Photo: Daimler AG/Volkswagen AG/ Image edited by autoevolution
In a somewhat surprising move, Mercedes-Benz is set to become the best selling foreign carmaker in Japan by the end of 2015, sliding past Volkswagen in the midst of the Dieselgate scandal.
Despite the overall Japanese car market shrinking, an unforeseen surge in luxury cars demand saw Mercedes-Benz sales rise 13 percent, to 49,666 vehicles sold in the first three-quarters of 2015. During the same period, Volkswagen's sales fell 12 percent to 44,193 vehicles, according to the same source.
A similar trend widened the gap between Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in September as well, when VW sales fell 9.1 percent to 5,989 units, while Mercedes-Benz became even geared itself up to keep its lead until the end of 2015. If the trend continues, Volkswagen's reign as the top dog over all the other import carmakers in Japan will come to an end for the first time in 15 years.
According to Bloomberg, much of Japan's problems with Volkswagen have resulted as an indirect consequence to the Dieselgate scandal. That is even though the German carmaker has reassured its Japanese customers that none of the cars affected by the illegal emissions cheat have been imported into the Land of the Rising Sun.
Still, the TDI emissions scandal only poured more salt over an expanding wound, as Mercedes-Benz was already ahead in terms of sales comparing data for the first nine months of 2015. Thanks to an outpour of all-new model launches and an increase in demand for luxury cars and SUVs, Mercedes-Benz is likely to continue its conquering of the Japanese car market well into 2016 as well. Its sales surge will obviously be helped by the continuous fall from grace that Volkswagen is experiencing as well, but it should be noted that it also mirrors a sustained growth in most other car markets. In other words, rising to the number one spot over any other import carmaker in one market has been helped by the current context, but that is far from being the only reason.
A similar trend widened the gap between Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in September as well, when VW sales fell 9.1 percent to 5,989 units, while Mercedes-Benz became even geared itself up to keep its lead until the end of 2015. If the trend continues, Volkswagen's reign as the top dog over all the other import carmakers in Japan will come to an end for the first time in 15 years.
According to Bloomberg, much of Japan's problems with Volkswagen have resulted as an indirect consequence to the Dieselgate scandal. That is even though the German carmaker has reassured its Japanese customers that none of the cars affected by the illegal emissions cheat have been imported into the Land of the Rising Sun.
Still, the TDI emissions scandal only poured more salt over an expanding wound, as Mercedes-Benz was already ahead in terms of sales comparing data for the first nine months of 2015. Thanks to an outpour of all-new model launches and an increase in demand for luxury cars and SUVs, Mercedes-Benz is likely to continue its conquering of the Japanese car market well into 2016 as well. Its sales surge will obviously be helped by the continuous fall from grace that Volkswagen is experiencing as well, but it should be noted that it also mirrors a sustained growth in most other car markets. In other words, rising to the number one spot over any other import carmaker in one market has been helped by the current context, but that is far from being the only reason.
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