All of Japan’s major carmakers except Mitsubishi Motors reported higher home market sales year on year in January, reflecting the popularity of new models while underscoring continuing woes at the 37%-owned DaimlerChrysler affiliate, Dow Jones said.
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The news agency said Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mazda reported solid sales growth thanks to robust demand for new models. Toyota reportedly said its domestic sales rose 6.3% on year to 114,896 vehicles in January, the first rise in three months and mostly on the back of strong demand for its redesigned Crown luxury sedan launched late last year.
According to Dow Jones, Honda said its domestic sales were up 7.9% to 50,210 vehicles, on the popularity of its recently redesigned Life minivehicle and Odyssey minivan, while Renault affiliate Nissan said its sales jumped 9.3% to 59,962 vehicles on strong demand for its Cube Cubic compact model.
Ford affiliate Mazda reportedly said sales rose 2.1% to 23,456 vehicles, thanks to the popular Axela [knows as the 3 abroad] midsize passenger car, launched last autumn.
However, Mitsubishi Motors, now working on a restructuring plan with its DaimlerChrysler parent, reported declining sales as demand for its flagship subcompact Colt model eased after more than a year in showrooms, the report noted.
Dow Jones said Mitsubishi sales at home fell 17.2% to 19,601 vehicles in January, marking the first fall in three months as Colt sales tumbled 54% year on year to 3,137 vehicles.
