Japanese Brands Have Mixed Month in US
January sales up at most, down at Toyota.
Kia saw a 22% increase, a January record for the South Korean brand.
IMAGE: Kia
Japanese carmakers had mixed January U.S. sales results as a group, Toyota volume falling 15%, even as its global sales helped it retain the title of the world’s biggest vehicle manufacturer.
Honda finally got its head above water, posting a 14% year-over-year U.S. sales jump after more than a year and a half of declines. It credited double the on-hand inventory it had a year earlier.
Toyota suffered particularly poor inventory and saw sales fall as a result.
Meanwhile, sales rose at Hyundai, Kia, Mazda and Subaru. South Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia saw 9% and 22% increases, respectively, a January record for the latter. Subaru’s sales inched up 0.5%, its sixth straight month of improvements. And Mazda posted a 9% increase.
Other automakers that release monthly sales results, including Ford, will announce January numbers later this week.
More Dealer Ops
How to Avoid Phone Scams | Dealer Debrief 09/10/2026
Are you taking the necessary steps to protect your dealership and customer data from phone-based scams? This week's Dealer Debrief breaks down how!
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: August Auto Sales
Gas-powered engines still dominate the U.S. vehicle market, but hybrids are gaining ground as consumers look for ways to cut their gas costs.
Read More →
Dealership Profits Decline
While new and used retail sales stagnated, dealerships have been particularly supported by fixed operations and finance-and-insurance profits, according to a new report.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Defection Data & EV Updates
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses how to use defection data to your advantage and the latest on EV sales and charging infrastructure.
Read More →
How Defection Data is Bridging the Dealership Conversion Gap
Lead volume is flat, cross-shopping is up and brand loyalty is in retreat. As confident sales teams keep losing buyers they thought they had, daily industry sales data is showing dealers exactly where their funnel is breaking and how to fix it without buying a single new lead.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Where are you losing customers?
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence discusses the hidden leaks in dealerships where you might be losing customers without even realizing it.
Read More →
Dealer Debrief: Improving Your Inventory Management
In this week's debrief, host Lauren Lawrence covers a new survey that shows what service technicians really want and two launches that could help improve your inventory and vehicle life cycle management.
Read More →
Ladies and Gentlemen, This Is a Dealership: Why the Fundamentals Still Decide Who Wins
A teaching moment by a legendary football coach happens to apply perfectly in the auto retail space. Learn what it is and how to use it to your store’s advantage.
Read More →
Dealer Ads and the FTC
The agency has made it clear in recent enforcement actions and warnings, in auto retail and other industries, that advertised prices must include all nonoptional costs to the consumer.
Read More →
Used Autos Supply Dwindles
The March shopping surge, despite high prices, cut into inventory by the most since the thick of the pandemic, Cox Automotive analysts calculated.
Read More →