Japan’s Imported Automobile Sales in H1 2025

In Japan, sales of foreign brand imported automobiles in the first half of 2025 reached 122,165 units, an increase of 7.3% from the same period last year, the first rise in two years. The expansion was driven by an increase in partially and fully revamped models such as the MINI Cooper, VW T-Cross, and BMW X1. The share of imported brands in the total market decreased by 0.2 points to 5.2%, because their pace of increase was slower than the overall market. The total market grew faster than imported brands thanks to Daihatsu among other automakers normalizing vehicle supply after fraudulent vehicle certification forced them to temporarily suspend production. In addition, an increase in overseas production by Honda, Suzuki and Japanese OEMs also expanded the market.