In full-year 2024, Suzuki was the top mini-vehicle maker and the best-selling minicar brand in Japan while the Honda N-Box remained the top-selling Kei model.
2024 (January to December): the market for mini vehicles and kei cars in Japan contracted by just over 10% to 1.56 million mini vehicles and 1.2 million kei cars. Suzuki was the largest produces of mini vehicles and mini passenger cars. Daihatsu was punished by Japanese consumers for a test scandal — Daihatsu minicar sales were almost halved. The Honda N Box was again the top-selling Kei car model in Japan in 2024.
Latest Japan Car Sales Statistics: 2024 — Brands, Models, Minicars; Data for 2023 – 2009.
Mini Vehicle Sales in Japan in 2024 (Full Year)
Mini vehicle registrations in Japan in the full calendar year 2024 decreased by 10.7% to 1,557,868 mini vehicles compared to 1,744,919 sold in 2023 and 1,638,137 sold in 2022. The market for passenger minicars contracted by a similar 10.4% to 1,202,05 vehicles compared to (1,341,330 kei cars in 2023 and 1,224,995 in 2022).
The market for mini vehicles in Japan was not only down due to economic factors but was also rocked by a safety test scandal at Daihatsu. Daihatsu, which is traditionally very strong in kei cars, and its parent Toyota were hit hard by angry consumers.
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 2024 (Full Year)
The top-selling mini-vehicle producers by brand in Japan in 2024 (January to December) according to Zenkeijkyo were:
| Brand | Brand | 2024 | %24/23 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| Total | 合 計 | 1,557,868 | -10.7 | 1,744,919 | 1,638,137 | |
| 1 | Suzuki | ス ズ キ | 589,924 | 10.9 | 531,707 | 501,339 |
| 2 | Daihatsu | ダイハツ | 350,186 | -38.1 | 565,928 | 538,974 |
| 3 | Honda | ホ ン ダ | 288,315 | -9.5 | 318,563 | 298,969 |
| 4 | Nissan | 日 産 | 188,846 | -0.4 | 189,627 | 177,438 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 三 菱 | 73,961 | 27.9 | 57,849 | 41,377 |
| 6 | Mazda | マ ツ ダ | 38,013 | 7.7 | 35,305 | 30,087 |
| 7 | Toyota | ト ヨ タ | 16,473 | -44.2 | 29,511 | 30,457 |
| 8 | Subaru | ス バ ル | 11,890 | -26.6 | 16,204 | 19,438 |
The only rank change was Suzuki replacing Daithatsu as the largest producer of mini vehicles in Japan in 2024.
Best-Selling Minicar Brands in Japan in 2024 (Full Year)
The top-selling mini passenger car producers by brand in Japan in 2024 (January to December) according to Zenkeijkyo were:
| Brand | Brand | 2024 | %24/23 | 2023 | 2022 | |
| Total | 合 計 | 1,202,095 | -10.4 | 1,341,330 | 1,224,995 | |
| 1 | Suzuki | ス ズ キ | 466,641 | 16.0 | 402,379 | 377,605 |
| 2 | Honda | ホ ン ダ | 257,643 | -10.8 | 288,872 | 265,624 |
| 3 | Daihatsu | ダイハツ | 219,497 | -45.2 | 400,198 | 353,753 |
| 4 | Nissan | 日 産 | 150,251 | -1.1 | 151,905 | 142,646 |
| 5 | Mitsubishi | 三 菱 | 62,956 | 30.8 | 48,139 | 31,882 |
| 6 | Mazda | マ ツ ダ | 31,481 | 11.1 | 28,334 | 23,499 |
| 7 | Toyota | ト ヨ タ | 7,200 | -42.9 | 12,611 | 19,290 |
| 8 | Subaru | ス バ ル | 6,363 | -27.9 | 8,825 | 10,671 |
| Source: Zenkeijkyo |
Suzuki was again the best-selling mini passenger car brand in Japan in 2024. The only rank change was Honda replacing Daithatsu as the second-largest producer of mini passenger vehicles in Japan in 2024.
Best-Selling Minicar Models in Japan in 2024 (Full Year)
The ten top-selling mini passenger car models in Japan in 2024 (January to December) according to Zenkeijkyo were:
| Maker | Model Name | 通称名 | Sales 2024 | Sales 2023 | % 24/23 | |
| 1 | Honda | N-BOX | Ｎ-ＢＯＸ | 206,272 | 231,385 | -10.9 |
| 2 | Suzuki | Spacia | スペーシア | 165,679 | 122,275 | 35.5 |
| 3 | Daihatsu | Tanto | タント | 93,759 | 159,392 | -41.2 |
| 4 | Suzuki | Hustler | ハスラー | 92,818 | 82,720 | 12.2 |
| 5 | Suzuki | Wagon R | ワゴンＲ | 79,718 | 72,235 | 10.4 |
| 6 | Nissan | Roox | ルークス | 70,697 | 70,536 | 0.2 |
| 7 | Suzuki | Alto | アルト | 68,139 | 67,719 | 0.6 |
| 8 | Mitsubish | eK | ｅＫ | 60,001 | 40,573 | 47.9 |
| 9 | Nissan | Days | デイズ | 50,432 | 38,687 | 30.4 |
| 10 | Daihatsu | Mira | ミラ | 42,758 | 64,080 | -33.3 |
| Zenkeijkyo |
The Honda N Box was again Japan’s most popular minicar model in 2024 and also outsold the Toyota Corolla, which was with 166,956 sales the top-selling standard car model in Japan in 2024.
The N-Box was the only top-ten minicar in the same rank position as a year ago. The Suzuki Spacia outsold the Daihatsu Tanto. The Daihatsu Move, the number 4 in 2023, was caught up in the testing scandal and its intended replacement was delayed indefinitely. The Move slipped to 11th, allowing all competing models to move up at leat one rank position.
Latest Japan Car Sales Statistics: 2024 — Brands, Models, Minicars; Data for 2023 – 2009.
