Latest news with #TakeshiMiyao
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Business Standard
India-made Jimny helps Suzuki top Japan imports in June, overtakes Mercedes
Suzuki Motor Corp overtook Mercedes-Benz to become Japan's top car importer in June, driven by demand for its India-built compact SUVs, led by the Jimny Nomad. The company imported 4,780 vehicles during the month, a 230-fold year-on-year increase, marking its second time leading Japan's import charts this year, after a similar performance in April, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association, as reported by Bloomberg. The five-door Jimny Nomad, an extended version of Suzuki's cult off-roader, has ignited a buying frenzy in Japan since its April debut. Priced at JPY 2.65 million (around $18,300), the model received 50,000 pre-orders within days, overwhelming the company's monthly sales target of 1,200 units and forcing a temporary halt to new bookings just four days after launch. To meet demand, Suzuki plans to scale up Jimny Nomad production at its Indian facilities starting this month. The Fronx, another India-made SUV added to Suzuki's Japan lineup in October, has also contributed to the surge in imports. Yet, while Suzuki thrives in Japan thanks to its Indian manufacturing base, its Indian subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki, has seen some slowdown in its home market. Maruti Suzuki domestic sales drop in June Maruti Suzuki India Ltd reported a 6 per cent year-on-year drop in total sales in June 2025 to 167,993 units, down from 179,228 units a year earlier. Domestic passenger vehicle dispatches fell 13 per cent to 118,906 units, as part of a broader slowdown in small-car sales. 'The slowdown in passenger vehicle sales is largely due to a sharp decline in the smaller segment cars,' said Rahul Bharti, senior executive officer at Maruti Suzuki India, as earlier reported by Business Standard. 'This is clearly an affordability issue.' He noted that since 2019, industry-wide entry-level prices have jumped over 70 per cent, largely due to tighter safety and emissions regulations, while small-car sales have dropped by more than 70 per cent. Maruti Suzuki, did, however, note a significant rise in its exports to 37,842 units from 31,033 reported in June 2024. Creta becomes India's top-selling PV in H1 2025 In the SUV segment, South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor India's mid-size Creta was the top-selling passenger vehicle in India in June with 15,786 units, narrowly ahead of Maruti's Dzire (15,484). The Creta also ranked as the second best-selling vehicle in the first half of the calendar year 2025 with 100,560 units, just behind the Wagon R (101,424). US-made cars lack 'Japan-friendly offerings' Back in Japan, Suzuki's surge marks a broader shift in consumer attitudes. 'Japanese consumers don't particularly care whether vehicles are produced in Thailand, India or Japan if they want a particular car,' Takeshi Miyao, analyst at Carnorama, told Bloomberg. He contrasted that with the continued struggles of US brands like GM and Ford, which still lack small, Japan-friendly offerings. Honda, too, is leveraging India's manufacturing ecosystem. Its India-built WR-V, launched domestically last year at JPY 2.1 million, which contributed to a 22-fold rise in Honda's annual Japan imports in 2024 to over 45,000 units — earning it the top importer slot in Q1 2025. Mercedes-Benz leads Japan's imports in H1 2025 Yet over the H1 2025, Mercedes-Benz retained its overall lead with 25,016 units imported into Japan, followed by Honda (~22,000) and Suzuki in third. Nissan ranked ninth, with its Thai-made Kicks crossover. Among American brands, Stellantis-owned Jeep led with over 4,000 units imported, outpacing GM and Ford.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Suzuki is becoming a top Japan importer with made-in-India cars
Suzuki Motor Corp. beat out Mercedes-Benz Group AG to become Japan's top car importer in June, thanks to the Jimny Nomad and another popular small SUV assembled in India. The Japanese carmaker brought 4,780 vehicles into Japan last month, up a dramatic 230-fold jump from a year earlier, overtaking Germany's Mercedes-Benz, according to data from the Japan Automobile Importers Association on Friday. Suzuki also clinched the top stop in April. Although Honda Motor Co. is also known as a longtime importer of its own cars into Japan, Suzuki's feat is notable because it's one of the smaller manufacturers in terms of total global output, well behind market leader Toyota Motor Corp. Automobile imports have become a hot topic again with US President Donald Trump deploying the threat of tariffs to pressure Japan to import more cars made in American. 'Japanese consumers don't particularly care whether vehicles are produced in Thailand, India or Japan if they want a particular car,' said Takeshi Miyao, an analyst at automotive consultancy Carnorama. He argues that General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and other US American carmakers aren't able to gain traction in Japan because they don't offer products such as smaller kei cars that appeal to local buyers. The Jimny Nomad, an extended five-door version of Suzuki's popular Jimny model, has been a runaway success. Priced from ¥2.65 million ($18,300), the vehicle attracted about 50,000 pre-orders before it went on sale in April, even though Suzuki had set an initial monthly sales target of 1,200 units. That forced the carmaker to halt orders after just four days due to overwhelming demand. Live Events Suzuki plans to ramp up production of the Jimny Nomad in India from July, which will probably boost import numbers even more. Suzuki also began importing another India-produced compact SUV, the Fronx, in October. Suzuki has a long history of manufacturing and selling cars and motorcycles in India, where were labor and production costs are still low. Suzuki predicts that India's car market will reach 20 million units in annual sales by 2047. It's targeting a 50% market share by Maruti Suzuki India Ltd ., the Japanese automaker's subsidiary, by 2030. Honda has also seen success with its India-produced compact SUV, the WR-V, which was introduced in March of last year at an affordable starting price of around ¥2.1 million. Honda's imported registrations surged about 22-fold year-on-year to 45,107 vehicles last year. The carmaker was also the top importer into Japan during the first three months of 2025. For the first half, Honda ranked second in imports with approximately 22,000 vehicles, trailing Mercedes-Benz's 25,016 units. Suzuki was third, while Nissan was in ninth place with its Thailand-produced Kicks crossover. Jeep, part of European carmaker Stellantis NV, performed relatively well with more than 4,000 units sold from January to June, outpacing imports by GM and Ford.
