Honda N-Box Zooms Ahead for Third Year Running in 2019 New Vehicle Sales

The top-selling new vehicle for 2019 was the Honda N-Box “tall wagon”-style minicar; the third consecutive year it has ranked first. Sales of the N-Box rose by 4.8% from 2018 to 253,500 vehicles and it was comfortably ahead of the Daihatsu Tanto minicar sitting in second place with 175,292 vehicles sold.

The N-Box was fully redesigned in September 2017 and became the top-selling car for the 26 months from then to October 2019. While the Daihatsu Tanto temporarily took the leading sales ranking in November, the N-Box won it back in December. With minicar companies following the N-Box’s lead and striving to improve safety features and increase interior space, the overall image and quality of minicars is improving.

All the minicars in the top ten are “tall wagon” style. The spacious interiors and slide doors that make it easy to get in and out make these especially popular vehicles for families and elderly drivers.

Looking at vehicles other than minicars, the hybrid Toyota Prius ranked highest in fifth place, with an increase of 8.8% to 125,847 vehicles sold. Meanwhile, sales of the Nissan Note fell by 13.1% to 118,472 vehicles.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Honda N-Box minicars (courtesy Honda))