Five out of seven Japanese automakers saw declines in their global vehicle sales last year, possibly due to an impact from US tariff measures and intensifying price competition in China.
Data released by major Japanese carmakers shows Toyota Motor’s global auto sales in 2025, excluding vehicles sold by its subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors, increased 3.7 percent from the previous year to roughly 10.53 million units. That was an all-time high.
Suzuki Motor saw an increase of 1.4 percent from 2024 to nearly 3.3 million units thanks to strong demand in its main market of India.
In contrast, Honda Motor’s global sales dropped 7.5 percent to around 3.5 million units, while Nissan Motor sold about 3.2 million units, which was a decline of 4.4 percent.
Mazda Motor’s global sales slid 1.7 percent to around 1.25 million units, Subaru’s fell1.9 percent to around 924,000 units and Mitsubishi Motors was down 5.8 percent to roughly 806,000 units.
Sources close to the automakers that posted declines noted as possible causes that the companies hiked vehicle prices in light of US tariff measures, and that their price competition with Chinese carmakers intensified in China.
