Japan’s Imported Vehicle Sales Results in 2022

The number of imported vehicles sold in Japan in 2022 decreased by 10.1% from the previous year to 309,781 units. Sales of foreign brands fell by 6.7% year-on-year to 242,226 units, but their total market share remained unchanged from the previous year at 5.8%. Due to the supply shortage of semiconductors and the rise in vehicle prices triggered by the weaker yen, automakers were facing an uphill struggle.

The top three foreign brand groups in terms of sales were VW, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Looking at sales of the top three brands, Mercedes-Benz, up 1.3% to 52,391 units, remained on top for the eighth consecutive year. On the other hand, second-placed VW dropped 8.5% to 32,229 units and third-placed BMW declined 14.0% to 30.887 units, both brands continuing to decrease. Although BMW surpassed VW in the previous year, VW regained its long occupied second place by a narrow margin in 2022.