New vehicle sales in Japan during the first half of fiscal 2008 fell 2.9% year on year to a 34-year low in a third consecutive year of H1 declines.
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Car sales, excluding minivehicles with engines up to 660 cc, totalled 1,543,092 units in the first half, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association told Kyodo News.
That was about half the tally in fiscal H1 1990 when sales peaked at 2,897,699 units, the report added.
”Besides steep gas prices, the financial crisis that originated in the United States might have brought down consumer sentiment,” a JADA official said.
Shipments of trucks and other commercial vehicles fell 13.8% to 197,948 units amid weak demand from truckers and higher prices announced recently by major automakers. Passenger car sales fell 1% to 1,337,986 units.
Nissan Motor sales fell 5.3% to 252,137 units; Toyota excluding Lexus model was off 1.8% to 693,463; Mazda sales slipped 0.7% to 95,027 and Mitsubishi Motors volume plunged 23.3% to 28,351.
On the other hand, both Honda (+11.9% to 203,280) and Suzuki (+1.9% to 38,539) booked rises.
September motor vehicle sales fell 5.3% to 310,992 units.
Passenger cars fell 5.7% to 269,469; trucks were off 3.9% to 40,056 and bus sales were up 42.3% to 1,467.
The Japan Mini Vehicles Association told Kyodo News their sales in fiscal H1 dipped 2.4% to 874,746 units, the second year of H1 decline.
September sales fell for a second consecutive month, by 3.3% to 165,827 units.
