Japan FY 2025 New Car Sales Slip 0.9 Pct

Tokyo, April 1 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s new vehicle sales in fiscal 2025, which ended Tuesday, fell 0.9 pct from the previous year to 4,533,782 units, the first decline in four years, industry data showed Wednesday. While minivehicles performed well thanks to many new model launches, other vehicles saw their sales decrease from fiscal 2024, according to the data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association. Sales of vehicles other than minivehicles fell 3.5 pct to 2,845,316 units. At Nissan Motor Co., which is undergoing a corporate turnaround, sales dropped 13.5 pct, extending a protracted slump. Its lineup lacked notable new models apart from the Leaf electric vehicle launched last autumn. Honda Motor Co. also posted a double-digit decline, while Toyota Motor Corp. saw a 2.7 pct slip excluding its Lexus brand. Minivehicle sales rose 3.8 pct to 1,688,466 units. Daihatsu Motor Co. and Toyota logged strong gains, rebounding from a prior-year decline tied to a testing scandal, while Mitsubishi Motors Corp. also logged sales growth. By contrast, Honda, Mazda Motor Corp., Nissan and Suzuki Motor Corp. all underperformed fiscal 2024 levels in the minivehicle segment. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]