Japan auto sales up 6.9% in April, Exports and Production up in March

May 3, 2008
By Ken Worsley

According data released last Thursday by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, domestic auto sales in April increased to 232,993 vehicles, up from 217,911 in April 2007. Major auto makers did well: Toyota saw an increase of 8.8%, Nissan saw a rise of 11.5% and Honda sales increased 4.7%.

By category, passenger car sales were up 9.4% at 201,155 units, while truck sales were down 6.7% to 60,662 units and bus sales slid 2.6% to 1,176 units. At the same time, the Japan Mini Vehicles Association said that sales of new mini-vehicles in April fell 2.8% to 135,837 units, showing a decline for the 13th straight month.

Auto exports increased by 12.3% in March, showing an increase for the 32nd straight month, hitting 638,384 units. In FY2007, Japan shipped 6.77 million vehicles overseas, up 10.4% over FY2006 and up for the sixth consecutive year.

Also in March, production of cars, trucks and buses in Japan rose 2.3%, up for the 8th straight month. In FY2007, the production of vehicles in Japan increased 2.5% to 11.79 million units, showing a rise for the sixth consecutive year.

Filed Under Automotive, Economic Reports