Honda Motor’s automobile sales dropped 37.7% in 2021 compared to 2019. The automaker’s market share fell 3.5pp to 10.3% due to fast recovery of the top three brands in the Indonesian market Toyota, Daihatsu and Mitsubishi. In an effort to boost sales, Honda has been releasing upgraded models since the second half of 2021. The fully-remodeled BR-V subcompact crossover, which was Honda’s best-selling model in Indonesia in the first quarter of 2022, was launched in September 2021. Another subcompact crossover, the HR-V, which was Honda’s second best-sellingRead more...

Toyota Motor is enhancing its product lineup in Indonesia in order to recover the scale of sales, production and exports that had fallen due to the pandemic. In November 2021, the fully remodeled Avanza, which is Indonesia’s best-selling model, was launched. Following the release of the Avanza, a number of other models were upgraded as well. A BEV concept model was also unveiled in March 2022; however, there was no word on actual production and market launch plans. In addition to strengthening its product lineup in Indonesia, Toyota has introduced a new Read more...

Honda Motor's automobile sales increased 24.3% year-on-year to 91,122 units in Indonesia in 2021. Although sales rose double digits compared to 2020, it dropped 37.7% from the pre-corona level of 2019. In the first quarter of 2022, production increased 40.9% compared to the same period of the previous year to 34,701 units. Meanwhile sales went up 38.9% to 35,266 units. The fully-remodeled BR-V subcompact crossover SUV was launched for the first time in six years in September 2021. It sold 11,636 unit in the first three months of 2022, sales rising 17.2-fRead more...

Toyota Motor is aiming to recover sales, production and export scale in Indonesia, which were badly hit by the COVID-19 crisis. In the first quarter of 2022, sales increased 41.1% compared to the same period of the previous year to 81,337 units. Meanwhile production, including OEM production by Daihatsu Motors and Hino Motors, went up 45.6% to 153,665 units. Automobile exports increased as well, going up 41.3% to 68,408 units. Bar graph: Toyota Motor: Production / Sales / Export Volume of Automobiles in Indonesia (2012-2021, YTD March 2021 / 2022) BaRead more...

This report covers the export and import results of motor vehicles and related parts of eight Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam) in 2021. The trade balance widened between countries that have become stable export bases for motor vehicles and are producing stable surpluses, and countries that have a chronic deficit. In 2021, India, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea increased trade surplus, but Malaysia and the Philippines saw an increase in trade deficit. In addition, exports of all eight countRead more...

India’s electric motorcycle market is rapidly expanding. In 2021, In 2021, new registration of electric motorcycles surged to 143,284 units, a 5.3-fold increase from the previous year (newly registered electric motorcycle data released by VAHAN). Sales of electric motorcycle in 2019 and 2020 were less than 30,000 units, but the pace of expansion skyrocketed from the latter half of 2020, exceeding 100,000 units for the first time in 2021. Demand was driven by increased government subsidies, expanding product lineup on the market and rising fuel prices. Read more...

Thailand’s motorcycle sales increased 6.1% compared to the previous year to 1,610,223 units in 2021 (new registration data released by Thailand’s Department of Land Transport). Compared to 2019, sales declined 6.9%, failing to recover to the pre-corona level like in other ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Motorcycle production went up 10.2% to 1,780,609 units. Meanwhile, motorcycle exports in CBU form reached a record high of 437,147 units, a 43.8% increase, driven by the recovery of Thailand’s largest motorcycle maker HondaRead more...

Japanese vehicle suppliers’ production in Russia is mostly intended for the domestic market. Toyota Boshoku and Sanoh Industrial operate in-site factories at the automobile plants of Toyota Motor and Nissan Motor respectively, while U-Shin supports the local operations of Mazda Motor. Meanwhile, some Japanese parts makers supply Russian automakers such as AvtoVAZ and GAZ. As sanctions are tightened on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, it will become increasingly uncertain whether Japanese automakers will continue business activities in Russia in Read more...

Human Horizons Holdings Co., Ltd. is an emerging Chinese BEV manufacturer founded in August 2017 by Ding Lei, formerly General Manager of Shanghai GM (now SAIC GM). Apart from the development and sales of BEVs and related components, Human Horizons is engaged in the connected transportation technology field. The company aims to realize a three-step comprehensive mobility solution, consisting of smart vehicles, smart transportation and smart cities. As of April 2022, Human Horizons’ first and only model in the Chinese market was the HiPhi X large SUV. Read more...

Indonesia's automobile exports increased 26.9% year-on-year to 294,639 units in 2021. Exports to Asia, Indonesia’s largest export destination, increased 7.1% year-on-year to 156,931 units. Exports to the Middle East went up 46.4% to 68,197 units, to Latin America rose 77.1% to 53,280 units, and to Africa increased 80.9% to 15,593 units, all exceeding pre-corona results. The top three exporters, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Suzuki, remained unchanged from last year. Bar graph: Indonesia: Export Volume of Automobiles by Brand (2012-2021) Bar graph: IndonesiaRead more...

Automobile exports from India in 2021 rose to 622,243 units, up 36.1% from the previous year. Exports significantly increased compared to 2020 when economic activities were restricted due to the pandemic; however, it failed to reach the pre-corona level of 2019 and before. In 2021, the production of automobiles was reduced due to the spread of the new coronavirus’s delta strain in the spring. From fall, the impact of semiconductor shortage became an acute problem, preventing an increase in production, which in turn slowed recovery. In 2021, passenger Read more...

As automobiles become more widespread in China, investigating the causes of traffic accidents has become more complicated. For this reason, EDRs (event data recorders), which contribute to the investigation of the responsibility and cause of traffic accidents, have been attracting attention in China. Starting from January 1, 2022, it has become mandatory to install EDR in new vehicles. For now, the data to be recorded is limited to 17 items such as vehicle speed and door lock status; however, it will be raised to 60 items starting from January 2024. RRead more...

In Japan, gasoline vehicle sales accounted for 67.3% of all passenger vehicle sales, down 4.2pp (percentage points) from the previous year, in 2021. HEVs (standard vehicles with an engine above 660cc) made up 28.1% of the market, up 3.8pp, and PHEVs (standard) accounted for 0.6% of all passenger vehicle sales, up 0.2pp, indicating a shift from conventional vehicles to electric models. The market share of diesel vehicles remained the same at 3.9%. Table: Japan: Sales Volume of Passenger Vehicles by Powertrain Type / Engine Displacement (2016-2021) TRead more...

Nissan Motor, which plans to launch 15 BEV models by 2030, is expanding its EV lineup and strengthening its production system. As of March 2022, Nissan's global production of BEVs centered on the Leaf compact hatchback, but a new model the Ariya crossover will be added soon. In addition, Nissan announced in November 2021 a plan to invest 2 trillion JPN in the next five years to promote electrification, increasing its product lineup as well as production scale. Since 2021, Nissan has announced plans to increase BEV production in the United States and the Read more...

Thailand's 2021 exports of automobiles in CBU form increased 30.4% year-on-year to 959,194 units. Domestic demand fell to a low level for the second consecutive year due to the reemergence of the new coronavirus infection. On the other hand, thanks to market recovery in Australia and other export destinations, export scale exceeded the previous year’s level. Passenger vehicle exports rose 16.8% to 305,247 units, pickup trucks went up 37.6% to 575,352 units and PPV (pickup truck-based SUVs) increased 39.3% to 78,595 units. In January 2022, the FederRead more...

Motorcycle sales in Indonesia (domestic sales of five members of Indonesia’s motorcycle manufacturer association AISI) increased by 38.2% from the previous year to 5,057,516 units in 2021. Sales in 2021 increased significantly compared to 2021 when demand fell to a historically low level due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection. Although sales surpassed 5 million units in 2021, it remained at a low level compared to the pre-corona level of around 6 million units or more. AISI forecasts that sales in 2022 will reach 5.1 million-5.4 million Read more...

Honda Motor plans to increase its annual production scale of BEVs to more than 2 million units by 2030. For this reason, the automaker is strengthening its BEV production system. In October 2021, Honda announced that its local subsidiaries would establish two new BEV-only plants for the first time in China, which is positioned as Honda’s main market for electrification. Both plants are scheduled to be launched in 2024 with a combined annual production capacity of 240,000 units. As of March 2022, Honda's global BEV lineup consisted of the VE-1 and M-NVRead more...

As of the beginning of 2022, seven Japanese passenger vehicle makers were present in the Russian automobile market. Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and Mitsubishi manufacture and sell automobiles in Russia while Suzuki, Subaru and Honda are only involved in import sales (This report does not cover Toyota and Nissan because separate reports were already published on April 15 on Toyota and on April 19 on Nissan.). However, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which triggered severe sanctions on Russia, all automakers have suspended exports to the country and halted Read more...

Toyota Motor plans to sell 3.5 million BEVs globally in 2030, and is expanding its BEV lineup to this end. As of March 2022, Toyota manufactured BEVs in Japan and China, but manufacturing bases are expected to be set up in other countries as well as Toyota’s BEV lineup expands. Regarding batteries, which are the key to the market expansion of BEVs, Toyota has been strengthening its production system and is also focusing on the development of new materials and structures in order to reduce costs. In December 2021, the automaker announced the establishmentRead more...

Nissan Motor has been manufacturing automobiles in St. Petersburg, Russia since 2009. The plant has an annual production capacity of 100,000 units, producing three crossover SUVs, the X-Trail, Qashqai and Murano. Its alliance partner Renault makes the Nissan Terrano at its local plant Renault Russia. In addition to the Nissan brand, Nissan also sells models of the Infiniti marque in Russia. Nissan has been using its alliance partner Renault to boost business in Russia. However, Renault suspended operations in Russia in late March to comply with internatiRead more...

Joyson Electronics is a Chinese supplier of auto electronics, intelligent driving, e-mobility and auto safety systems. In the first nine months of 2021, sales went up 0.7% year-on-year, to 34.11 billion CNY thanks to rising demand for safety system components and electrical and electronics parts. However, operating profit was in the red at 210 million CNY due to the reemergence of the new coronavirus infection, semiconductor shortages, and rising raw material prices and transportation costs. In anticipation of market growth in the connected and autonomouRead more...

"In the beginning of March 2022, Toyota halted production and sales in Russia and exportation of vehicles in CBU form to Russia until further notice." In 2007, Toyota Motor launched a plant in St. Petersburg, Russia and began production of the Camry midsize car. As of March 2022, in addition to the Camry, the St. Petersburg Plant also manufactured the RAV4 compact crossover SUV. The plant’s initial production capacity was around 50,000 units per year but in the next 10 years it gradually increased to about 100,000 units. Although production dropped beRead more...

Nissan Motor announced in November 2021 that it will globally introduce 23 electric vehicle models, including 15 BEVs, by 2030. In Japan, Nissan has set a goal of increasing the sales ratio of electric vehicles including BEV and e-POWER models to 55% or more by 2026. In line with its goal, Nissan released the Note Aura equipped with second-generation e-POWER technology in August 2021. In addition to launching the BEV Ariya in January 2022, Nissan plans to release a mini BEV in collaboration with Mitsubishi Motors in the spring of 2022. In addition, thRead more...

In 2021, India's automobile production increased by 30.1% year-on-year to 4,399,112 units. Domestic sales increased 27.9% to 3,759,540 units, and finished vehicle exports went up 36.1% to 622,243 units, resulting in an increase of over 30% in automobile production. Although domestic sales did not reach the results of 2017 and 2018 when results were especially strong, domestic sales nearly returned to the pre-corona level of 2019. In 2021, passenger vehicle production rose 28% to 3,631,095 units while commercial vehicle production went up 40.8% to 768,Read more...

Honda Motor is revising its domestic vehicle lineup. The automaker discontinued sales of the Legend luxury sedan in January 2022, and plans to end sales of the Odyssey MPV and the second generation NSX sports car at the end of the year. In addition, sales of the Shuttle, CR-V and Insight models are expected to be discontinued also. Honda is terminating models with low sales volume, but the company is considering launching a new model in the midsize SUV segment whose popularity has been growing in Japan. In addition, the Honda Vezel compact SUV was launchRead more...

Toyota Motor is aiming for a full lineup of electric vehicles, and as part of this plan, the automaker will introduce 30 BEV models globally by 2030. Seven models will be rolled out worldwide by 2025 from the bZ series based on a BEV dedicated platform. In Japan, the bZ4X is scheduled to be released in mid-2022 as the first step. Toyota will not sell the bZ4x in Japan, instead it will be offered through KINTO’s subscription service. The reason is that battery pack deterioration makes BEV resale value drop sharply. In addition, Toyota aims is to reliably Read more...

Toyota Motor has set its sales target at 284,000 units for 2022, an increase of 18.5% from the previous year. Market share is aimed to reach 33%, up 1.4pp compared to 2021. Sales are expected to reach 85% of pre-corona 2019 in 2022. To achieve its goal, Toyota is proceeding with initiatives related to electric vehicles, reiterating the policy of localizing electrification. Toyota Motor: Recent Business Developments in Thailand 2022 Target (Announced by Toyota Motor Thailand in January 2022) ・Sales target: 284,000 units, up 18.5% from the previous Read more...

Taiwan's vehicle production increased 8% year-on-year to 265,320 units in 2021. Both production for the domestic market and for exports turned positive in 2021 after a slight decline in the previous year. Although the impact of the new coronavirus infection was successfully minimized in 2020, production decreased. In 2021, production for the domestic market rose for the third consecutive year to 235,306 units and production for exports ascended 56.9% to 30,014 units from 2020. Taiwan’s passenger vehicle production increased 8.7% to 196,749 units, while cRead more...

South Korea's vehicle production fell 1.3% year-on-year to 3,462,499 units in 2021, going down for the third consecutive year. Insufficient supply of semiconductors was the primary reason for declining production. South Korea’s passenger vehicle production dropped 1.5% to 3,162,850 units, while commercial vehicle production inched up 1.6% to 299,649 units. Hyundai and Kia increased production thanks to the gradual recovery of CBU exports. In contrast South Korea’s third largest automaker GM Korea dropped 37% due to poor domestic and overseas demand. Read more...

Pakistan's vehicle production increased 2.1 times year-on-year to 242,000 units in 2021. New vehicle sales expanded due to a significant tax cut on car purchases, which came into effect in July 2021. In addition to domestic demand, production also surged in response to the increase in exports associated with the global economic recovery from Covid-19. In December 2021, the Pakistani government announced the Automotive Industry Development and Export Policy (AIDEP) 2021-2026. The policy supports the domestic production of vehicles and parts, and the inRead more...

Thailand's vehicle production increased 18.1% year-on-year to 1,685,705 units. Domestic demand declined for the second consecutive year since 2020 due to the spread of the pandemic. Production for export is recovering, driven by market recovery of a major export destinations such as Australia. Passenger vehicle sales increased 10.6% to 599,844 units, while sales of commercial vehicles ascended 22.7% to 1,085,861 units. The Federation of Thai Industries announced in January 2022 that production is forecast to reach 1.8 million units in 2022. In the comRead more...

Malaysia's 2021 vehicle production fell 0.7% year-on-year to 481,651 units. Due to the spread of the Delta strain infection, a nationwide lockdown was implemented in June and July, forcing automakers to idle production lines for about two months. In addition, local post- process factories of semiconductors suspended production during the same period which delayed the subsequent recovery of automobile production due to insufficient parts supply. As a result, full-year production decreased 15.7% compared to 2019. Passenger vehicles dropped 2.5% to 446,431 Read more...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022 forced Japanese automakers to suspend manufacturing and business operations in Russia and Ukraine. All six Japanese automakers which manufacture vehicles in Russia halted operations in the beginning of March 2022 due to sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Parts supplies to Russian plants and vehicle exports to the Russian market were discontinued as well. Sanctions are expected to have a serious impact on used vehicle exports from Japan to Russia. In 2021, Russia was the largest export desRead more...

Indonesia's vehicle production in 2021 recovered to 1,121,967 units, up 62.6% from the previous year. While both domestic and overseas demand recovered, the revival of the domestic market was especially strong, going up around 70%, which in turn pushed up vehicle production. As for the business environment, it recovered 87% compared with the 2019 level prior to the pandemic, partly because social restrictions were not introduced as in 2020. Passenger vehicle sales rose 61.4% to 889,756 units, while demand for commercial vehicles increased 67.4 to 232,211Read more...

Since drive batteries are core components of electric vehicles, they are gaining increasing attention against the backdrop of the rapid growth of the Chinese electric vehicle market. Looking at trends related to electrification parts (cells and packs) in China, there are many cases in which European automakers are increasing their local production capacity of drive batteries. Meanwhile, foreign automakers are increasingly procuring parts from Chinese automakers including CATL. Major Foreign Automakers' Trends in Procurement of Electrification Parts inRead more...

Nissan Motor's automobile sales in China decreased 5.2% year-on-year to 1,381,494 units in 2021, declining for the second consecutive year (announced by Nissan Motor, including the Nissan, Venucia and Infiniti brands). Sales of the Nissan brand declined 9.2% to 1,041,913 units, dropping below 1.1 million units for the first time in five years. Nearly all Infiniti brand models saw a drop in sales. Total demand went down 48.5% to 14,817 units, falling below 20,000 units for the first time in eight years. The Venucia brand went up 2.0% to 81,858 units. AlthRead more...

Toyota Motor's automobile sales in China increased 8.2% year-on-year to 1.944,010 units in 2021 (announced by Toyota Motor, including commercial vehicles, and sales results in Hong Kong and Macau). Sales increased for the ninth consecutive year due to the Chinese government's economic stimulus measures and strong sales of new models such as the Camry and RAV4. In the first half of 2021, sales went up 28.8% from the same period of the previous year to 971,000 units due to a significant decrease in the previous year triggered by the outbreak of the new corRead more...

Honda Motor's automobile sales in China decreased 4.0% year-on-year to 1,561,540 units in 2021 (announced by Honda Motor). In the first five months of 2021, monthly sales went up compared to the same the same period of the previous year due to strong decline in the previous year caused by the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection. For the rest of the year, monthly sales plunged double digits due to insufficient supply of semiconductors and other components. As a result, Honda Motor’s share in the passenger vehicle market declined 0.7 pp to 7.3%. HRead more...

In China, A segment BEV sales skyrocketed in 2021 compared to the previous year, reaching 863,246 units. The small BEV Hongguang MINI released by SAIC-GM-Wuling in July 2020 became a big hit, accelerating the growth of the A-segment market in 2021. Following the success of the Hongguang MINI, other manufacturers are now also releasing small BEV models one after another. In addition to major manufacturers such as Changan Automobile and SAIC Motor, emerging BEV manufacturers are also entering the A segment market. Moreover, there are a number of low-speed Read more...

Nissan Motor's domestic vehicle sales in 2021 dropped 3.6% from the previous year to 451,671 units. Monthly sales in the first five months of the year (except February) exceeded 2020’s results but dropped below the previous year’s level for the rest of the year. Standard passenger vehicle sales went up 7.4% to 226,533 units, but demand for standard commercial vehicles and mini vehicles fell 13.7% to 47,751 units and 12.3% to 177,380 units respectively. Bar graph: Nissan Motor: Sales Volume of Automobiles by Type in Japan (2016-2021) Line graph: NissaRead more...

Asia’s motorcycle sales increased 7.0% compared to the previous year to 28,215,666 units in 2021 (covering India, Pakistan, six ASEAN countries [Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore] and Taiwan. The world’s largest motorcycle market India inched up 1.4% to 14,469,514 units while sales in ASEAN increase 15.6% to 11,100,736 units. Although sales rose compared to the previous year, when it fell over 24% due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection, the pace of recovery is slow and it has not returned to the pre- corona leveRead more...

India’s vehicle sales increased 27.9% year-on-year to 3,759,540 units in 2021 (based on wholesale data released by SIAM). Although the rapid reemergence of the new coronavirus infection caused by the outbreak of Delta strains and the shortage of automobile parts, including semiconductors, weakened sales in 2021, India’s nationwide lockdown in the previous year, which forced people to postpone vehicle purchase, generated strong demand. As a result, sales recovered to the pre-corona level of around 3.8 million units. CNG-powered and electric vehicle salRead more...

Taiwan’s vehicle sales decreased 1.7% year-on-year to 449,855 units in 2021. Although sales fell below the previous year's level for the first time in three years due to the resurgence of the new coronavirus infection in May and June, demand settled at the second highest level since 2006, following a record high level in 2020. The sales of domestic-made vehicles increased 2.6% to 242,037 units while imported vehicle sales dropped 6.2% to 207,818 units. Passenger vehicle sales fell 18.7% to 125,819 units, but recreational vehicles (including SUVs) went upRead more...

Shanghai W-Ibeda High Tech. Group Co., Ltd., established in November 1998, develops powertrain test technology, and manufactures and sells test equipment. The company's sales in 2020 increased a mere 2.0% year-on-year to 300 million CNY, showing a significant slowdown in growth compared to results prior to the outbreak of the new coronavirus infection. However, sales picked up again in the first half of 2021, going up 30.7% to nearly 85 million CNY. As the electric vehicle market grows, W-Ibeda is expanding the development and sales of NEV powertrain Read more...

South Korea’s vehicle sales decreased 8.4% year-on-year to 1,730,688 units in 2021. The figure is based on the combined results of the members of South Korea’s automotive industry association KAMA and imported vehicle association KAIDA as well as Tesla’s results. Starting from March 2021, South Korea’s top 2 automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors faced insufficient semiconductor supply in 2021, resulting in delayed vehicle delivery. Although South Korea extended a temporary 30% cut in individual consumption tax on passenger vehicles for another six montRead more...

HoloMatic Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., established in June 2017, is a Beijing-based company specializing in the development of autonomous driving technology. The company’s product lineup includes solutions such as HoloPilot (Level 3.5) for autonomous highway driving and HoloParking (Level 4) for autonomous valet parking. In August 2020, HoloMatic’s CEO Ni Kai said that the current goal of the company is to realize mass-production of the HoloPilot and HoloParking solutions. The company is in talks with several automakers about the supply of the two sysRead more...

Vietnam’s vehicle sales increased 2.5% year-on-year to 304,149 units in 2021 (based on vehicle sales data of VAMA members). From July to September 2021, automobile sales decreased 30%-50% due to the impact of social isolation measures triggered by the reemergence of the new coronavirus infection. However, demand was strong for the rest of the year, sales returning 300,000-unit level after a year hiatus. Hyundai Motor’s local subsidiary Hyundai Thanh Cong Vietnam (HTCV) and local automaker VinFast, which are not included in official statistics, sold 70,51Read more...

Automobile sales in Asia increased 13.8% year-on-year to 9,003,974 units in 2021 (13 countries in South Asia, ASEAN and East Asia, excluding China and Japan). Compared to 2020, when the market shrank significantly due to the corona outbreak, sales in 2021 increased double digits. However, sales were somewhat below the pre-corona level of around 10 million units. In 2021, restrictions on social activities due to the reemergence of the new coronavirus infection and insufficient supply of semiconductors and other parts hampered market recovery.Read more...

The Philippines’ vehicle sales increased 18.2% year-on-year to 293,336 units in 2021. The figure is based on the combined results of the members of the Philippine Automotive Industry Association (CAMPI) and Truck Manufacturers Association (TMA) as well as members of the Association of Imported Vehicle Dealers (AVID). Since some automakers are members of more than one association, figures were adjusted accordingly. Although sales recovered from the previous year when the pandemic hampered demand, it was still significantly below compared to the pre-coronaRead more...

Indonesia’s vehicle sales increased 66.8% year-on-year to 887,202 units in 2021 (based on wholesale data). Although sales did not reach the pre-corona level of over 1 million units, it significantly increased from the previous year when demand dropped to a historic low due to the pandemic. In addition to recovery in demand, sales were aided by the reduction of luxury tax on automobiles starting from March 2021. Passenger vehicle sales went up 69.7% to 659,806 units and commercial vehicle sales increased 58.9% to 227,396 units. Graph: Indonesia: Sales Read more...