Japan’s car sales dropped in April for the first time in eight months, led by Honda, as the government trimmed tax benefits for consumers buying low-emission vehicles, Bloomberg News reported.
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The news agency said that sales of cars, trucks and buses, excluding minivehicles, by Japan’s 11 vehicle makers fell 6.5% to 248,302 units last month, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. Honda’s sales for the month dropped 39% to 26,813, the report added.
According to Bloomberg News, the reduction last month of tax concessions for buyers of environmentally friendly cars caused many drivers to buy earlier, inflating sales in March. Analysts are sceptical that recent gains in sales at home are sustainable, because falling bonuses and fewer new models make consumers less likely to buy new cars, the news agency added.
Nissan sold 43,760 vehicles at home last month, 9.3% fewer than a year earlier, JADA figures showed, Bloomberg News said.
Toyota sales for the month rose 1.6% to 116,991 units, the report added.
