In full-year 2022, Daihatsu was the top mini-vehicle maker in Japan, Suzuki the best-selling minicar brand, and Honda N-Box the top-selling Kei model.
Latest Japan Car Sales Statistics: 2023 — Brands, Models, Minicars; Data for 2022 – 2009.
Mini Vehicle Sales in Japan in 2022 (Full Year)
Mini vehicle registrations in Japan in the full calendar year 2022 contracted by 0.9% to 1,638,137 mini vehicles compared to 1,652,522 mini vehicles sold in 2021 and 1,718,088 mini vehicles sold in 2020. The market for passenger minicars was down 4% to 1,224,995 kei cars (1,275,836 in 2021 and 1,331,149 kei cars sold in 2020).
Mini cars (kei-jidousya) in Japan are vehicles defined by amongst others being shorter than 3.4 m with a maximum height of 2 m and a maximum width of 1.48 m. The engine capacity is restricted to 0.66 l measured by the Japanese standard.
Best-Selling Mini Vehicle Brands in Japan in 2022 (Full Year)
The top-selling mini-vehicle producers by brand in Japan in 2022 (January to December) according to Zenkeijkyo were:
| Brand | Brand | 2022 | 2021 | % 22/21 | |
| Total | 合 計 | 1,638,137 | 1,652,522 | -0.9 | |
| 1 | Daihatsu | ダイハツ | 538,974 | 532,702 | 1.2 |
| 2 | Suzuki | ス ズ キ | 501,339 | 509,169 | -1.5 |
| 3 | Honda | ホ ン ダ | 298,969 | 305,397 | 2.1 |
| 4 | Nissan | 日 産 | 177,438 | 177,380 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 三 菱 | 41,377 | 43,144 | -4.1 |
| 6 | Toyota | ト ヨ タ | 30,457 | 35,420 | -14.0 |
| 7 | Mazda | マ ツ ダ | 30,087 | 31,060 | -3.1 |
| 8 | Subaru | ス バ ル | 19,438 | 18,198 | 6.8 |
| Source: Zenkeijkyo |
Mini cars (kei-jidousya) in Japan are vehicles defined by amongst others being shorter than 3.4 m with a maximum height of 2 m and a maximum width of 1.48 m. The engine capacity is restricted to 0.66 l measured by the Japanese standard.
Daihatsu, a subsidiary of Toyota, the largest producer of mini vehicles in Japan in 2022 with sales up 1.2%. Suzuki was again second with sales down 1.5%. Daihatsu is particularly strong in the commercial minicar market — the only vehicle sector in Japan that showed growth in 2022.
Best-Selling Minicar Brands in Japan in 2022 (Full Year)
The top-selling mini passenger car producers by brand in Japan in 2022 (January to December) according to Zenkeijkyo were:
| Brand | Brand | 2022 | 2021 | % 22/21 | |
| Total | 合 計 | 1,224,995 | 1,275,836 | -4 | |
| 1 | Suzuki | ス ズ キ | 377,605 | 397,731 | -5 |
| 2 | Daihatsu | ダイハツ | 353,753 | 380,578 | -7 |
| 3 | Honda | ホ ン ダ | 265,624 | 264,803 | 0 |
| 4 | Nissan | 日 産 | 142,646 | 142,667 | 0 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 三 菱 | 31,882 | 34,564 | -8 |
| 6 | Mazda | マ ツ ダ | 23,499 | 24,522 | -4 |
| 7 | Toyota | ト ヨ タ | 19,290 | 20,819 | -7 |
| 8 | Subaru | ス バ ル | 10,671 | 10,104 | 6 |
| Source: Zenkeijkyo |
Suzuki and Daihatsu remained the top passenger minicar producers in Japan in 2022. However, Both top kei passenger car brands lost market share to Honda and Nissan which had flat sales. Subaru was the only brand with significant growth but the actual numbers involved are fairly insignificant given the size of the top brands.
Best-Selling Minicar Models in Japan in 2022 (Full Year)
The top-selling mini passenger car models in Japan in the full-year 2022 were:
| Maker | Model Name | 通称名 | Sales 2022 | Sales 2021 | % 22/21 | |
| 1 | Honda | N-BOX | Ｎ-ＢＯＸ | 202,197 | 189,940 | 7.0 |
| 2 | Daihatsu | Tanto | タント | 107,810 | 116,912 | -7.8 |
| 3 | Suzuki | Spacia | スペーシア | 100,206 | 128,881 | -22.2 |
| 4 | Daihatsu | Move | ムーヴ | 94,837 | 95,840 | -1.0 |
| 5 | Suzuki | Wagon R | ワゴンＲ | 82,213 | 68,970 | 19.2 |
| 6 | Nissan | Roox | ルークス | 72,600 | 84,748 | -14.3 |
| 7 | Suzuki | Hustler | ハスラー | 70,373 | 82,486 | -14.7 |
| 8 | Suzuki | Alto | アルト | 67,204 | 60,919 | 10.3 |
| 9 | Daihatsu | Mirror | ミラ | 65,317 | 65,803 | -0.7 |
| 10 | Daihatsu | Taft | タフト | 56,861 | 62,278 | -9 |
| Source: Zenkeijkyo |
In 2022, the Honda N-Box remained Japan’s favorite mini-car model for the seventh consecutive year. In a smaller market, N-Box sales increased to nearly double those of the second-place Daihatsu Tanto. The N-Box also outsold Japan’s favorite passenger car model in 2022 — the Toyota Yaris sales were down by a fifth to 168,557 cars.
The Daihatsu Tanto gained second place from the Suzuki Spacia, which had sales down by 22%. The Daihatsu Move was the only top-ten Kei car in the same rank position as in 2021.
Never count out the Suzuki Wagon R in Japan — sales increased by a fifth in 2022 to gain two sales rank positions. The Nissan Roox and Suzuki Hustler each slipped one position down. The Suzuki Alto improved two positions with the result that the Daihatsu Mirror and Taft each went down one rank position.
Latest Japan Car Sales Statistics: 2023 — Brands, Models, Minicars; Data for 2022 – 2009.
