Nissan sales in Japan fall to lowest since 1993

Nissan Motor's new car sales in Japan fell to their lowest point since 1993, with the company's domestic market share dropping below 10% for the first time in 2025.

Over the year, Nissan sold 403,000 vehicles in its home market, 15% fewer than in 2024, Caliber.Az reports, citing Nikkei.

The result also fell below the 2022 level, when the Japanese auto industry faced a semiconductor shortage. Industry experts attribute the poor performance to a lack of new models and reputational damage to Nissan stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Before launching its updated Roox minicar in October, 2025, Nissan had gone nearly three years without a full redesign of its core models. The Nissan Note, Japan’s top-selling compact car, has not received a complete overhaul since the premium Note Aura debuted in 2021.

This lack of new models has reduced dealership traffic and weighed on sales. From January to November, Note sales dropped 20% year-on-year, while Serena minivan sales fell 10%, reflecting declines across Nissan’s key models.

In Japan overall, new vehicle sales rose 3% in 2025 to roughly 4.57 million units, marking the first increase in two years. However, the growth was largely driven by Daihatsu’s recovery from a certification fraud scandal. For the sixth straight year, sales remained below 5 million units, signalling a continued downward trend in the domestic market.

By Jeyhun Aghazada