Japan’s imported EV sales increased 42% in July

The Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA) announced on August 6th that July import car sales (excluding Japanese manufacturers) increased 16% year-on-year to 18,985 units. Of this total, pure electric vehicles (EVs) increased 42% to 2,397 units, maintaining growth for the ninth consecutive month. EVs account for 13% of total imported car sales. Tesla, whose global sales have declined sharply, is boosting pure EV sales in Japan.

Tesla does not disclose its domestic sales figures, but JAIA’s statistics show that the “Other” category, which accounts for the majority of Tesla’s sales, saw 1,021 units, a 3.2-fold year-on-year increase. Cumulative sales of “Other” vehicles since January 2025 are 5,610 units. Tesla implemented price cuts of up to 550,000 yen (approximately RMB 27,000) on its flagship Model 3 model starting in May.

BYD’s sales in China increased 10% to 227 units. The Hiace 7 SUV, launched in April, is seeing strong sales. South Korea’s Hyundai Motor sold 130 vehicles, a 2.9-fold increase.

Overall sales of imported cars have increased for seven consecutive months. By brand, Germany’s Mercedes-Benz took first place with a 7% increase in sales of 4,349 units. BMW ranked second with sales of 2,429 units (a 9% decrease), and Volkswagen ranked third with a 72% increase in sales of 2,129 units.

Six brands, including Porsche, BYD, and Lamborghini, achieved record sales in July. By price range, sales of passenger cars priced over 10 million yen (approximately 490,000 yuan) increased by 25% to 3,551 units, sales of cars priced between 4 million yen (approximately 200,000 yuan) and below 10 million yen increased by 12% to 11,648 units, and sales of cars priced below 4 million yen increased by 19% to 3,100 units. Premium car brands saw steady growth.