Monday, 2 May 2011

Record fall in domestic Japanese car sales

Japan's domestic sales of cars, trucks and buses fell by a record amount in April, hit by the aftermath of the country's earthquake and tsunami.

With production halted and supply chains broken, sales last month were 51% lower than a year earlier, said the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

It said sales would continue to be subdued in the months ahead because of a continuing shortage of parts.

April's decline followed a 37% fall in vehicle sales in March.

The earthquake hit north-eastern Japan on 11 March.

The Japan Automobile Dealers Association (Jada) said domestic sales in April totalled 108,824.

The 51% fall from a year earlier was the biggest decline since records began in 1968.

The all-time record fall was 45%, which was recorded in May 1974 during the global oil price crisis.

A Jada spokesman said: "Factory lines started moving again but they are not operating fully yet.

"We are likely to continue feeling the impact [of the disaster]."

No comments:

Post a Comment