Japan July New Vehicle Sales Slow To +15.0% Y/Y; June +20.6%

TOKYO (MNI) – New vehicle sales in Japan rose 15.0% from a year
earlier to 333,403 units in July, posting the 12th straight month of
year-on-year gains, backed by tax breaks for buying low emission
automobiles, data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association
showed on Monday.

The pace of increase continued to decelerate from +20.6% in June,
+28.0% y/y in May and +33.5% in April. In August 2009, domestic new
vehicle sales rose 2.3%, posting their first y/y rise in 13 months.

In July passenger car sales rose 15.5% from a year earlier to
307,397 units (vs. +21.0% y/y in the previous month).

Truck sales rose 9.0% to 24,920 units, posting the sixth straight
y/y rise after rising 17.7% in June, while sales of buses rose 20.9% to
1,086 units, marking the third y/y rise in a row vs. +11.9% in the
previous month.

Separately, the Japan Mini Vehicle Association reported that
domestic sales of new mini vehicles (with engine displacement of less
than 660 cc) rose by 8.6% in July from a year earlier (vs. +11.8% in the
previous month) to 153,203, posting the seventh straight y/y gain.

In January 2010, mini vehicle sales showed the first y/y rise in 15
months, up 0.7%.

tokyo@marketnews.com
** Market News International Tokyo Newsroom: 81-3-5403-4833 **

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