March’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan led to a huge fall in new car sales in April. Sales fell 47.3% from April 2010 to 185,683 units, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association.
It was the lowest monthly sales total since records began in January 1968; sales in that month were 198,693. It was also the biggest monthly decline since the oil crisis of 1974 when sales in May fell by 40.7%.
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The April decline, which followed a 35.1% plunge in March, came as disruptions in supply chains triggered by the disaster forced automakers to significantly curtail output. Continued declines in vehicle sales could significantly hurt the Japanese economy.”Demand is likely to far surpass supply this year,” said a JADA official.
Sales of vehicles, excluding minivehicles with engines of up to 660 cc, plunged 51% to a record low of 108,824 units, falling for the eighth consecutive month and registering the sharpest percentage fall.
Minivehicle sales dropped 41.1% to 76,849 units, also marking the largest percentage fall.
Toyota saw sales fall 68.7%; Honda sales fell 48.5% while Nissan sales were down 37.2%.
