Nissan drops out of top 10 in global auto sales charts for first half of 2025

Nissan has been struggling for quite some time, facing financial troubles, weak sales, and multiple lawsuits over faulty engines. The Japanese automaker sold 1.61 million vehicles globally in the first half of 2025, a 6 percent decline compared to last year, according to data from research firm MarketLines—first reported by Nikkei Asia. This sharp drop means Nissan has fallen out of the top 10 brands in global auto sales for the first time in 16 years, lagging far behind leaders like Toyota and Volkswagen Group.

The decline opened the door for Chinese automakers BYD and Geely to surpass Nissan, with BYD posting a massive 33 percent sales increase to move up to eighth place.

Adding insult to injury, Nissan’s domestic rival Suzuki also edged past it, selling 1.63 million units—just 20,000 more—marking the first time Suzuki has outsold Nissan since 2004.

Between April and June 2025, Nissan reported a loss of ¥15.7 billion (around $105 million), its fourth straight quarterly loss. This stands in sharp contrast to the same period last year, when the company posted a profit of ¥28.5 billion (around $191 million). The slump is most evident in China, Nissan’s largest market, where sales dropped 18 percent in the first half of the year to just 270,000 units, far below its 2018 peak of 720,000. In Japan, sales also fell 10 percent to 220,000 units—the brand’s weakest domestic performance since 1993.

Despite these setbacks, Nissan is working to revive its fortunes. In North America, the recently launched all-new Leaf electric crossover, priced competitively at $31,485, is expected to strengthen its EV presence, while the second-generation Kicks SUV is showing promising momentum. Nissan is also preparing to bring back the rugged Xterra SUV to appeal to lifestyle buyers. In China, the new N7 EV sedan launched in April has seen strong demand, and several more EVs are planned for the market. Meanwhile, in India, Nissan currently sells the locally produced Magnite SUV for both domestic and export markets. The company is also readying two new models for launch here—an MPV based on the Renault Triber, likely to be called the Gravite, and an all-new Creta-rivaling SUV derived from the latest-gen Renault Duster.