Japanese manufacturer Suzuki thinks it is now set to outsell its rival Honda for the first time, and become the second-largest automotive manufacturer in Japan. The company is expecting to jump its sales by over seven percent, although Honda is estimating a minor increase in its sales, which could be enough for it to outsell one of its biggest rivals.
Suzuki hasn’t had a presence in the United States for some time, with Europe being where most of its export sales take place outside of Japan. Even though the Suzuki Jimny was taken off sale, thanks to tightening emissions regulations, it appears Suzuki has still been doing very well over the past year. India has played a big part in this.
Honda, meanwhile, has had an interesting time over the past 12 months, as it looks to have seen sales fall year on year. That outlook does look a bit bleaker this time around, as it is believed to have flatlined at 3.39 million units sold over the last fiscal year, the same number it sold in the previous one.
This information has come thanks to Nikkei Asia, which also stated that while Suzuki could be the number two automaker in Japan, it won’t come close to beating the might of Toyota. Combined with Lexus, Toyota is still set to sell over 10.5 million units over the last fiscal year.
How Well Has Suzuki Done in Sales Over the Past Year?
Suzuki has projected a sales jump of 7.1 percent over the past fiscal year, selling 3.55 million units during that time. Given it came close to beating Honda in the last fiscal year, it stands a good chance of doing so this time. India has been a huge market for Suzuki, with it selling 1.86 million units in the country in the 2025 fiscal year. That was 56 percent of the total it sold all year.
Globally, Suzuki saw its sales rise by a very impressive 2.4 percent. In the 2026 Fiscal year, which ends in March 2027, it is expected to reach that 7.1 percent figure in terms of sales increase. At the time of writing, while it looks great for Suzuki, Honda is still very much ahead. But that gap has certainly shrunk over the past year.
Honda saw its sales fall 8.9 percent year over year, although it just beat Suzuki when it came to sales with 3.38 million units in the last fiscal year. But it is expected to remain virtually the same, with 3.39 million this time around. That would certainly give Suzuki an advantage and position it as the second-largest automotive manufacturer in Japan. It would be the first time that it has ever overtaken Honda in that area. Yet despite this success, it is not going to beat Toyota anytime soon.
Toyota Will Remain Japan’s Biggest Automaker
Ironically, Toyota maintains a tie-up with Suzuki, owning just over five percent of its fellow Japanese automaker. In terms of its own sales, combined with Lexus, Toyota is set to sell 10.5 million vehicles this fiscal year, around three times more than what Suzuki is expected to do. Ironically, the ownership stake will have helped Suzuki to outsell Honda. Nissan will rank fourth with 3.3 million sold, which is a solid 4.7 percent year-over-year increase.
The achievement by Suzuki, however, to outsell Honda is impressive, given that it has no US market presence. Given the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, it doesn’t look like it will make a return to the market anytime soon. It doesn’t hold a market presence in China either, but given that it is a heavily EV-influenced market, it would have to produce its own range of EVs before even thinking about entering the Chinese market.
Suzuki Is Looking To Build up Its Indian Presence
For this year, India is expected to make up around 60 percent of Suzuki’s global sales volume. That is seriously impressive, and the company looks set to try to increase what it sells in the country. One caveat, however, is the Middle East crisis, which could take up to 100 billion yen from its full-year earnings through 2026. The company, though, is just happy to be selling its cars. “We’re not doing things to become No. 2. Our mission is to build and sell cars that people will embrace,” said company President Toshihiro Suzuki at its recent earnings presentation.