JAMA Report Details Japan Auto Industry by the Numbers

TOKYO – Japanese automakers continue to make advances in the environmental field, according to a recent report by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Assn.

In the 2014 edition of “The Motor Industry of Japan,” the industry association reports clean-energy vehicle sales in fiscal 2013 – including hybrids, battery-electric cars and clean diesels – grew to 1,122,306 units, up 19.4% from 939,842 the previous year.

By type, conventional 1- and 2-motor hybrid-electric vehicles totaled 1,015,356 units, up from 857,240; plug-in hybrids reached 12,972, down from 13,178; EVs hit 15,594, up from 13,911; and clean diesels accounted for 78,384 units, up from 55,513.

Through March, the end of the Japanese fiscal year, JAMA reports 3,870,000 hybrids were in operation along with 30,000 plug-ins, 54,000 EVs, 41,000 natural-gas vehicles and 145,000 clean diesels. The total represents 5.4% of the nation's vehicle pool.

Average fuel economy for gasoline cars rose to 46.1 mpg (5.1 L/100 km) in fiscal 2012, up from 42.8 mpg (5.5 L/100 km) in fiscal 2011. Fiscal 2013 results are not yet available. Japanese automakers passed the nation's fiscal 2015 target of 39.2 mpg (6.0 L/100 km) in fiscal 2010.

Trade Surplus Up

Japan's automotive trade surplus grew to ¥12.5 trillion ($122.6 billion) in fiscal 2013, up 10.3% from ¥11.3 trillion ($111.0 billion) the previous year, with exports totaling ¥14.2 trillion ($139.7 billion), up 11.7%, and imports ¥1.8 trillion ($17.5 billion), up 21.9%.

More than three-fourths of the export total, ¥10.4 trillion ($102.4 billion), were vehicles, followed by components at ¥3.5 trillion ($34.2 billion) and motorcycles at ¥300 billion ($2.9 billion). The import total includes ¥1.1 trillion ($10.7 billion) of vehicles and ¥698.1 billion ($6.9 billion) of components.

On a unit basis, exports fell 2.7% to 4,674,633, from 4,803,591 in fiscal 2012. Japan exported 1,887,155 cars and trucks to North America, up marginally from 1,886,386. Shipments to Europe totaled 709,139, down from 848,688; exports to Asia fell to 540,154, from 572,976.

Shipments to the Middle East rose to 584,062 from 525,954, while exports to Oceania fell to 407,794 from 448,969. Japan also sent 179,364 vehicles to Africa in the period, up from 168,306, and 5,454 to other locations, virtually unchanged from 5,452.

Imports rose 9.5% to 346,133 units, including 65,593 Japanese brands. The Japan total fell from 74,430 in 2012. Foreign brand imports totaled 280,540 units, up 16.1% from 241,563.

Production value rebounded to ¥17.9 trillion ($176.0 billion), up 3.0% but still below the fiscal 2007 peak of ¥21.1 trillion ($207.4 billion). Passenger vehicles accounted for 81.8% of production value.

On a unit basis, Japanese auto makers produced 9,630,181 vehicles in fiscal 2013, down 3.1%. Included were 8,189,323 passenger vehicles, off 4.3%.

Overseas Plants Multiply

Meanwhile, domestic demand held virtually flat at 5,375,513 units, including 2,112,991 0.66L minis. Minivehicles, of which 1,690,173 were cars, accounted for 40.0% of fiscal 2013 sales.

Sales of recreation vehicles, totaling 1,412,035 units, accounted for 31.0% of demand. By type, minivan sales totaled 770,541 units, station wagons 404,075, off-road vehicles 227,532 and standard vans 9,887.

Overseas, JAMA reports that Japanese auto makers produced 16,756,179 vehicles in fiscal 2013, up 5.9% from the previous year's record level of 15,823,480 units.

Included in the total were 9,055,757 in Asia, up 6.5%; 4,540,685 in North America, up 6.7%; 1,537,025 in Europe, up 3.6%; 1,284,243 in Latin America, up 4.0%; 232,191 in Africa, down 6.6%; and 106,278 in Oceania, off 4.8%.

JAMA says Japanese auto makers now operate 178 vehicle plants outside their home market, up from 168 in fiscal 2012. Included: 101 in Asia, 24 in North America, 18 in Europe, 14 in South and Central America, 20 in Africa and the Middle East and one in Australia.

In Asia, they operate 23 plants in China, 14 in Thailand, and 10 each in India and Indonesia. In North America, 14 of the plants are in the U.S., six in Mexico and four in Canada. In Europe there are five in Russia, four in Turkey and three in the U.K. In Africa and the Middle East: six are in South Africa, five in Egypt and four in Kenya.

Car and truck age continues a 10-year rise in Japan to 8.07 and 10.73 years, respectively, from 6.58 and 8.17 years in 2004.

The nation's vehicle parc grew to 76,619,066 units, from 76,125,533 in fiscal 2012.

Driver’s license holders increased to 81,860,012 in fiscal 2013, up 0.5% from the prior year. Men accounted for 55.5% of the total.

Japanese auto makers and suppliers invested an estimated ¥787.0 billion ($7.7 billion) in equipment and machinery during the year and spent ¥2.2 trillion ($21.7 billion) in research and development.

Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism estimates 1,114,557,635 vehicles were in operation globally at the end of calendar 2012, including 773,322,945 cars and 341,234,690 light trucks and commercial vehicles.

The top five countries include the U.S. with 251,497,087 vehicles in operation, China with 109,440,000, Japan with 76,125,553, Germany with 46,538,124 and Italy with 42,999,986.

In terms of density (vehicles per person), the U.S. ranks number one at 1.2 persons per vehicle. It is followed by Australia and Italy at 1.4, and Canada and Switzerland at 1.6. Japan ranks sixth with Austria, France and Spain at 1.7 persons per vehicle, while Germany is 10th at 1.8.