Sales slump for Japanese brands

Toyota’s global sales came in at 923,311 vehicles in September, a drop of eight per cent when compared with the same month a year ago.

Meanwhile, its production levels, including subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors, fell 8.5 per cent over the same time frame to 949,583 units.

Toyota’s sales in Japan alone tumbled by nearly 17 per cent between January and September this year after domestic recalls of its Prius hybrid and scandals involving falsified vehicle safety certifications, reports the Japan Times.

Latest figures from the company also show production in China fell by almost 18 per cent during the same period amid rising competition from electric vehicle brands such as BYD.

As for other Japanese carmakers, Honda’s global sales fell for the sixth consecutive month after dropping 14.8 per cent to 307,426 units in September. Production was down 20 per cent.

Nissan’s numbers were also on the slide with sales falling 4.2 per cent to 288,511 units last month and its output of 273,342 vehicles was 9.8 per cent lower than a year ago.