The earthquake and the tsunami of March 11th have inflicted tremendous damage to the Japanese car industry.
Japan’s domestic sales of cars, trucks and buses fell by a record amount in April, hit by the aftermath of the country’s earthquake and tsunami.
With production halted and supply chains broken, sales last month were 51% lower than a year earlier, said the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.
It said sales would continue to be subdued in the months ahead because of a continuing shortage of parts.
The production of parts having nearly stopped for several weeks after the catastrophe, the number of new cars on the market and for export have fallen sharply.
April’s decline followed a 37% fall in vehicle sales in March.
The Japan Automobile Dealers Association (Jada) said domestic sales in April totalled 108,824. The 51% fall from a year earlier was the biggest decline since records began in 1968.
The all-time record fall was 45%, which was recorded in May 1974 during the global oil price crisis.
A Jada spokesman said: “Factory lines started moving again but they are not operating fully yet.
Meanwhile, many people have postponed the purchase of a new car and are waiting before selling their cars in auctions. Typically, nearly 70% of the purchase of a new car by Japanese consumers implies the trade-in of a used car. Thus, there are fewer used cars coming on the market and the prices are going up.
In the meantime RamaDBK is trying its best to satisfy the needs of its customers world-wide.
