New Car Sales in Japan Fall Short of 5 Million for Second Year Running

Statistics released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and Japan Mini Vehicles Association show that 4,448,340 new cars in total were sold in the country in 2021, a fall of 3.3% year-on-year and the third consecutive year that the figures have dropped. The global shortage of semiconductors and the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia has meant delays in the supply of parts and rescheduled or reduced production. This is the second year in a row that sales have fallen short of 5 million vehicles.

Sales in the main vehicle market (tōrokusha) dropped by 2.9% from 2021 to 2,795,818. Minicar sales also fell by 3.8% to 1,652,522, accounting for 37.2% of total new vehicle sales in 2021.

The monthly sales changes, when compared to the same periods the previous year, show year-on-year decreases throughout the second half of the year. While demand is growing, leading to smaller decreases, uncertainties remain in 2022, such as the continued global spread of the Omicron variant and soaring crude oil prices.

New Car Sales in 2021 by Brand

Created by Nippon.com based on data from Japan Automobile Dealers Association and Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Jiji.)