2019 (Q1) Japan: Best-Selling Car Brands, Models and Mini-Cars

Toyota was the top-selling car brand in Japan during the first quarter of 2019. The Nissan Note was the most-popular model and the Honda N-Box the favorite kei mini-car.

Toyota increased car sales in Japan during the first quarter of 2019 to gain some market share in a flat market. Honda was again the second largest carmaker in Japan while both Suzuki and Daihatsu overtook Nissan. The Nissan Note was again Japan’s favorite car model ahead of the Toyota Prius and Toyota Aqua. Japan’s favorite mini-car was again the Honda N-Box that sold in higher volumes than the Nissan Note.

Japanese New Vehicle Market in 2019 (Q1)

New motorized vehicle registrations in Japan during the first quarter of 2019 contracted by 0.8% to 1,528,213 vehicles including passenger cars, buses and heavy commercial vehicles. This was only 12,000 fewer cars than registered during the first three months of 2018.

Best-Selling Vehicle Manufacturers in Japan in 2019 (Q1)

The top-selling vehicle manufacturers in Japan including passenger cars, buses and trucks during the first quarter of 2019 according to JADA were:

	Marque	Q1/2019	Q1/2018	% Change
–	Total	1,528,213	1,540,691	-0.8
1	Toyota	425,694	419,203	1.5
2	Honda	220,495	218,992	0.7
3	Suzuki	211,105	200,595	5.2
4	Daihatsu	192,670	188,058	2.5
5	Nissan	186,295	206,183	-9.6
6	Mazda	64,757	70,940	-8.7
7	Subaru	38,482	46,867	-17.9
8	Mitsubishi	35,504	35,599	-0.3
9	Isuzu	23,501	21,383	9.9
10	Hino	20,620	19,921	3.5
11	Lexus	19,130	20,388	-6.2
12	Mercedes-Benz	17,385	17,991	-3.4
13	VW	13,278	13,195	0.6
14	BMW	11,786	11,882	-0.8
15	Mitusbishi Fuso	10,723	11,644	-7.9
16	BMW Mini	6,328	6,518	-2.9
17	Audi	4,685	7,241	-35.3
18	Volvo	4,646	4,196	10.7
19	Peugeot	2,949	2,844	3.7
20	Jeep	2,482	2,822	-12.0
21	UD Trucks	2,366	2,251	5.2
22	Renault	2,317	2,199	5.4
23	Fiat	1,640	1,500	9.3
24	Porsche	1,510	1,925	-21.6
25	Land Rover	1,453	1,186	22.5
26	Source: Jada

Top-Selling Car Brands in Japan in 2019 (Q1)

Toyota and Honda maintained their traditional positions as the largest carmakers in Japan during the first three quarters of 2019. Both increased sales slightly compared to a year ago.

Suzuki and Daihatsu made stronger gains and each improved one rank position. Suzuki was the most-improved of the larger Japanese carmakers.

Nissan sales were down by nearly a tenth and slipped from third to fifth. Mazda and Subaru also had much weaker sales but retained their relative rank positions. Mitsubishi sales were weaker but better than market average.

Commercial vehicle manufacturers Isuzu and Hino had stronger sales – generally a good sign for the Japanese economy. UD Trucks also did well but Mitsubishi Fuso had weaker sales.

Lexus slipped out of the top ten with weaker sales. Mercedes-Benz remained the top car importer in Japan despite weaker sales. Volkswagen sales were slightly higher and BMW slightly weaker.

BMW’s Mini brand moved ahead of Audi despite weaker sales. Audi sales in Japan were down by more than a third – by far the worst performance of the top 25 car brands in Japan. Porsche also had a dismal start to the year in Japan.

Best-Selling Car Models in Japan in 2019 (Q1)

The top-ten favorite car models, excluding minicars, in Japan during the first three months of 2019 according to JADA were:

	Brand	Model	Jan 2019	Feb 2019	March 2019	Q1/2019	Q1/2018
1	Nissan	Note	11,448	12,910	16,647	41,005	45,569
2	Toyota	Prius	8,712	11,867	15,541	36,120	36,459
3	Toyota	Aqua	8,875	11,275	15,874	36,024	34,686
4	Nissan	Serena	10,110	10,933	12,420	33,463	33,311
5	Toyota	Sienta	8,600	8,967	10,799	28,366	26,481
6	Toyota	Voxy	7,231	9,125	10,972	27,328	28,143
7	Honda	Freed	6,699	8,115	9,982	24,796	25,247
8	Toyota	Corolla	6,562	7,642	10,549	24,753	NA
9	Honda	Fit	5,636	6,661	10,813	23,110	27,905
10	Toyota	Roomy	6,489	7,075	8,771	22,335	NA
10.5	Source: JADA

Top-Selling Car Models in Japan in 2019 (Q1)

For the second consecutive year, the top four best-selling cars in Japan during the first three months of the year were unchanged. The Nissan Note was again the top-selling car model in Japan although sales of Japan’s favorite car were down by a tenth.

The Toyota Prius was again the second most-popular car model in Japan at the start of 2019 with sales virtually unchanged from a year ago. The Toyota Aqua and Nissan Serena sold in slightly higher volumes than a year ago.

The Toyota Sienta improved two rank positions while the Toyota Voxy slipped one. The Honda Freed moved up one position.

The evergreen Toyota Corolla re-entered the top-ten list while the aging Honda Fit slipped from sixth to ninth. The Toyota Roomy entered the top-ten list in 2019. The Toyota C-HR and Vitz dropped out of the top ten.

Best-Selling Kei Mini-Cars in Japan in 2019 (Q1)

The ten best-selling kei (mini) cars in Japan during the first quarter or 2018 were as follows according to the Zenkeijkyo:

2018	2019	Brand	Common name	Name	Q1/2019	Q1/2018	% Change 18/19
1	1	Honda	N-BOX	Ｎ-ＢＯＸ	66,001	68,165	-3.2
3	2	Suzuki	Spacia	スペーシア	49,023	42,730	14.7
5	3	Daihatsu	Tanto	タント	46,811	40,819	4.7
2	4	Nissan	Days	デイズ	43,928	45,370	-3.2
4	5	Daihatsu	Move	ムーヴ	38,710	42,286	-8.5
7	6	Daihatsu	Mira	ミラ	31,471	26,997	16.6
6	7	Suzuki	Wagon R	ワゴンＲ	30,457	35,917	-15.2
8	8	Suzuki	Alto	アルト	22,277	24,002	-7.2
10	9	Suzuki	Hustler	ハスラー	16,724	17,551	-4.7
9	10	Honda	N-WGN	Ｎ-ＷＧＮ	15,699	22,109	-29.0
11	11	Mitsubish	eK	ｅＫ	15,565	15,280	1.9
12	12	Daihatsu	cast	キャスト	12,911	14,265	-9.5
–	13	Suzuki	Jimny	ジムニー	9,316	4,595	102.7
13	14	Daihatsu	Wake	ウェイク	7,040	9,626	-26.9
–	15	Toyota	Pixis	ピクシス	6,238	6,558	-4.9
10.5		Source: Zenkeijkyo

Kei or mini cars remain hugely popular in Japan with the Honda N-Box far outselling the Nissan Note during the first quarter of 2019. The Honda N-Box was also the top-seller in the previous two years.

The Suzuki Spacia replaced the Nissan Days as the second most-popular mini car in Japan thus far this year. The star performer was the Suzuki Jimny that more than doubled sales from a year ago.