Japan's Automotive Imports Fall 3.8%

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

FXstreet.com reports that Japan imported 3.8% less vehicles in July vs. July of last year. While the slump is hardly unsurprising given the general downturn in the Japanese automotive market, examining the actual numbers is a bit of an eye-opener. We're talking about a total of just 16,968 units (down from last July's 17,636), the majority of them high end luxury cars. Saying that, VW led the pack, selling 3996 vehicles in Japan (down 13.3%). Mass marketeer FoMoCo found 444 for its cars (down 19.1%). Renault brought up the rear with 306 vehicles (up 2.7%). Contrast that stat with the country's automotive exports. In June, Japan's domestic automakers sent 202,523 vehicles stateside.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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 4 comments
  • SunnyvaleCA SunnyvaleCA on Aug 06, 2007

    With a decreasing driving population and increased vehicle longevity, would it be natural to assume that fewer and fewer vehicles would be sold every year?

  • Kevin Kevin on Aug 06, 2007

    True Sunnyvale, though interestingly, new car sales are falling WAY faster than the population. Curious thing going on there. Though I happen to prefer Japanese cars myself, it's surely a sign of a very dysfunctional market that

  • Kevin Kevin on Aug 06, 2007

    ... Less than 5% of unit sales are imports. Hey, you can't use the "lesser than" sign in these comments!

  • Naif Naif on Aug 07, 2007

    Does anyone know how many cars Japan allows to be imported? Doesn"t look like to many to begin with.

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