Global General

Special

Newsmaker

Asia Pacific

America

Middle East

Europe

Africa

Sales of imported autos plunge 37.7% in Japan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-04 11:03

TOKYO -- Japan's sales of imported vehicles plummeted by 37.7 percent year-on-year to 13,543 units in November as consumer spending was pinched amid the global financial upheavals, said the Japan Automobile Importers Association on Thursday.

It was the seventh month in a row that the sales, including those of Japanese auto brands built abroad, had suffered downslide, said the trade body.

Sales of foreign-brand cars tumbled 36.7 percent to 11,844 units while those of Japanese-brand vehicles built overseas were down at a faster pace of 44.1 percent to 1,699 units.

The worsening employment situation in Japan was believed to be another key factor behind the sales decline as it hurt consumers' sentiment.