Japan said on Monday that its new vehicle sales for the year 2019 fell for the first time in three years, due to sluggish demand following a series of natural disasters and consumption tax increase, industry groups said.
According to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, 5,195,216 units of new cars were sold in 2019, down 1.5 per cent from the previous year.
However, sales excluding those of mini-vehicles dropped 1.9 per cent for the second straight year to 3,284,870 units.
In terms of brands, Nissan Motor Ltd. logged a 13.8 per cent decline to 367,514 cars, apparently affected by management confusion and cost-cutting following the arrest of its former Chairman, Carlos Ghosn, in Nov. 2018.
Toyota Motor Company marked a 2.7 per cent increase to 1,510,741 units, while sales of Honda Motor Company fell 5.4 per cent to 357,242 cars.
According to Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association, sales of mini-cars, whose engines not larger than 660 cc, fell 0.7 per cent to 1,910,346 units in 2019, the first drop in three years.
An association spokesman told local media that a series of natural disasters including typhoons, hitting wide areas of Japan in September and October, had a negative impact on the auto market.
The spokesman added that the consumption tax hike to 10 per cent from 8 per cent starting from Oct. 1, in 2019, could also be a factor. (Xinhua/NAN)
