales increase much higher.
For imports BMW and VW have been doing the 11-12 shuffle. As mentioned, Land Rover is getting stock and moving back up again. China's BYD has arrived and Hyundai is trying to make some progress in a market it struggles in. The Tesla figure is an educated estimate.
Data source: JAMA, JAIA.
I immensely enjoy this blog, thanks for all the updates!
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, the last few articles raised my eyebrows at moments.
Could you specify what you mean by "unprotected"? Japan was know to be one of the most nationalistic and protective (1st world) markets in the world. Even if the time of the "noughties" have passed, the Ghosn story showed that Japan is still ready to hit below the belt, when it comes to protecting its car industry.
Thank you. By not being protected, I meant by tariffs. As I went on to say, there are other factors that do have the same effect.
Delete