Japan In February 2013: Down 8 Percent
Japanese automobile sales were down eight percent in February 2013, compared to the same month in the prior year. This according to consolidated data by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association.
Sales of regular vehicles, tallied by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, were down 12.2 percent, a sixth month of decline after the stop of government subsidies. Sales of imported vehicles resist the downtrend. In February, nearly 10 percent of all regular cars were made outside of Japan, 6.5 percent by non-Japanese makers.
Mini vehicle sales Japan February 2013ManufacturerFeb ’13Feb ’12YoYYTD ’13YTD ’12YoYSuzuki52,09052,0180.1%96,74994,3462.5%Daihatsu59,76563,969-6.6%105,810117,763-10.2%Mitsubishi6,2838,875-29.2%11,25616,222-30.6%Subaru5,2129,572-45.5%8,91718,327-51.3%Honda37,66326,71541.0%72,35646,49455.6%Mazda4,8445,247-7.7%9,9889,8701.2%Nissan15,65516,440-4.8%27,85829,771-6.4%Toyota3,4143,574-4.5%6,1596,273-1.8%Other13-66.7%24-50.0%Total184,927186,413-0.8%339,095339,0700.0%Data courtesy Japan Mini Vehicles AssociationSales of minivehicles, recorded by the Japan Mini Vehicles Association, were down slightly in February, and are flat for the year. Minivehicles had seen growth in the past months, even after the subsides expired.
Total vehicle sales Japan February 2013ManufacturerFeb ’13Feb ’12YoYYTD ’13YTD ’12YoYDaihatsu59,92464,256-6.7%106,164118,249-10.2%Hino3,5233,09413.9%5,8425,4517.2%Honda66,39977,155-13.9%122,052141,203-13.6%Isuzu4,4174,657-5.2%7,5128,101-7.3%Lexus3,6473,5542.6%7,2116,7127.4%Mazda20,56419,3626.2%38,34336,8474.1%Mitsubishi13,34614,530-8.1%23,57926,626-11.4%Mitsubishi Fuso2,6022,638-1.4%4,2194,646-9.2%Nissan69,58372,119-3.5%125,996125,1000.7%Subaru15,46417,178-10.0%29,25631,850-8.1%Suzuki59,23759,631-0.7%109,074108,3300.7%Toyota138,889162,451-14.5%246,989289,783-14.8%UD Trucks598690-13.3%1,0811,246-13.2%Other19,13318,3114.5%33,50931,4066.7%Total477,326519,626-8.1%860,827935,550-8.0%On a consolidated basis, sales are down, but still not the -25 percent that had been predicted for after the end of the subsidies.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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- Jkross22 When I think about products that I buy that are of the highest quality or are of great value, I have no idea if they are made as a whole or in parts by unionized employees. As a customer, that's really all I care about. When I think about services I receive from unionized and non-unionized employees, it varies from C- to F levels of service. Will unionizing make the cars better or worse?
- Namesakeone I think it's the age old conundrum: Every company (or industry) wants every other one to pay its workers well; well-paid workers make great customers. But nobody wants to pay their own workers well; that would eat into profits. So instead of what Henry Ford (the first) did over a century ago, we will have a lot of companies copying Nike in the 1980s: third-world employees (with a few highly-paid celebrity athlete endorsers) selling overpriced products to upper-middle-class Americans (with a few urban street youths willing to literally kill for that product), until there are no more upper-middle-class Americans left.
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- ChristianWimmer The body kit modifications ruined it for me.
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Whoa! Look at Honda's home market numbers. Is Honda walking around with a turd in their pocket?
Hmm... I just read an article about deflation in Japan right now prompting buyers to hold off on large purchases hoping that lower pricing occurs.