Japan's imported auto sales down 26.8% in March

• Source: Xinhua
• [11:23 April 10 2009]
• Comments

Imported vehicles sold in Japan plunged 26.8 percent year-on-year in March to 23,218 units as the global economic recession took a heavy toll on the world's second largest economy, the Japan Automobile Importers Association said Monday.

It was the 11th consecutive monthly fall in sales of imported motor vehicles, including those of Japanese brands manufactured abroad, said the trade body.

Foreign-brand vehicles sold in Japan sank 26.7 percent to 20,820 units while sales of Japanese-brand vehicles dived 27.6 percent to 2,398 units, it said.

In terms of manufacturers, Volkswagen ranked No.1 with sales of 5,311 units and a market share of 22.9 percent, followed by Mercedes-Benz and BMW with sales of 4,223 units and 3,444 units, respectively.