China's car sales surpass Japan, ranking first globally

Based on new car sales in 2025, Chinese automakers will for the first time surpass global sales, taking the top spot, while Japanese cars, which have held the position for over 20 years, drop to second place. China’s automobile exports have already become the largest, establishing its status as a major auto country. To counter the price competitiveness of Chinese companies, countries will set up barriers in tariffs and new standards. Global tensions are intensifying, and protectionist measures to safeguard domestic companies may increase.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun analyzed data from various companies released from January to November 2025 and data from S&P Global Mobility. Sales figures include commercial vehicles and cover both domestic and overseas markets, including exports. The country classification is based on the proportion of investment; in cases where investments are equal, the manufacturer’s country of origin is used for sales attribution.

China’s global vehicle sales are expected to increase by 17% year-on-year, reaching approximately 27 million units. China ranked first in vehicle exports for the first time in 2023. Overall sales are also projected to surpass all others by 2025.

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Japan Economic News and the Financial Times merged into the same media group in November 2015. This alliance, formed by two newspapers from Japan and the UK founded in the 19th century, promotes collaboration across a wide range of fields under the banner of “high-quality, most powerful economic journalism.” As part of this effort, articles are exchanged between the two newspapers’ Chinese-language websites.