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 the country as a major auto manufacturing nation. To counter the price competitiveness of Chinese companies, countries will set up barriers such as tariffs and new standards. Global tensions are intensifying, and protectionist measures to safeguard domestic industries may strengthen.

According to data from January to November 2025 released by various companies and S&P Global Mobility, Japan Economic News reports that 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 split equally, the manufacturer’s country of origin is determined by the brand name at the time of sale.

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 in November 2015 to form a single media group. This alliance, formed by two newspapers from Japan and the UK founded in the 19th century, is promoting broad collaboration in areas such as special features under the banner of “high-quality, the strongest economic news journalism.” As part of this effort, articles are exchanged between the two newspapers’ Chinese-language websites.