日经中文网·2026-01-09 02:36Core Insights - Japan's imported car sales (excluding domestic manufacturers) increased by 7% in 2025, reaching 243,129 units, marking the first positive growth in two years [1] - Electric vehicle (EV) sales grew by 26%, totaling 30,513 units, setting a new historical record, driven by increased sales from manufacturers like Tesla [1][3] - Tesla's sales in Japan saw an 88% increase, surpassing 10,000 units for the first time, while BYD's sales rose by 62% to 3,870 units, supported by the strong performance of the "海狮7" SUV [3][5] Group 1: EV Market Performance - EVs accounted for 13% of total car sales in Japan in 2025, up 2 percentage points from the previous year [3] - BYD's "海狮7" SUV, launched in April 2025, significantly boosted its sales, and the company plans to introduce the "Racco" model in summer 2026 to further increase market share [3] - Hyundai's EV sales increased by 89% to 1,169 units, driven by the strong performance of the "INSTER" model [5] Group 2: Brand Performance - Mercedes-Benz saw a 4% decline in sales, dropping to 50,857 units, while BMW's sales grew by 1% to 35,729 units, and Volkswagen's sales increased by 36% to 31,031 units [6] - The price segment analysis showed a 3% increase in sales for vehicles priced over 10 million yen, reaching 40,602 units, while the segment below 4 million yen saw a 7% increase to 42,789 units [8] Group 3: Market Trends and Government Policy - In December 2025, imported car sales in Japan grew by 0.3% year-on-year to 23,551 units, but EV sales decreased by 14% to 2,549 units due to a temporary purchasing slowdown caused by changes in government subsidies [8]