New vehicle sales in Japan increased just slightly to 438,733 units in September 2024 from 437,493 units a year earlier, according to registration data released by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).

The domestic market is still struggling to recover from a series of safety-test rigging scandals since the end of last year, when Daihatsu was ordered to halt production for several months of a number of key models which it shares also with other brands including Toyota, Mazda and Subaru. After Daihatsu was allowed to resume full production in May, Toyota in June was banned from making deliveries of three additional models, the Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross, after Japan’s transport ministry found new safety test irregularities. Production of these models resumed in early September.

The latest macro data shows the Japanese economy rebounded by 2.9% year-on-year in the second quarter after shrinking by 2.3% in the first quarter, driven by a recovery in private consumption including consumer spending and business activity.

In the first nine months of 2024 the vehicle market declined by almost 9% to 3,299,869 units after growing by 16% to 3,607,486 in the same period of last year, with sales of passenger cars declining by 8% to 2,776,462 units while truck sales dropped by over 12% to 515,533 units. Sales of medium and large buses and coaches continued to grow strongly in this period, by 32% to 7,874 units.

Toyota’s sales fell by 17% to 998,339 units year-to-date, while Daihatsu’s sales plunged by 44% to 245,686 units and Mazda’s sales were down by 26% at 103,645 units. Companies not affected by the recent Toyota Group scandals fared much better, including Suzuki with an 11% increase to 548,122 units and Honda with 515,425 units (+21%), while Nissan’s sales were just slightly lower at 370,340 units.

Overseas brands account for just over 5% of total vehicle sales in Japan, led by German automakers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW-Mini, Audi and Volkswagen. China’s leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD Auto strengthened its Japanese line-up earlier as it looks to establish a strong earlier presence in the country’s emerging zero-emissions vehicle segment.