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Japanese Still Don’t Want Electric Or Rechargeable Cars (Plug-In-Vehicles)
In 2023, the only developed country and major automotive market that continues to shy away from plug-in vehicles will be Japan. The reasons are multiple, but the “fault” lies above all with Toyota.
The Americans, despite being addicted to the combustion engine and all oil and gas, have partially given in to the sirens of electric vehicles. In 2023, the share of EVs in new vehicle sales will reach 8%. Unprecedented, of course, which should, however, be tempered by a reduction in speed at the end of the year. But this remains a good performance compared to the Japanese market, which shuns everything that is plugged in: plug-in hybrids and, of course, electric. Last year, electric cars represented barely 2% of sales in Japan. Twice as much as in 2022, but the market share remains abnormally low in a market that, as we recall, is still at 4 million units per year.
There is, therefore, enormous room for improvement for manufacturers, but Japan being historically a country of automobile exports rather than imports (even if Japan were overtaken by China in 2023), it is very difficult for European or American brands to break through on-site. They only represent 6% of sales in Japan. “Recall that 1% of the Japanese market corresponds to 40,000 cars, which no 100% electric foreign model can reasonably achieve,” specifies Inovev.
When Toyota Moves…
8 of the 10 best car sales in Japan in 2023 are Toyotas. The other two are a Honda (Freed) and a Nissan (Note). The Japanese are particularly chauvinistic, which explains the difficulty our manufacturers have in establishing themselves there. But this is also the reason why electrics are not sold in Japan: local brands do not offer them, or very few! Toyota, the undisputed leader of the Japanese market, only has the bZ4X at the moment, and it is insufficient (and perhaps a little large) to succeed in changing the market share of electric vehicles.
The weakness of the Japanese supply of electric vehicles does not explain everything. Japan is a country that has been betting big on hydrogen for several years, with partners such as Australia. Charging a vehicle is still far from being a habitual gesture for the Japanese, many of whom live in densely populated areas where access to a socket is anything but obvious. Therefore, everything needs to be done, both on the builder and infrastructure sides.
