While Detroit Complains About A Closed Japanese Market, Imports Are Way Up

Detroit carmakers continue telling their fairy tale of the closed Japanese market, and their UAW members eagerly hang on their lips. Both don't want to admit that their products are largely unsalable in Japan, and they blame the mythical bad Nipponese wolf instead. At the same time, sales of imported cars are up for the third straight month in Japan. Sales of imports were 35,841 in September, the highest since September 1996, data released by the Japan Automobile Importers Association shows. January through September, sales of imported cars rose 13 percent in Japan to 233,609. The main drivers of imports are German and Japanese automakers.  Volkswagen remains the leading importer to Japan, followed by Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Imports by Japanese brands were lifted by Mitsubishi bringing in the Thai-made Mirage and by Toyota exporting its Avensis wagon from the U.K. Nissan's imports dropped nearly 18 percent in the first nine months. All in all, imports by Japanese makers dropped 1.6 percent in the first nine months, while non-Japanese increased their imports by 18.5 percent. Affluent Japanese who want to demonstrate their individualism with their choice of wheels is a small demographic which American cars seemingly are unable to penetrate. Fords and Chevrolets  keep being outsold by niche brands such as Porsche and Alfa Romeo. There is a small, but increasing market for Jeeps.  Most likely, it is easier to cry about a closed market then to start selling in Japan in earnest. Imports To Japan, Jan-Sept 2012 YTD'12 Share YTD'11 YoY VW 41,971 18.0% 37,290 12.6% Nissan 34,512 14.8% 41,961 -17.8% Mercedes-Benz 30,641 13.1% 24,645 24.3% BMW 29,524 12.6% 24,005 23.0% Audi 18,356 7.9% 16,214 13.2% Toyota 13,508 5.8% 10,031 34.7% BMW MINI 12,124 5.2% 10,576 14.6% Volvo 10,315 4.4% 8,172 26.2% Mitsubishi 5,884 2.5% 101 5725.7% Fiat 4,353 1.9% 4,479 -2.8% Peugeot 4,263 1.8% 4,569 -6.7% Jeep 3,791 1.6% 2,407 57.5% Alfa Romeo 3,560 1.5% 1,542 130.9% Porsche 3,146 1.3% 2,597 21.1% Ford 2,971 1.3% 2,421 22.7% Citroen 2,912 1.2% 2,215 31.5% Renault 2,403 1.0% 2,316 3.8% Land Rover 1,159 0.5% 730 58.8% Chevrolet 1,114 0.5% 864 28.9% smart 1,076 0.5% 990 8.7% Cadillac 941 0.4% 1,037 -9.3% Dodge 828 0.4% 783 5.7% Suzuki 808 0.3% 2,895 -72.1% Jaguar 796 0.3% 777 2.4% Chrysler 462 0.2% 449 2.9% Ferrari 380 0.2% 294 29.3% Maserati 239 0.1% 200 19.5% Lotus 204 0.1% 216 -5.6% Hummer 185 0.1% 218 -15.1% Honda 169 0.1% 800 -78.9% Bentley 147 0.1% 85 72.9% Lamborghini 126 0.1% 69 82.6% Aston Martin 120 0.1% 100 20.0% Lancia 101 0.0% 70 44.3% BMW Alpina 97 0.0% 114 -14.9% Hyundai 82 0.0% 68 20.6% GMC 81 0.0% 84 -3.6% Rolls Royce 59 0.0% 63 -6.3% Rover 41 0.0% 32 28.1% Mclaren 24 0.0% Saab 20 0.0% 49 -59.2% Morgan 12 0.0% 13 -7.7% Maybach 9 0.0% 9 0.0% Pontiac 8 0.0% 8 0.0% Unimog 8 0.0% 4 100.0% MG 7 0.0% 7 0.0% Bugatti 4 0.0% 2 100.0% RUF 2 0.0% Ssangyong 2 0.0% Zagato 2 0.0% Artega 1 0.0% Autobianchi 1 0.0% 2 -50.0% Detomaso 1 0.0% 3 -66.7% Kia 1 0.0% 3 -66.7% Mini 1 0.0% 1 0.0% PROTON 1 0.0% Saturn 1 0.0% 1 0.0% Buick 0.0% 8 -100.0% DAEWOO 0.0% 2 -100.0% GMDAT 0.0% 4 -100.0% Opel 0.0% 1 -100.0% Others 55 0.0% 52 5.8% Total 233,609 100.00 206,648 13.0% from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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