New York, Oct. 1 (Jiji Press)–Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. on Thursday posted year-on-year increases in new automobile sales in the U.S. market for the first nine months of this year, as demand for fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles and affordable models grew amid rising gas prices. Combined new vehicle sales by six Japanese automakers–Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru Corp., Mazda Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.–rose 1 pct to 4,596,858 units. Toyota’s sales edged up 0.6 pct to 1,876,614 units thanks to stronger sales of hybrid versions of the Camry sedan and the 4Runner SUV. Honda posted a 4.7 pct sales increase to 1,149,261 units, led by robust sales of hybrid versions of the Accord sedan and the CR-V SUV. Nissan’s sales increased 0.6 pct to 716,283 units, boosted by higher sales of the Frontier pickup truck. Subaru’s sales fell 1.5 pct and those of Mazda declined 2.9 pct. Mitsubishi posted a 6.6 pct drop. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
