Once again, the Japanese new car market was dominated by Kei cars. These microcars are designed, built, and sold exclusively for Japanese consumers, and despite the rise in popularity of other body styles such as SUVs, they are simply too popular to die.
According to the latest data from JATO Dynamics, Kei cars sold 1.17 million units in Japan last year. Even though volume is down 4 percent from 2021, these iconic vehicles have gained market share within the passenger car market in Japan. Their share rose from 33.4 percent in 2021 to 34.1 percent in 2022. In other words, more than one in three new passenger cars sold in Japan is a Kei car.
