Figures from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicle Association show that April car sales dropped 1.6 percent year on year to 403,398 units. Excluding minivehicles, sales fell 2.7 percent to 265,454.
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Taken in isolation, the tiny 660cc Kei-class minivehicle entry level segment saw its sales rise 0.7 percent to 137,944 after falling 3.8 percent year-on-year in March.
Nissan recorded the largest increase in overall sales as its new March (Micra) helped boost minicar-excluded sales 4.1 percent to 48,256 during April.
Adding in sales of Nissan’s first minivehicle, the Suzuki-built Moco, boosted Nissan’s result overall by 12.6 percent to 52,217.
Honda recorded a 6.5 percent increase in total vehicle sales to 66,255 units.
Excluding minivehicles, Honda’s 9.8 percent sales increase reflected continuing healthy demand for the Fit (Jazz) subcopact and the tiny Mobilio minivan.
Toyota sales excluding minivehicles dropped 4.1 percent to 115,093 units while group sales, including the minivehicle subsidiary Daihatsu and truck maker Hino fell 5.4 percent to 155,230.
Overall Mitsubishi sales dropped 13 percent to 25,506 while Mazda recorded a 15.4 percent drop in total sales to 16,110 vehicles, reflecting the dearth of new models in both makers’ ranges. Clearly, Mazda’s new medium sized 6, replacing the 626, is not enough on its own.
