Tokyo, 6 January, /AJMEDIA/
New car sales in Japan dropped 5.6 percent in 2022 from the previous year to their lowest level in 45 years due to a semiconductor shortage and pandemic-caused supply chain disruptions, data from industry bodies showed Thursday.
A total of 4,201,321 cars including minivehicles with engines of up to 660 cc were sold last year in the country, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association.
Domestic auto sales in 2022 declined for the fourth consecutive year and dropped to their lowest level since 1977 when about 4,190,000 vehicles were sold.
Sales of cars other than minivehicles fell 8.3 percent to 2,563,184 units, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association data.
By brand, Toyota Motor Corp saw a drop of 12.4 percent to 1,217,128 units, while Nissan Motor Co’s sales slipped 0.8 percent to about 272,020 vehicles. Honda Motor Co sold 269,034 units, down 1.9 percent.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp registered a sharp gain of 42.4 percent to 49,178 units thanks to robust sales of the plug-in hybrid sport utility model, Outlander PHEV, and electric minivehicles.
Suzuki Motor Corp and Mazda Motor Corp also logged an increase following a drop in 2021 caused by disruptions to the supply of parts.
Sales of minivehicles fell 0.9 percent to 1,638,137. Daihatsu Motor Co, Toyota’s subsidiary mainly focused on the minicar market, saw a rise of 1.2 percent in sales, while its rival Suzuki Motor suffered a 1.5 percent fall.
The Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association said it is difficult to tell how long the chip shortage and supply chain disruptions will persist and weigh on production.
In December alone, new car sales were up 2.4 percent from a year earlier to 344,365, rising for the fourth straight month.
Meanwhile, data released by six Japanese automakers showed their combined sales in the United States fell 17.9 percent in 2022 to 4,758,614 units as the chip shortage also crimped their shipment in the country.
Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Subaru Corp all saw a sales decline as General Motors Co retook the top spot from Toyota, which outsold the American auto giant in 2021.
Toyota’s U.S. sales in the year declined 9.6 percent, while those of General Motors rose 2.5 percent.
