Suzuki Closing In On Nissan In Japanese Sales Standing

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Yes, we at TTAC may be heralding the imminent departure of Suzuki in the United States, but figures compiled by industry stalwart Just-Auto show that Suzuki isn’t doing too badly in their home market of Japan – in fact, they may even eclipse Nissan.

According to just-auto

“Suzuki outsold Nissan by some 6,000 vehicles in June, making it the fourth most popular brand. Don’t be shocked if Nissan ends 2012 in fifth place: it’s presently only 24,481 sales ahead of Suzuki. Nissan’s best selling model is the Serena. This minivan, the leader in its size segment, managed 53,106 registrations in the first half of the year.”

Reporter Glenn Brooks cites the decision to produce the Micra small car in Thailand as the main force behind Nissan’s decline. The Micra is being eclipsed by the Toyota Vitz (aka Yaris), which, in turn is being trounced by the Honda Fit. The Fit is outselling the Yaris by a 2:1 ratio. Even with kei-car sales included, the Fit is Japan’s best-selling vehicle, and the main driver of Honda’s turnaround this year. Crediting the Fit and the N-Box kei-car, Brooks says

“Honda…has managed to sell 413,382 passenger vehicles in H1, a whopping 95,385 more than Japan’s new three brand, Nissan. As at 30 June 2011, Nissan was 14,677 units ahead of Honda so you can see how impressive Honda’s year-on-year turnaround has been.”

And guess who the N-Box is eating away at? Suzuki’s bread-and-butter kei car, the Wagon R.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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 8 comments
  • CJinSD CJinSD on Aug 01, 2012

    Suzuki in Japan didn't fill their showrooms with Daewoos(or am I supposed to say Chevrolets now?) like they did in the US, destroying their reputation in the process.

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    • NMGOM NMGOM on Aug 01, 2012

      @philadlj Wow. Great table. Reminds me of the old 1980's expression, "Japan Incorporated". ---------

  • Cyberc9000 Cyberc9000 on Aug 01, 2012

    Suzuki is only filling North America with crap. Nissan, on the other hand, is filling the entire world with crap.

  • BangForYourBuck BangForYourBuck on Aug 01, 2012

    I miss the 'made in japan' products Suzuki and Nissan used to sell here. I've had one of each. Reliable, safe, cheep to own, enjoyable to drive.

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