New vehicle sales in Japan, including minivehicles, fell 22.4% year on year in August to 329,838 units, the 11th straight month of decline, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association said.

Sales of cars, trucks and buses, excluding minivehicles, plunged 25.5% to 216,510 vehicles, the 12th straight month of decline, while sales of minivehicles dived 15.6% to 113,328 units, the 11th consecutive monthly drop.

While shortages of new vehicles after the March earthquake and tsunami are being resolved, the decline also reflects the spike in sales in August last year before subsidies for purchasing eco-friendly cars ended the following month, an official of the automobile dealers association told Kyodo News.

The association expects sales to begin increasing from year-earlier levels as automakers plan to step up production from this month with the recovery in supply chains.

Excluding minivehicles, car sales in August dropped 29.5% to 188,656 vehicles, and bus sales fell 4.2% to 1,219 units. But truck sales surged 22.5% to 26,635 vehicles due to strong demand after the disaster.

By automaker, sales by Honda Motor Co. plunged 49.1% to 25,549 vehicles and Mazda also suffered a 44.1% fall.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.