According to Bloomberg, the latest data from the Japan Automobile Importers Association shows that in June this year, Suzuki Motor Company surpassed Mercedes-Benz Group to become Japan’s largest car importer with its Jimny Nomad assembled in India and another popular small SUV.
Image credit: Suzuki
It is reported that in June this year, Suzuki Motor Company introduced 4,780 vehicles to the Japanese market, a 229-fold increase from the same period last year, ranking first in the Japanese imported car market. It is worth mentioning that Suzuki Motor Company also won this throne in April this year.
Although Honda Motor Company is also known for its long-term imports of its own cars to Japan, Suzuki Motor Company’s achievements are particularly remarkable. As the global totalyieldOne of the smaller automakers, Suzuki Motor Corporation is nowhere near as large as market leader Toyota Motor Corporation. However, as US President Donald Trump recently pressured Japan with tariff threats to expand imports of cars made in the United States, the issue of automobile imports has become a hot topic again.
Takeshi Miyao, an analyst at automotive consulting firm Carnorama, said: “As long as they like a certain model, Japanese consumers don’t particularly care whether it is made in Thailand, India or Japan. He pointed out that American automakers such as General Motors and Ford Motor Company have not been able to make a breakthrough in the Japanese market because they have failed to offer models that meet the needs of local consumers (such as small cars such as light automobiles).
The Suzuki Jimny Nomad is a five-door long-axle version based on the best-selling Jimny, which has been a huge success since its launch. The model, which starts at 2.65 million yen (about $18,300 million), has already received about 50,000 pre-orders before its official launch in April, far exceeding Suzuki’s original monthly sales target of 1,200 units. With demand far exceeding expectations, Suzuki had to suspend taking orders just four days later.
Suzuki Motor Co. plans to increase production of the Jimny Nomad in India from July this year, which is expected to further boost the model’s entry into the Japanese market. In addition, Suzuki Motor Corporation began introducing another compact SUV produced in India, the Fronx, to Japan in October last year. It is worth noting that Suzuki Motor Company has a long history of producing and selling cars and motorcycles in India, and labor and production costs in the country remain low to this day.
Suzuki Motor Companyforecast, by 2047, the annual sales of the Indian automobile market will reach 20 million units; Its Indian subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki, aims to occupy 50% of the Indian market share by 2030.
Honda Motor Company’s WR-V compact SUV produced in India has also achieved good sales results in the Japanese market. The model was launched in March last year with a starting price of 2.1 million yen, quickly opening up the Japanese market with its high cost performance. It is reported that Honda Motor Company’s imported car registrations in the Japanese market last year surged by about 21 times year-on-year to 45,107 units. And in the first quarter of this year, Honda Motor Company was also Japan’s largest car importer.
In the first half of 2025, Honda Motor Company ranked second in the Japanese market with imports of about 22,000 units, second only to Mercedes-Benz Group’s 25,016 units; Suzuki Motor Company ranked third; Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. ranked ninth with its Kicks crossover produced in Thailand.
As a brand of European car company Stellantis, Jeep’s sales performance in the Japanese market in the first half of this year was relatively impressive, with a total of more than 4,000 units sold, ahead of imported models from General Motors and Ford Motor Company.