In 2025, Suzuki did well for itself, outselling Nissan across the globe to become the Japan’s third-biggest carmaker. Now that the Japanese fiscal year has ended, Suzuki has officially gone up yet another spot, overtaking Honda to become Japan’s number two.
By the end of 2025, Suzuki had sold 3.3 million cars globally. By March 31, 2026—the end of the financial year in Japan—this figure had soared to 3.55 million. This was confirmed by a Nikkei Asia report, as cited by CarExpert.
This is the first time Suzuki has ever overtaken Honda in the rankings, and this is also the highest rank the carmaker has achieved since it started manufacturing automobiles in 1955. Suzuki posted a revenue of ¥6.29 trillion last year while Honda saw its first annual financial loss since it went public in 1957.
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While the reports didn’t attribute Suzuki’s success to any particular model, it’s a known fact that it’s the brand’s kei cars that have been driving its sales in Japan. Outside of its home base, Suzuki has thrived in India, with Maruti Suzuki accounting for 60% of the brand’s sales. Suzuki also posted a 40% market share in India over this same period.
If you had to ask, Toyota is still the biggest carmaker in Japan (and in the world), with sales of 10.47 million units in 2025. While there’s a huge gap between the two top spots, this doesn’t diminish Suzuki’s success, as it has also made history with its second-place finish.
