Business News
Car sales in Japan fall to 34-year low after quake
Jan 5, 2012, 9:20 GMT
Tokyo - Sales of new vehicles in Japan dropped 15.1 per cent in 2011 from the previous year to their lowest point for 34 years in the aftermath of the March earthquake and tsunami, industry groups said Thursday.
Unit sales of new cars stood at 4,210,220, including mini cars and mini trucks, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and Japan Mini Vehicles Association.
A mini car or truck is defined as having an engine capacity of under 660 cubic centimetres.
The disaster on March 11, which left 15,844 dead and 3,450 missing in the north-east, destroyed factories and disrupted supply chains.
Flooding later in the year in Thailand, where most Japanese carmakers have production facilities, forced many to cut production due to shortages of key parts.
But the industry expected demand to grow in 2012 due to the reintroduction of government subsidies for fuel-efficient vehicles.
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