TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — December saw the highest number of new car registrations in 2025, taking the total for the year to 414,436, reports said Friday.

With more promotional campaigns ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, distributors sold 47,303 new cars last month, up 29.7% from November and 14.5% from December 2024. Estimates for January put registrations at 43,000, or 23% higher than the same month last year, per CNA.

Imported cars accounted for 52.4% of the market in December with 24,802 registrations. That was up 36.8% from 18,124 in November and 24.8% from December 2024.

Hotai Motors again led car sales in Taiwan, with its Toyota and Lexus brands taking a 37% market share for the year — a 16-year high. The group sold 153,535 vehicles in 2025, with only 2023 posting a higher total at 159,175.

Luxury cars performed well in December, with 13,090 registrations, up 69.4% from November and 35.7% from December 2024. However, full-year luxury registrations fell 11.6% from 2024 to 102,101 vehicles. Lexus was the top luxury brand in 2025, though Tesla led the category in December.