Japanese Cars Strike Back, May 2025 Retail Sales Uniformly Increased

KatadataOTO – Car sales in May 2025, based on data from Gaikindo (Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries), experienced an increase. It's interesting because a number of Japanese car manufacturers achieved positive results.

Conversely, most Chinese brands experienced a decline in sales. This is despite the fact that last month, brands from China attracted more consumers.

Toyota, for example, saw its retail sales figures in May 2025 reach 20,161 units. This is an increase of 8.3 percent or 1,542 units from the previous month's achievement.

Similarly, Daihatsu's achievement in May 2025 was marketing 9,997 units. This figure represents an increase of 2 percent or 196 units from April 2025.

Photo : KatadataOTO

Positive results were also recorded by Mitsubishi Motors, which successfully sold 5,372 units. That figure is recorded as an increase of 23.4 percent or 1,017 units from the fourth month.

“The Japanese industry in Indonesia has received a wake-up call. They can no longer play in their comfort zone,” said Yannes Martinus Pasaribu, an automotive observer and academic from ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology) to KatadataOTO some time ago.

Manufacturers from the Land of the Rising Sun are known to have a strong foundation in Indonesia. Brand image, fanatic users, and generational loyalty are also strongly attached to Japanese products.

The matter of strong and stable resale value remains one of their assets. This unique condition only exists in Indonesia and does not apply in China.

This is one of the factors behind the Japanese automotive industry's resurgence.

Meanwhile, still based on Gaikindo data, a number of well-known names from China experienced a decline.

The declines varied, with some even recorded as reaching 80 percent. Although Chery is enjoying a retail sales increase of up to 33.4 percent.

To illustrate, AION's retail sales in May 2025 were 466 units. This is a decrease of 8.1 percent or 41 units compared to last month.

Photo : KatadataOTO

A sharp decline was experienced by GWM Indonesia with sales recorded at 46 units. That figure is down by 34.4 percent or equal to 24 units from April 2025.

Jetour became the Chinese brand whose retail sales plummeted to just 11 units in May 2025. The marketing of this Chery sub-brand shrank by 80 percent or decreased by 44 units from the fourth month of this year.

Jetour is a manufacturer from China that only offers pure gasoline cars in Indonesia. Meanwhile, other brands present an electrification lineup.