U.S., Foreign New-Car Sales Remain Robust : Autos: The strong demand is expected into 1995. Local importers report dramatic surge.

The big auto makers of Detroit and Japan on Wednesday reported robust new-car sales in the United States for the first half of the year--a trend that is expected to continue into 1995.

And while sales were strong for the giant car companies, sales figures have practically skyrocketed for the automotive importers based in Orange County, who make up the so-called second tier of Asian auto companies in this country.

Led by Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America--with a 34% sales hike--four members of the quintet reported that their combined six-month sales through June 30 were up 24% from the same period in 1993.

Excluding Kia Motors North America, which did not begin selling its Korean-built cars in the United States until February, the Orange County-based importers sold 394,653 cars and trucks in the first half of the year.

“We’re on a real roll this year,” said Richard D. Recchia, chief operating officer of Mitsubishi Motor Sales. “This is the sixth consecutive month our sales have been above 1993 levels.”

Referring to the overall sales gains by Japanese importers, Recchia said that “reports of the death of the Japanese auto makers in the U.S. because of the weak yen (which boosts the price of imports) were premature . . . people forgot that we all sell a lot of cars that are built here in the U.S.”

Domestic auto makers--General Motors, Ford and Chrysler--sold 5.74 million vehicles in the first half of the year, a 9.1% increase, and the major Japanese importers--Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and American Honda Motor Co., both in Torrance, and Nissan Motor Corp. U.S.A., in Carson--sold a total of 1.3 million vehicles for an 11.3% hike.

Most European auto makers also were reporting significant sales increases, although their numbers are comparatively small.

Auto analysts expect total car, truck and minivan sales in the United States to hit 15.5 million this year, up from 14 million in 1993. The buying binge comes from pent-up demand as most of the nation recovers from the recession. Sales in Southern California, where the economy remains sluggish, also have begun picking up, but not at a pace that matches the national rate.

The Orange County importers, ranked in order of first-half sales, are:

Mazda Motor of America Inc., Irvine, 197,983, up 24%; Mitsubishi, 119,560, up 34%; Hyundai Motor America Inc., Fountain Valley, 61,867, up 9%; and American Suzuki Motor Corp., Brea, 15,243, up 26%. Kia, also in Irvine, has sold 4,646 cars since it began U.S. sales five months ago. The company won’t be a nationwide distributor until late 1995 or early 1996. So far, Kia has 66 dealerships in 11 states.