On February 6, the Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA) announced that the import sales of pure electric vehicles (EVs) (excluding Japanese cars) in January increased by 11% year-on-year to 1,186 units, marking the second consecutive month of growth. Among them, China's BYD (BYD) accounts for about 20%, which has increased its presence. European car companies such as Mercedes-Benz of Germany have also launched a variety of pure electric vehicles in Japan, and with the increase in customer choice, the sales of imported pure electric vehicles are also increasing.
BYD's all-new EV Song L
BYD's sales reached six times that of the same period last year (217 units), and it launched two pure electric vehicles after officially entering the Japanese passenger car market in January 2023. The main model is the ATTO3 SUV. State-of-the-art safety devices are popular, and there are many customers who trade in high-end cars and are over 60 years old.
However, the person in charge of BYD said that from the overall perspective of imported pure electric vehicles, our sales are still very small, and BYD's popularity is still very low, and it needs to be further improved. BYD will launch the Seal electric sedan in Japan as early as the spring of 2024, and plans to increase the number of sales outlets in Japan to 100 by the end of 2025.
In terms of imported vehicles as a whole, 17 brands launched 118 BEVs in Japan. The Japan Automobile Importers Association does not disclose the sales volume of BEVs by company, but in terms of imported brands, sales are good, mainly among European brands such as Volkswagen's ID4 and Audi's Q4 e-tron.
Sales of BEVs in Japan are driven by European companies
The head of the Japan Automobile Importers Association said, "Sales have stabilized as European companies and others launch multiple levels of pure electric vehicles." In January ~ December 2023, the sales of imported pure electric vehicles reached a record high of 20,000 units, accounting for about 30% of domestic pure electric vehicle sales, including Japanese car companies, with a strong performance.
In 2024, Germany's BMW will launch the low-priced iX2 in Japan, and Stellantis' Alfa Romeo and Jeep will also launch their first all-electric vehicles. Volvo Cars will start deliveries of the EX30, the smallest model.
On the other hand, the world battery electric vehicle market is showing signs of peaking. In the United States, from 2024, the number of tax-advantaged models for pure electric vehicles will be reduced, and the sales outlook is very grim. Germany, which was an early adopter of the transition to BEVs, stopped its subsidy system in December 2023, and France also excluded BEVs produced in Asia from the subsidy.
In Japan, the government is providing generous subsidies to automakers that are building charging infrastructure and cooperating with local communities in times of disaster, and the environment for BEVs is changing.
Overall sales of imported vehicles in Japan fell 12% y/y to 13,739 units in January. By brand, Mercedes decreased by 9% year-on-year to 3,349 units, which was down from last year, but ranked first for 23 consecutive months. In second place was VW with 1,720 units (down 4% y/y) and BMW in third place with 1,537 units (down 1% y/y).
Five brands, including Porsche, Land Rover, BYD, Rolls-Royce and Scania, recorded record sales in January. In terms of price, more than 10 million yen (about 486,000 yuan) increased by 3% year-on-year to 2,736 vehicles, more than 4 million yen (about 195,000 yuan) and less than 10 million yen decreased by 10% year-on-year to 7,400 vehicles, and below 4 million yen decreased by 23% year-on-year to 3,012 vehicles.
Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Chinese version: Nikkei Chinese Net) Yumi Okura
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