Japan's November Imported Auto Sales Down

TOKYO December 4, 2002 Dow Jones reported that sales of imported cars, trucks and buses in Japan fell for the first time in four months, as demand shifted to small cars which are mostly assembled domestically.

As deflation remains entrenched, consumers are less inclined to buy pricey, large-sized cars, such as imports, the Japan Automobile Importers Association said Thursday.

Sales of imported autos slipped 2.3% on-year to 20,754 units in November, the association said. In October, sales rose 4.7% to 19,888 vehicles.

Overall sales of new cars, including those made in and outside of Japan, expanded 6.6% in November from the same month a year ago to 331,421 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers' Association said Monday.

A breakdown of sales is as follows:

                  Units          Change On Year
Overall          20,754              -2.3%
 Passenger Cars  20,461              -1.6%
 Trucks             293             -35.3%
 Buses             N.A.               N.A.