Japan's new vehicle sales plunge 30.7% year-on-year in November
- Source: Xinhua
- [10:06 December 02 2010]
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Japan's domestic new vehicle sales plummeted 30.7 percent from a year earlier as a government subsidy program for eco-friendly cars expired in September, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said in a report on Wednesday.
According to the association, domestic vehicles sales, excluding those of mini vehicles, dropped to 203,246 units in the recording period, marking the third successive month of decline and the sharpest drop on year in three months.
November's decline follows a 26.7 percent on year retraction booked in October.
Sales of passenger cars plunged 33.5 percent to 178,463 units, although truck sales in November rose marginally to 24,082 units from 24,075 sold in the same month a year earlier.
Bus sales fell 20.8 percent to 701 units, marking the third straight year-on-year drop following a 25.4 percent fall in the previous month.
Regarding specific automakers, Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest carmaker, saw sales of its new vehicles, excluding those of its high-end Lexus brand, fall 34.3 percent to 96,874 units.
Sales of Toyota's Lexus models dived 58.0 percent to 1,938 units in the recording period and Honda Motor Co. saw a drop of 37. 6 percent to 32,294 units. Meanwhile, Nissan Motor Co. fell 21.3 percent in November, selling 31,486 new vehicles.
Industrywide car sales in Japan may plunge 23 percent in the six months started October from a year earlier due to the government subsidy for fuel-efficient cars program ending in September, the association said.
The Japan Automobile Dealers Association measures vehicle sales in any particular month by counting the number of newly registered vehicles filed with the government.
Separately, the Japan Mini Vehicle Association reported Wednesday that domestic sales of new mini vehicles -- with an engine displacement of less than 660 cc -- fell by 15.9 percent in November from a year earlier to 120,354, marking the second straight drop on-year following a 16.2-percent fall in October.
