Japanese Automakers’ U.S. Sales Down 5.4 Pct in 1st Quarter

New York, April 1 (Jiji Press)–Combined new vehicle sales by six Japanese automakers in the U.S. market fell 5.4 pct to 1,416,619 units in the first quarter of the year from a year earlier, according to data released by the companies Wednesday. All of the six companies reported lower sales following surging demand a year before ahead of the introduction of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Sales of affordable cars increased amid persistent inflation in the country. Toyota Motor Corp.’s U.S. sales slipped 0.1 pct to 569,420 units. Sales of the Camry sedan rose 11.3 pct to 78,255 units and those of the Corolla sedan climbed 12.8 pct to 62,574 units. Sales of the RAV4 sport utility vehicle slid 48.1 pct to 59,869 units due to a production decline related to a model changeover. Honda Motor Co. posted a 4.2 pct decrease in U.S. sales to 336,830 units. Sales of the Accord sedan grew 21.9 pct to 37,317 units, while those of the CR-V SUV dropped 3.8 pct to 99,437 units. Nissan Motor Co.’s sales shrank 7.5 pct to 247,068 units even as sales of the Rogue SUV gained 13.0 pct to 70,174 units. Subaru Corp. saw its U.S. sales fall 14.9 pct to 141,944 units. Sales at Mazda Motor Corp. dropped 14.4 pct to 94,473 units. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. reported a 15.0 pct decline to 26,884 units. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]