In September 2022, among the three major Japanese automakers in China, Toyota Motor was the only one that celebrated a significant year-on-year leap in monthly sales volume achieved in the country, while both Honda Motor and Nissan Motor faced a dip in sales over the earlier year.  

The continuous year-on-year downturn in cumulative China sales volume that challenged the three major Japanese automakers in China has been improved since August. By the end of September, Toyota managed to turn its slope around to a 3.2% year-on-year increase, while Nissan saw a graduate improvement in its year-to-date sales volume in the world’s largest auto market. 

With the pandemic remained influential in the auto market in China, Toyota still managed to score a 50.3% surge in sales in the past month, with the friendly policy support from the Chinese government nudging its performance. Comparing to August, Toyota saw its monthly China sales growth climb up 20.3 percentage points in September. 

In addition, Toyota China has posted an increase in sales for four straight months as of September 2022. Aside from the governmental tax cut policy, the company’s achievement was also boosted by the strong performances of its Corolla sedan and several SUV models. Its imported luxury car brand, Lexus, which had been in the doldrums, also saw a sales increase in the past month in China.

In the ninth month of 2022, Honda Motor sold 101,069 vehicles in China, representing a 16.8% decline from a year earlier and a 25.97% drop from the previous month. Like Toyota, Honda has also achieved a year-on-year increase in its China sales for three straight months as of August, and September marked the company’s first decrease in four months. 

The global semiconductor shortage has forced Honda to adjust the production of some models. Despite the Accord sedan sold well in the past month, the automaker still failed to make up for the overall year-on-year decline. According to the Japanese media outlet Kyodo, the company is trying to revive the sales slump with several upcoming models, such as the CR-V SUV.

In September, Nissan Motor sold 92,071 vehicles in China, indicating a 11.8% decrease year-over-year. For the first nine months of the year, Nissan Motor’s cumulative sales volume amounted to 837,864 vehicles in the country, which also dropped 17.8% from a year ago.

In the past months, Nissan Motor’s passenger vehicle joint venture, Dongfeng Motor Co. & Ltd. (DFL), sold 80,564 vehicles (including Nissan, Venucia, and Infiniti brands), representing a 6.2% slip compared to the same period in 2021. From January to September, DFL's cumulative sales volumesummed up to 703,977 vehicles, down 16.1% year on year.

According to DFL’s president, Shohei Yamazaki, with the signature battery-electric crossover SUV model, the ARIYA, going on sale in September, the company expects a persistent recovery in its China sales. Moreover, with the launch of the Nissan e-POWER Sylphy, the ARIYA, the Venucia D60EV and T60EV electric vehicles in the Chinese market, the automaker will further accelerate the implementation of its electrification strategy.