Nissan Drops From Top 10 In Global Auto Sales. Even Suzuki Is Better

Nissan’s recent struggles are no secret. The company is grappling with financial issues, cutting jobs at its factories, and facing class-action lawsuits over faulty engines. Unsurprisingly, its sales numbers reflect that.

According to data gathered by research firm MarketLines—as first reported by Nikkei Asia—Nissan dropped out of the top 10 in global auto sales through the first half of 2025. It’s the first time Nissan has fallen out of the top 10 in 16 years. The company’s sales dropped 6.0 percent to 1.61 million vehicles, well behind industry leaders like Toyota and Volkswagen Group.

This sharp decline allowed Chinese automakers BYD and Geely to surpass Nissan, with BYD posting a 33 percent increase in sales and moving to number eight on the list. Adding to the blow, longtime domestic rival Suzuki also edged past Nissan, selling 1.63 million vehicles—just 20,000 more. It marks the first time Suzuki has outsold Nissan since 2004.

Between April and June, Nissan reported a loss of ¥15.7 billion (approximately $105 million), marking its fourth consecutive quarterly loss. That’s a stark contrast to the same period last year, when the company posted a profit of ¥28.5 billion (approximately $191 million).

Photo by: Nissan

Nissan is struggling on multiple fronts. In the US, vehicle sales remain sluggish, but the bigger concern is China—its largest market—where sales fell 18 percent in the first half of the year to just 270,000 units. At its peak in 2018, Nissan sold 720,000 vehicles in China.

Sales in Japan also declined by 10 percent to 220,000 units—the company’s lowest domestic sales figure since 1993.

Nissan’s Road To Recovery

Despite a rocky start to 2025, Nissan is making bold moves to revamp its lineup in hopes of turning things around over the next few months.

In the US, the company recently launched the new Leaf EV with a competitive starting price of $31,485. The refreshed Kicks is gaining momentum, with over 50,000 units sold in the first half of the year. There are also reports that Nissan plans to bring back the rugged Xterra SUV.

Meanwhile, in China, Nissan introduced the N7 EV sedan in April, starting at 119,900 yuan (approximately $16,727). The model is already off to a strong start, and the company has several more EVs slated for release in the region in the near future.