December New car sales drop 22.3%

Sales of vehicles, excluding those with engine displacements of 660cc or less, fell below the 200,000 mark in December for the first time since an industry association began compiling statistics in 1968.

The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Monday that sales plunged 22.3 percent year on year to 183,549 units, bringing the annual tally to 3.21 million units, the lowest in 34 years. Annual sales, down 6.5 percent from 2007, were at roughly half the peak of 1990.

Including minivehicles with engine displacements of 660cc or less, annual sales came to about 5.08 million units, the lowest in 28 years. -END-(IHT/Asahi: January 6,2009)