Japanese Auto Sales In China Way Down Crawling Back To Normal

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

As expected, sales of Japanese cars in China took a nosedive to levels not seen since the days after Japanese cars and dealerships were torched last September. Sales of Nissan and Toyota are down a whopping 46 percent. No, it’s not a new flare-up of anti-Japanese riots. This time, it’s the effect of the Chinese Lunar calendar.

Chinese Sales By Japanese BrandsSeptOctNovDecJanFebJan/FebToyota-49.0%-44.1%-22.1%-15.9%23.5%-45.7%-13.30%Nissan-35.0%-41.0%-29.8%-24.0%22.20%-46.00%-14.10%Honda-41.0%-54.0%-29.2%-19.2%22.00%-27.00%-4.00%Data: Companies via Reuters, Nikkei

In January, sales of all cars in China, including Japanese, were up compared to January 2012, simply because Chinese New Year fell into February. February sales of all cars will be reported as way down, simply because China was closed.

Instead of this whacko chart that shows January and February sales, and that does nothing except making people dizzy…

… we present you with consolidated sales for both months to get rid of the calendar effect. As you can see, five months after the anti-Japanese riots, sales of cars with Japanese nameplates are still hurting in the Middle Kingdom. There is a steady trend towards normalization, but it is tough slogging. Considering that the Senkaku/Diaoyu issue remains in the news in China, the Japanese crawl back to normal is remarkable. When all is said and done, and assuming no real flare-up, Japanese carmakers will have lost a full year of growth in China.

P.S.: I am looking forward to reading how the merry spinsters at GM sell their huge (calendar-induced) February loss of sales in China … Currently, mum’s the word.

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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  • Daiheadjai Daiheadjai on Mar 04, 2013

    I realize the Chinese aren't gonna win any popularity contests (nor should they), but the map probably demonstrates better than anything why even the most anti-Communist of ethnic Chinese will still take sides against Japan on the issue of the Diaoyutai Islands. And for those who have taken a look at the history of this tiny island chain (and of the mutual history of the 2 countries wrangling over them - particularly between 1905-the present), the anger over Japanese claims becomes understandable. It's not solely because China is expansionist either - take a look at the South Koreans (hardly people we would call militarily expansionist) - they named their largest carrier "Dokdo" after disputed islands that are (once again) claimed by Japan to be theirs.

    • Bd2 Bd2 on Mar 04, 2013

      Japanese claims to the islands disputed by SKorea and China arise from around 1900; a bit ironic considering that the Japanese are also disputing islands that the Russians took control of.

  • Strafer Strafer on Mar 04, 2013

    dai-jai is correct, Japan's claims on various islands began around 1900. But China is claiming islands that are in dispute with Vietnam and Philippine.

    • See 1 previous
    • Bd2 Bd2 on Mar 04, 2013

      @daiheadjai The ROC has a better claim on Diaoyu than the PRC. A bit amusing to see the Han Chinese overthrow their former Manchu overlords on the basis of them being "foreign barbarians" and then when the "shoe was on the other foot" - lay claim to all the territories that had been conquered by those Manchu barbarians (and previously by the Mongol barbarians).

  • 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.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
  • Ronin It's one thing to stay tried and true to loyal past customers; you'll ensure a stream of revenue from your installed base- maybe every several years or so.It's another to attract net-new customers, who are dazzled by so many other attractive offerings that have more cargo capacity than that high-floored 4-Runner bed, and are not so scrunched in scrunchy front seats.Like with the FJ Cruiser: don't bother to update it, thereby saving money while explaining customers like it that way, all the way into oblivion. Not recognizing some customers like to actually have right rear visibility in their SUVs.
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