Japan's July Sellers: Prius And Little Sister Rule The Roost

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: August 6th, 2012

japan s july sellers prius and little sister rule the roost

Hybrids and minivehicles are still on top of Japan’s list of best-selling cars in July, only more. The Prius is ichi ban with 33,398 units sold. Last time we looked in May, it was 20,789. It is followed by its compact sister, the Aqua (better known in the U.S. as Prius C) with 26,274.

Honda’s Fit is back in #3.

RankModelBrandUnitsYoYType1PriusToyota33,39837.9%REG2AquaToyota26,274N/AREG3FitHonda24,15316.4%REG4NBOXHonda21,837N/AKEI5MiraDaihatsu20,472220.2%KEI6Wagon RSuzuki17,48916.3%KEI7TantoDaihatsu17,36435.7%KEI8MoveDaihatsu14,0789.7%KEI9CorollaToyota13,404114.7%REG10VitzToyota13,1381.3%REG11AltoSuzuki10,43450.1%KEI12FreedHonda9,90575.7%REG13SerenaNissan9,21423.9%REG14Step WagonHonda7,950199.9%REG15MocoNissan6,91549.4%KEI16DemioMazda6,483-38.0%REG17PaletteSuzuki5,7946.1%KEI18MarchNissan5,72811.1%REG19VELLFIREToyota5,554306.0%REG20EstimaToyota5,291223.8%REG21PassoToyota5,17932.0%REG22ImprezaSubaru5,094204.1%REG23RookNissan5,04636.2%KEI24PyxisToyota4,961N/AKEI25VoxyToyota4,93310.8%REG26WishToyota4,41753.0%REG27CubeNissan4,29034.3%REG28SolioSuzuki4,15630.4%REG29CX-5Mazda3,835N/AREG30AlphardToyota3,823292.1%REG31MR WagonSuzuki3,79159.4%KEI32RactisToyota3,786-40.1%REG33NoahToyota3,7481.6%REG34SwiftSuzuki3,74140.5%REG35LifeHonda3,543-42.9%KEI36SientaToyota3,34142.1%REG37JukeNissan3,013-16.0%REG38LegacySubaru2,93154.3%REG3986Toyota2,908N/AREG40TidusNissan2,7395.6%REG41StellaSubaru2,59213.5%KEI42X-TRAILNissan2,59110.0%REG43CrownToyota2,52070.5%REG44eKMitsubishi2,5107.8%KEI45Every WagonSuzuki1,903-17.8%KEI

Then, a row of five minivehicles follows.

The table was compiled from data provided by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association, the sometimes odd model names were translated with the help of Frau Schmitto-san, and everything was compiled into one table.

#BertelSchmitt #Japan #JulySellers #Sales

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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3 comments

Jeoff on Aug 06, 2012

Honda Insight?

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- Stephen7 on Aug 18, 2012
  
  Jeoff, I don't have YTD sales but I can tell you that the Insight sold 848 units in Japan last month (ranked 69). Keep in mind that both the Fit and Freed are available as hybrids in Japan and I would argue that both offer more practical options to the Insight. I think the Insight suffers from a similar problem in the US, that for a little more you can buy a Civic hybrid which not only is a little bigger, but gets better mpg. On the other hand, if budget is on the top of your list, the Fit is less and while not a hybrid gets good mpg and has a very versatile cargo space. Personally I think Honda would be smart to bring the Fit Hybrid to the US as I think it would easily outsell the Insight and possibly even the Civic Hybrid. It would also be a better challenger to the Prius C than anything in its lineup now.
  
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Juicy sushi on Aug 06, 2012

It's a very interesting view. It shows just how much more massive Toyota is than the rest of the domestic market, but also shows how Honda has some very specific models which do very well, and then others which are total non-factors. I still cannot understand why the Corolla can sell so well, but Honda killed the Civic in Japan due to a lack of sales. What makes the difference that allows Toyota to relentlessly flog Corollas but left the Civic as unwanted? And long term with the expansion of the Prius range with the Aqua and Prius V, you have to wonder about the future of the Corolla and Camry. For the same money, a customer could be in a much more economical hybrid. I have to wonder how quick the switch over will happen as the older Toyota customers move on. At this point, Toyota's twin image makers for younger buyers seem to be the Prius and 86/FR-S. That's where Toyota's mind seems to be going.

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