— Japan Dec New Vehicle Sales +23.5% Y/Y Vs Nov +24.1%
— Japan Dec New Mini-Vehicle Sales +17.6% Y/Y Vs Nov +19.1%
— Japan 2011 New Vehicle Sales -16.7% Vs 2010 +10.6%
— Japan 2011 New Mini-Vehicle Sales -11.9% Vs 2010 +2.3%
TOKYO (MNI) – New vehicle sales in Japan posted the fourth straight
year-on-year rise in December, thanks to a sharp drop in demand the year
before, data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association on
Thursday showed.
Last year’s drop in sales was caused by the end to the government’s
reward program for buying low-emission vehicles.
New vehicle sales rose 23.5% last month from a year earlier to
221,960 units.
The upturn in sales was also supported by the recovery in supply
chains that were battered by the March earthquake disaster.
The November reading followed rises of 24.1% in November 28.3% in
October and 1.7% in September, which was the first y/y gain in 13
months.
In the whole of 2011, new vehicle sales fell 16.7% to 2.69 million
units, the first fall in two years, following a 10.6% surge in 2010.
Separately, the Japan Mini Vehicle Association reported that
domestic sales of new small vehicles (with engine displacement of less
than 660 cc) rose 17.6% y/y to 127,246 in November, the third straight
month of a year-on-year rise, following a 19.1% rise in November.
In the calendar 2011, new mini-vehicle sales fell 11.9% to 1.52
million units, marking the first fall in two years, following a 2.3%
rise in the previous year.
tokyo@marketnews.com
** Market News International Tokyo Newsroom: 81-3-5403-4835 **
[TOPICS: M$J$$$,M$A$$$,MAJDS$]
