Japan In November 2012: Kei Cars Save The Month

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Some forecasters expected Japan’s appetite for new cars to drop by more than 20 percent in the last quarter after government incentives expired in September. So far, it is not happening. Sales of new cars, trucks and buses declined a minuscule 0.4 percent in November. Elsewhere you may read that the market was down 3.3 percent, but they are not giving you the whole story. Sales of mini vehicles, or kei cars actually were up in November, pulling the market nearly completely out of minus territory.

Regular vehicle sales Japan November 2012ManufacturerNov ’12Nov ’11YoYYTD ’12YTD ’11YoYDaihatsu244296-17.6%2,7802,874-3.3%Hino3,5503,06815.7%38,46730,79224.9%Honda19,54932,777-40.4%405,018347,58716.5%Isuzu4,5564,1858.9%54,40037,80243.9%Lexus3,1623,795-16.7%40,69040,1231.4%Mazda10,63210,879-2.3%156,464135,23615.7%Mitsubishi5,2324,55015.0%56,88951,50510.5%Mitsubishi Fuso2,7063,159-14.3%31,83024,44830.2%Nissan34,64939,470-12.2%475,415411,81115.4%Subaru11,8874,841145.5%96,77866,95944.5%Suzuki5,2776,080-13.2%83,25971,00717.3%Toyota122,021120,3051.4%1,511,4101,056,10543.1%UD Trucks773955-19.1%8,3667,59310.2%Other19,73617,87610.4%214,079183,27216.8%Total243,974252,236-3.3%3,175,8452,467,11428.7%Data courtesy Japan Automobile Dealers Association

Sales of regular vehicles were down 3.3 percent to 243,974 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association JADA said today. Honda’s sales dropped an alarming 40.4 percent, those of Nissan are down 12.2 percent. Don’t be too alarmed about Honda, they made it more than up elsewhere …

Mini vehicle sales Japan November 2012ManufacturerNov ’12Nov ’11YoYYTD ’12YTD ’11YoYSuzuki45,27145,2430.1%549,571438,23725.4%Daihatsu46,89852,361-10.4%632,695497,82727.1%Mitsubishi5,2196,906-24.4%75,13285,945-12.6%Subaru3,2329,322-65.3%66,76776,289-12.5%Honda30,6018,150275.5%295,389114,486158.0%Mazda3,9653,9510.4%49,51042,55716.3%Nissan11,83515,336-22.8%145,395134,3998.2%Toyota2,9312,05942.4%40,8574,120891.7%Other163433.3%574042.5%Total149,968143,3314.6%1,855,3731,393,90033.1%Data courtesy Japan Mini Vehicles Association

Data provided by the Japan Mini Vehicle Association paint a different picture for kei cars. Honda tore into the kei car market with a number of (slightly) different NBOXes. Honda’s kei sales were up a huge 275.5 percent and helped lift the market for mini vehicles by 4.6 percent in November.

Total vehicle sales Japan November 2012ManufacturerNov ’12Nov ’11YoYYTD ’12YTD ’11YoYDaihatsu47,14252,657-10.5%635,475500,70126.9%Hino3,5503,06815.7%38,46730,79224.9%Honda50,15040,92722.5%700,407462,07351.6%Isuzu4,5564,1858.9%54,40037,80243.9%Lexus3,1623,795-16.7%40,69040,1231.4%Mazda14,59714,830-1.6%205,974177,79315.9%Mitsubishi10,45111,456-8.8%132,021137,450-3.9%Mitsubishi Fuso2,7063,159-14.3%31,83024,44830.2%Nissan46,48454,806-15.2%620,810546,21013.7%Subaru15,11914,1636.7%163,545143,24814.2%Suzuki50,54851,323-1.5%632,830509,24424.3%Toyota124,952122,3642.1%1,552,2671,060,22546.4%UD Trucks773955-19.1%8,3667,59310.2%Other19,75217,87910.5%214,136183,31216.8%Total393,942395,567-0.4%5,031,2183,861,01430.3%

Consolidated, it looks like this. The market is down only slightly. Nissan’s COO Toshiyuki Shiga said in a recent interview with The Nikkei [sub] that he thinks “sales declines in response to the end of the subsidy program should be limited.” And indeed, that appears to be the case.

Bertel Schmitt
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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  • JTiberius1701 Middle of April here in NE Ohio. And that can still be shaky. Also on my Fiesta ST, I use Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires for the winter and Bridgestone Potenza for my summer tires. No issues at all.
  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
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