P.M. BRIEFING : Car Imports Up 17.1% in Japan

Imported car sales in Japan in July surged 17.1% over a year ago to a record 20,304 units, extending the year-on-year streak of increases to 79 months, the Japan Automobile Importers’ Assn. said today.

West German cars continued to dominate the imported car market with sales gaining 11.2% over July, 1989, and accounting for 58.3% of the total sales, the association said. It added that sales of U.S. cars climbed 22.3% to 3,140 units, reflecting growing popularity among Japanese buyers.

Sales of British cars gained 32.1%, while those of French and Italian vehicles were up 27.8% and 68.4%, respectively, the association said. Swedish car sales were up 38.8%. Sales of cars imported from Australia and South Korea fell 51.4% and 40.8%, respectively.