Auto sales in Japan for the year ended March 2024 rose 3.3 percent to 4.53 million vehicles, though the total volume sold still fell short of pre-pandemic levels, industry data showed Monday
Sales of cars, buses and trucks rose for two straight years in fiscal 2023, as chip supplies to auto manufacturers improved after the industry was hit by a supply bottleneck triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Domestic auto sales, excluding those of minivehicles with an engine displacement of 660 cc or less, rose 7.8 percent to 2.90 million vehicles, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.
Sales of minivehicles fell 4.0 percent to 1.63 million vehicles, the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association said, as Toyota Motor Corp.'s small-car manufacturing unit Daihatsu Motor Co. temporarily halted domestic plants over a safety scandal that involved data rigging in vehicle safety tests.
The latest sales figures represent a steady increase from 4.22 million vehicles sold in fiscal 2021, when sales dropped to a 45-year low due to shortages of chips and other parts, but remains below the 5.04 million vehicles sold in fiscal 2019.
The fall in overall minivehicle sales reflects a 21.6 percent drop to 443,694 vehicles at Daihatsu in the segment. Suzuki Motor Corp. toppled Daihatsu to become the No. 1 minivehicle seller for the first time in 18 years, with its sales rising 7.0 percent to 552,251 vehicles.
