Toyota's China sales fall 5% in July
Sales in China by Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. and its two local joint-venture partners fell 5 percent in July from a year earlier to 78,400 vehicles, according to a company spokesman.
The decline was Toyota's first since January, when its sales tumbled 26 percent because of China's Lunar New Year.
The spokesman, Takanori Yokoi, said the sales slide in July was "caused by a technical reason." He said sales in July 2011 were "unusually high" after three months of sluggish business in the wake of Japan's devastating earthquake on March 11 that year.
The earthquake and a tsunami it caused paralyzed production of key components in Japan and slowed Toyota's vehicle production around the world, including China, depriving dealerships of cars to sell.
Toyota's sales through July totaled 520,800 vehicles, up 19 percent from the same period last year, according to Yokoi.
Yokoi said the Japanese automaker was still on track to meet its goal of selling 1 million vehicles in China in 2012. Toyota would have to raise sales 13 percent to meet its goal.
Last year, Toyota's China sales rose 4 percent to 883,400 vehicles.
The spokesman, Takanori Yokoi, said the sales slide in July was "caused by a technical reason." He said sales in July 2011 were "unusually high" after three months of sluggish business in the wake of Japan's devastating earthquake on March 11 that year.
The earthquake and a tsunami it caused paralyzed production of key components in Japan and slowed Toyota's vehicle production around the world, including China, depriving dealerships of cars to sell.
Toyota's sales through July totaled 520,800 vehicles, up 19 percent from the same period last year, according to Yokoi.
Yokoi said the Japanese automaker was still on track to meet its goal of selling 1 million vehicles in China in 2012. Toyota would have to raise sales 13 percent to meet its goal.
Last year, Toyota's China sales rose 4 percent to 883,400 vehicles.
