BYD will sell 3,870 units in Japan by 2025.

Data released on January 8 by the Japan Automobile Importers Association (JAIA) showed that in 2025, sales of imported cars (excluding vehicles from Japanese manufacturers) increased by 7% year over year, reaching 243,129 units. This marks the first time in two years that growth has turned positive again. Sales of pure electric vehicles (EVs) rose 26%, reaching 30,513 units and setting a record high. Sales increases from pure electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla in the United States boosted the overall figure.

Japan’s EV sales have grown for seven consecutive years. In 2025, EVs accounted for 13% of total sales, up 2 percentage points from the previous year. Tesla in the United States has not disclosed its sales in Japan, but the company’s sales in its “other” category—where it accounts for most of the volume—rose 88%, to 10,693 units. This means Tesla’s sales in Japan first exceeded 10,000 units, and its brand ranking rose from 10th last year to 7th.

BYD saw its sales in Japan rise 62%, to 3,870 units. The SUV “Sea Lion 7,” which was launched in April 2025, has continued to sell strongly, significantly boosting sales. In the summer of 2026, BYD plans to launch a light pure electric vehicle, “Racco (Racoon),” in the Japanese market, aiming to further expand its market share.

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The Japanese Economic News Agency merged with the Financial Times in November 2015 to form the same media group. An alliance formed by two newspaper companies—one Japanese and one British—both founded in the 19th century is moving forward with “high-quality, the strongest economic journalism” as its banner, advancing broad-based collaboration such as joint special features. This time, as part of that effort, article exchanges have been enabled between the two newspapers’ Chinese-language websites.