China's car sales surpass Japan, ranking first globally

Based on new car sales in 2025, Chinese automakers will for the first time surpass the world’s total vehicle sales, taking the top spot. Japan, which has held the number one position for over 20 years, will drop to second place. China’s automobile exports have already become the largest, establishing its status as a major car-producing country. To counter the price competitiveness of Chinese companies, countries will set up barriers through tariffs and new standards. Global tensions are intensifying, and protectionist measures to safeguard domestic industries may strengthen.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun analyzed data from January to November 2025 from various companies and S&P Global Mobility. Sales figures include commercial vehicles. They cover domestic markets and overseas 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 first became the world’s top exporter of automobiles in 2023. Overall sales are also projected to surpass all others in 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.” As part of this effort, articles are now exchanged between the two newspapers’ Chinese-language websites.