Tokyo: Auto sales rose in Japan for a third month in November as Toyota Motor Corp led a recovery from supply disruptions brought on by the March earthquake and Thailand's floods.
Local sales of cars, trucks and buses, excluding minicars, rose 24 per cent to 252,236 vehicles in November, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said in a statement yesterday.
Toyota, Japan's largest automaker, increased sales 26 per cent to 124,100 vehicles, including Lexus-brand cars.
Japan's automakers are rebounding from production disruptions after the worst floods in almost 70 years in Thailand cut off the supply of some components. In South Korea, local sales declined at Hyundai Motor Co and affiliate Kia Motors Corp as consumers postponed purchases on speculation car prices will fall because of a free-trade accord with the US, according to KB Investment & Securities Co.
Bolstering domestic vehicle sales has taken on added significance for Japanese automakers as the appreciation in the yen slashes the profitability and competitiveness of exports and threatens local manufacturing jobs.
At the Tokyo Motor Show last week, Nissan Motor Co Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said Japan's largest carmaker will gradually shift production to Thailand, China and Mexico to mitigate the impact of the strong yen.
Nissan's domestic sales gained 25 per cent to 39,470 units, while deliveries at Honda Motor Co rose 1.5 per cent to 32,777.
Hyundai, South Korea's largest automaker, reported local sales dropped 9.3 per cent to 54,732 units last month, according to a company filing. Exports rose 26 per cent to 320,790 vehicles.
At Kia, domestic deliveries dropped 11 per cent to 39,031 in South Korea, while overseas sales rose 13 per cent.
