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Japan’s Top Three Minicar Makers

by BBelew57 on March 18th, 2008

In 1997, 24% of all car sales in Japan were minicars.

Fast forward 10 years. More than one in three (36%) of car sales are minicars.

The top three by market share -

1. Daihatsu - 30+%

2. Suzuki - 30+% 

3. Honda - 11.7%.

Honda has a Y50 billion plan to change that starting in 2010.  

My second or third car I owned in Japan was a 3-cylinder diesel Daihatsu. It wasn't a minicar. It had a 1000cc engine. Some motorcycles are bigger than that.

At that time, gasoline was 40% higher in cost than diesel fuel. And that little car got about 55mpg. 

Minicars - even big galoots like me can fit in them.

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POSTED IN: Doing Business in Japan