Suzuki Motor overtakes Honda as Japan's No. 2 automaker by global sales

Suzuki Motor Corp. has surged past Honda Motor Co. to claim the second position among Japanese automakers in global vehicle sales for the April-September period, according to data released by the country's eight major automakers. Toyota Motor Corp. continues to hold the top spot as the world's largest automaker by sales volume, but reported its first-ever first-half decline in global sales and production in over two years due to weaker demand in China.

Suzuki's rise from the fourth position a year ago is driven by stronger sales in India, where it holds a 40 percent market share of the passenger car market. Suzuki's global sales increased by 19.9 percent, reaching a record 1,824,006 units in the first half of the fiscal year, marking a significant leap from its previous fourth-place ranking.

The eight automakers collectively sold 11.83 million vehicles worldwide, a 1.3 percent decrease from the previous year. Honda's global sales declined by 4 percent to 1,661,569 units, with a staggering 50 percent drop in China. Nissan Motor Co., also grappling with business challenges, witnessed a more than 40 percent decline in China.

Higher gasoline prices amid the Middle East crisis has spurred the growth of electric vehicle sales in China, intensifying competition from local manufacturers. Toyota's overseas sales in the six-month period fell by 6.5 percent to 4,256,216 units, while production outside Japan decreased by 5.6 percent to 3,215,352 vehicles. Toyota's global sales in the first half of the business year rose by 1.8 percent, while Europe saw a 1.4 percent increase.

Mazda Motor Corp., Daihatsu Motor Co., and Subaru Corp. also experienced growth in global sales, with increases ranging from 1.2 percent to 616,776 units to 3.4 percent to 470,379 units. Nissan's global sales dropped by 11.8 percent to 1,355,233 units, while Mitsubishi Motors Corp. saw a 7.0 percent decline to 356,887 units. The eight automakers' combined global output totaled 11.83 million units, a 0.9 percent decrease, whereas domestic production rose by 2.4 percent to 3.97 million units.